Interesting Times provides much material for group discussions. Readers can study how Pratchett's series compares to other fantasy series, focusing on either series that link novels through place, like Bradley's Darkover, or through character and plot, as in David Eddings's Belgariad series. Readers who are familiar with other Discworld novels may want to discuss how two or three of the novels compare with each other.

Readers may give heed to Pratchett's use of comedy to tell his story, comparing Interesting Times with novels in the fantasy genre (any of Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker series), as well as across genres. Shakespeare, for example, often uses the clown in his plays to delivery serious points in an argument, as with the grave-diggers in Hamlet (V.i.).

Finally, Interesting Times contains serious social concerns. Readers can concentrate on oppression, values of a society, and how Pratchett's world may reflect our...