Night Watch vs The Colour of Magic: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Samuel Vimes, Discworld, Fiction
Night Watch
One moment, Sir Sam Vimes is in his old patrolman form, chasing a sweet-talking psychopath across the rooftops of Ankh-Morpork. The next, he's lying naked in the street, having been sent back thirty years courtesy of a…
vs
The Colour of Magic
Terry Pratchett's profoundly irreverent novels are consistent number one bestsellers in England, where they have garnered him a revered position in the halls of parody next to Mark Twain, Kurt Vonnegut, Douglas Adams,…
The verdict
- Readers rate Night Watch highest: Night Watch 4.5 · The Colour of Magic 4.1.
- The Colour of Magic is the quickest read — about 3 hours vs 7 for Night Watch.
- Night Watch has the widest readership — 121109 ratings behind its score.
- Night Watch runs the darker storyline; The Colour of Magic stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Want a one-evening read?
The Colour of Magic
≈ 3h vs 7h for Night Watch
Want the crowd-tested pick?
Night Watch
121109 ratings vs 7662 for The Colour of Magic
Just want the better-reviewed one?
Night Watch
4.5 vs 4.1 from readers
In the mood for something dark?
Night Watch
a darker storyline than The Colour of Magic
Want something lighter?
The Colour of Magic
an easier tone than Night Watch
Scores by source
| Night Watch | The Colour of Magic | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.5 (121109) | 4.2 (7662) |
| Hardcover | 4.5 (559) | 3.0 (1) |
| Google Books | 4.5 (24) | 4.0 (29) |
| Apple Books | 5.0 (263) | — |
Reception
| Night Watch | The Colour of Magic | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 121109 | 7662 |
| Editions | 33 | 93 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 45940 | 3618 |
| Reading it now | 2486 | 207 |
| Written reviews | 3892 | 250 |
| Wikipedia attention | 2329 | 9060 |
| Pages | 421 | 210 |