Cover of Hogfather

Hogfather

core novel 1996 Discworld

Record

First published1996
Original language EN
Work typenovel
Canon statuscore
Reader rating4.26 (107,042 ratings, collected 2026-09-11)
Page count448
First-edition ISBN9780575064034

Synopsis

The shadowy Auditors of Reality hire the unnervingly meticulous assassin Mr. Teatime to eliminate the Hogfather, the Discworld's Christmas-like figure who grants children's wishes and delivers gifts on Hogswatchnight. Teatime's plan involves breaking into the hidden realm of the Tooth Fairy and seizing her vast collection of children's teeth, giving him a way to influence the beliefs of every child on the Disc and cause them to stop believing in the Hogfather, draining away the being's power. As the Hogfather vanishes and his absence threatens even the rising of the sun, Death takes it upon himself to don the red suit and carry out the role in his place, while his granddaughter Susan Sto Helit, drawn into the growing crisis, investigates the disappearance and travels to the Hogfather's remote castle, crossing paths with a minor, hard-drinking god known as the Oh God.

Where it sits

Neighbouring works

Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings and are never conflated: a book's place in one says nothing about its place in the other.

  • Publication order, within the series Death: position 4 of 5: previous Soul Music (1994) · next Thief of Time (2001)

Sources

← Discworld dossier · All universes

Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.