Discworld series

literature series by Pratchett

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 20, 2026

Quick Summary

The Discworld series is a collection of satirical fantasy novels by English author Terry Pratchett. The first book, *The Colour of Magic*, was published in 1983, and it became the first of over 40 volumes in the series.

The stories are set on Discworld, a flat planet carried by four elephants standing on the back of a giant turtle named Great A'Tuin. A central character is the inept wizard Rincewind. The series is known for its witty humor and its parodies of fantasy tropes and other literary works. The Discworld universe has also been adapted into video games, plays, and television movies.

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

The Colour of Magic
Summary
…of four stories set on Discworld, a flat planet that is carried by four huge elephants that stand on the back of the giant turtle Great A’Tuin. The stories pivot on the hapless failed wizard Rincewind. In the first adventure, Rincewind is required to act as guide and protector to…
Read More
…of four stories set on Discworld, a flat planet that is carried by four huge elephants that stand on the back of the giant turtle Great A’Tuin. The stories pivot on the hapless failed wizard Rincewind. In the first adventure, Rincewind is required to act as guide and protector to…
Read More

Terry Pratchett
…the first book in his Discworld series, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983. The series continued with The Light Fantastic (1986), which was quickly followed by Equal Rites (1986) and Mort (1987). In 1987 Pratchett left his office job to become a full-time writer.
Read More
…the first book in his Discworld series, The Colour of Magic, was published in 1983. The series continued with The Light Fantastic (1986), which was quickly followed by Equal Rites (1986) and Mort (1987). In 1987 Pratchett left his office job to become a full-time writer.
Read More