Terry Pratchett presents a genuine recommendation problem because the series has 41 novels and no obvious entry point — except that it does: Small Gods, if you want to understand what Pratchett is actually doing, or Guards! Guards! if you want to start a complete story arc. Do not start with The Colour of Magic unless you specifically want his early work.

What Pratchett does that most 'funny' writers don't is anchor the humor in moral seriousness. The Discworld novels are satirical, yes, but the satire has a point of view. He believes things — about power, about religion, about human kindness — and the jokes are the vehicle for those beliefs, not a substitute for them.

The Death character is the through-line of the series and gets better with each appearance. By Reaper Man, Death has become one of the most touching figures in English literature, which is not a sentence I expected to write about a comedic fantasy series.