Reading order · 5 books · 1987 to 2001 · Set in Discworld
Death Books in Order
The Death books follow the Grim Reaper of Discworld, who speaks in capital letters and is fascinated by humans, and his granddaughter Susan.
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Series facts
- Books
- 5
- Published
- 1987 to 2001
- First book
- Mort
- Latest
- Thief of Time (2001)
- Setting
- Set in Discworld
The reading order
Every Death book in publication order. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
5 books · Set in Discworld
- 1Mort1987With Death and MortDeath takes on an apprentice, Mort, a gangly young man, who makes a terrible mistake when he saves a princess who was meant to die.Buy on Amazon
- 2Reaper Man1991With Death and Windle PoonsDeath is forced into retirement and goes to work on a farm, while the dead, including an elderly wizard called Windle Poons, cannot die properly.Buy on Amazon
- 3Soul Music1994With Susan Sto HelitSusan, Death’s granddaughter, has to take over the family business, while a new kind of music, with rocks in, takes over the city.Buy on Amazon
- 4Hogfather1996With Susan Sto HelitThe Hogfather, the Discworld’s Father Christmas, has gone missing, and Death takes his place, while Susan sets out to find out what happened.Buy on Amazon
- 5Thief of Time2001With Susan Sto HelitA clockmaker is building a perfect clock that will stop time, and the History Monks must stop it, with help from Susan.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read Mort, Reaper Man, Soul Music, Hogfather, then Thief of Time.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Susan Sto Helit | Death | Mort | Windle Poons | Mustrum Ridcully |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Mort | LLead | LLead | |||
| 2 Reaper Man | LLead | LLead | MMajor | ||
| 3 Soul Music | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | |
| 4 Hogfather | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ||
| 5 Thief of Time | LLead | MMajor |
Characters in the Death books
7 characters from Terry Pratchett’s chart, with the number of Death books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| Susan Sto HelitDeath's granddaughter, a governess | 3 | Soul Music 1994 |
| DeathThe Grim Reaper, who speaks in capitals | 5 | Mort 1987 |
| MortDeath's apprentice | 2 | Mort 1987 |
| Windle PoonsElderly wizard who dies and keeps going | 1 | Reaper Man 1991 |
| Mustrum RidcullyArchchancellor | 3 | Reaper Man 1991 |
| Lord VetinariPatrician of Ankh-Morpork | 1 | Mort 1987 |
| Lu-TzeHistory Monk | 1 | Thief of Time 2001 |
Crossovers with Terry Pratchett’s other series
- Rincewind and the Wizards: Death also appears in 2 of its books; Windle Poons also appears in 2 of its books
- The City Watch: Death also appears in 2 of its books
- Tiffany Aching: Death also appears in 2 of its books
- Moist von Lipwig: Death also appears in 1 of its books