Reading order
Rincewind reading order
Volumes 1–37 of 41 in Discworld
- The Colour of Magic1983
- The Light Fantastic1986
- Sourcery1988
- Eric1990
- Interesting Times1994
- The Last Continent1998
- The Last Hero2001
- Unseen Academicals2009
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8- 8 volumes
- Volumes
- 1983–2009
- Published
- about 45 h
- Reading time
- Completed
- Status
- Fantasy
- Genre
Quick answer
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Publication order
8 volumes1983–2009Completed
- Rincewind, the cowardly wizard who cannot do magic, opens the whole of Discworld in The Colour of Magic (1983) and returns in several more, from Sourcery (1988) to The Last Continent (1998).
- One caveat: The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic are Pratchett's earliest and weakest — if they put you off, start with another sub-series.
A plan for the whole series
8 volumes, 2,378 pages, about 45 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 8 weeks.
Share of volume 1’s readers who reach the last volume. Chance of reaching the last volume: low
- From volume 2 on, the number of ratings falls most before volume 3, “Sourcery” (by 34%). Plan your break after volume 2, before the series plans it for you.
- Readers scored volume 4, “Eric”, below its predecessor (7.4 after 7.7). If you slow down there, that is on the book, not on you. From volume 5 the form returns.
Stages
3 stages, with 2 short books from outside the series between them. You finish around January 8, 2027, 13 days later than in one go.
- Stage 19 h12 daysby November 10, 2026
- BreakMaus · Art Spiegelman · 295 pp. · score 9.0
- Stage 215 h20 daysby December 10, 2026
- Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.8
- Stage 319 habout 4 weeksby January 8, 2027
- The end of the series
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: it gets better. Readers scored the opening (7.8) below the ending (8.0). After the first volume you do not yet know how good this series is.
Best volume: Interesting Times (8.1, 482 ratings). Weakest: Eric (7.4). From volume 2 on, the biggest drop in the number of ratings is between volume 2 and 3: 34%. The series is complete; you can read it start to finish with no waiting. The last volume (8.0) scores close to the series average or above it.
How this plan is calculated
The plan comes from the pages and ratings of each volume: we split the series into stages of about three weeks’ reading, size each break to the stage before it, and read the chance of finishing from how many readers rate the last volume compared with the first. How we work out the plan →
Every volume in order
Order checked by hand · Order and years: Wikidata (CC0). Spotted an error? Tell us. · Data updated October 29, 2026
Rincewind books ranked, best to worst
- 1.Interesting TimesBook 5 · 19948.1
- 1.The Last HeroBook 7 · 20018.1
- 3.Unseen AcademicalsBook 8 · 20098.0
- 4.The Last ContinentBook 6 · 19987.9
- 5.The Light FantasticBook 2 · 19867.8
- 6.The Colour of MagicBook 1 · 19837.7
- 6.SourceryBook 3 · 19887.7
- 8.EricBook 4 · 19907.4
Frequently asked questions
Which Rincewind book is the best?
By reader score, Interesting Times (8.1/10). The lowest-rated is Eric (7.4/10).
Which Rincewind book is the longest?
“Unseen Academicals” is the longest at 464 pages; the shortest is “Eric” with 160 pages.
What should I read after Rincewind?
Other series by Terry Pratchett: Bromeliad Trilogy, Discworld, Johnny Maxwell trilogy.
