Once upon a time, the sign that we were heading towards Christmas would be the arrival of a new Terry Pratchett book; and usually a Discworld novel.
Sadly, Terry passed away in 2015; but his publishers have managed to create material that has continued to add to the legacy of the Discworld.
This year it is a Bestiary – an encyclopaedia of the many creatures that inhabit Discworld. To frame this the central conceit is that the details are given by Rincewind, Unseen University’s latest (and reluctant) adjunct professor of Perplexing Beasts and curator of its Curiobiological Museum.
As you can see from the images, these creatures are illustrated by Discworld’s last artist-in-residence, Paul Kidby, who has produced new artwork especially for this book.
Fans of the Discworld series will know what they are getting here. The artwork is, as expected, first-class, the text wryly humorous. It will probably help if you have at least a basic knowledge of some aspects of the Discworld novels, although I can see that this lovely looking book could entice people to read books they haven’t read so far, or possibly make them want to even reread, now knowing what these creatures look like.
Want to know what to do if you meet a Yob Soddeth or indeed a Vampyre Duck? This book explains it all, from the Drop Bear to the eating habits of the Ambiguous Puzuma.
It made me laugh, which admittedly takes some doing; the frivolity and sheer madness of DIscworld is here on full display, but maintains that sense of irreverent logic that suffuses the Discworld.
There are generally broad sections, such as Creatures of L-Space, Ducks (there is a startling prevalence of ominous ducks in cosmic matters), Professor Rincewind’s Guide to the Dungeon Dimensions, and The Heavens and Astrological Beasts.
It will not surprise you that Star Turtles and World Elephants are included here.
It is not really in any alphabetical order, although the contents page will give you ideas as to where to dip into. As I’m a big fan of dragons, for example, I was pleased that there are six types of dragon shown here, so that you can tell the difference between your Noble Dragon and The Dragon of Unhappiness.
I also liked the pages on ‘Expletives’ myself, which showed where curse-words have taken physical form and are buzzing around.
Summing up, this year’s Christmas present for the Discworld fan is up to standard. This is the perfect gift book for fans of Pratchett’s bestselling fantasy series, Discworld.
© 2026 Mark Yon
Hardback | Doubleday
THE DISCWORLD BESTIARY: From the World of Terry Pratchett, Illustrated by Paul Kidby
October 2026 |160 pages
ISBN: 978-0857529497
All images are © 2026 Transworld/Doubleday/Paul Kidby.
