Death reading order

A plan for the whole series

6 volumes, 2,085 pages, about 40 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 7 weeks.

• From volume 2 on, the number of ratings falls most before volume 5, “Thief of Time” (by 37%). Plan your break after volume 4, before the series plans it for you.
• Readers scored volume 3, “Soul Music”, below its predecessor (7.9 after 8.3). If you slow down there, that is on the book, not on you. From volume 4 the form returns.

Stages

3 stages, with 2 short books from outside the series between them. You finish around January 1, 2027, 13 days later than in one go.

1. 1
   Stage 117 habout 3 weeksby November 21, 2026

   • 1. Mort1987 · 300 pages · 6 h
   • 1.5. Death and What Comes Next2002 · 320 pages · 6 h
   • 2. Reaper Man1991 · 313 pages · 6 h
2. Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.82 h, by November 25, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3. 2
   Stage 214 h19 daysby December 14, 2026

   • 3. Soul Music1994 · 384 pages · 7 h
   • 4. Hogfather1996 · 384 pages · 7 h
4. BreakMaus · Art Spiegelman · 295 pp. · score 9.05 h, by December 23, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
5. 3
   Stage 37 h9 daysby January 1, 2027

   • 5. Thief of Time2001 · 384 pages · 7 h
6. The end of the series

   January 1, 2027

We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.

Does the series hold up

Shape of the series: uneven. Scores jump by 0.4 points with no clear direction.

Best volume: Hogfather (8.3, 703 ratings). Weakest: Soul Music (7.9). From volume 2 on, the biggest drop in the number of ratings is between volume 4 and 5: 37%. The series is complete; you can read it start to finish with no waiting. The last volume (8.3) scores close to the series average or above it.