Ian Irvine Books in Order

Ian Irvine has written 27 books, published between 1998 and 2020. The first book is The Tower on the Rift (1998) and the newest is The Sapphire Portal (2020). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
27
Published
1998–2020
Pages on record
10,298 in 16 of 27 books
Reading time
172–257 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 10,298 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 16 of 27 titles with a page count on record.

Photo of Ian Irvine, author
Andrew Skudder (skuds) / CC BY-SA 2.0

Ian Irvine is an Australian author of fantasy and eco-thrillers, born in 1950, and a marine scientist by profession. The Tower on the Rift (1998) opens 27 catalogued books closing with The Sapphire Portal (2020). The View from the Mirror, Well of Echoes, Song of Tears, Tainted Realm and Tales of the Three Worlds carry the fantasy, and books for children sit in the catalogue too. Magic, imaginary wars, environmental degradation and terrorism run through the subjects. Irvine's books appear in at least 12 countries.

Source: Wikidata

How many Ian Irvine books are there?

Ian Irvine has 27 books, released between 1998 and 2020. They include 8 series and 1 title listed outside any series.

Ian Irvine Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 27 Ian Irvine books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of November 2026.

  1. 1
    The Tower on the RiftView from the Mirror #11998 · 657 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1998657
  2. 2
    Dark is the MoonView from the Mirror #21999 · 677 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1999677
  3. 3
    The Way Between the WorldsView from the Mirror #31999 · 699 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1999699
  4. 4
    The Last AlbatrossHuman Rites #12000 · 355 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2000355
  5. 5
    A Shadow on the GlassView from the Mirror #42000 · 653 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2000653
  6. 6
    GeomancerWell of Echoes #12001 · 620 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2001620
  7. 7
    TetrarchWell of Echoes #22002 · 692 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2002692
  8. 8
    Terminator GeneHuman Rites #22003 · confirmed 1/4
    2003–
  9. 9
    Alchymist / ScrutatorWell of Echoes #32003 · 720 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2003720
  10. 10
    The Life LotteryHuman Rites #32004 · 390 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2004390
  11. 11
    ChimaeraWell of Echoes #42004 · 848 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2004848
  12. 12
    The Fate of the FallenSong of Tears #12006 · confirmed 1/4
    2006–
  13. 13
    The Gate to NowhereRuncible Jones #12006 · confirmed 1/4
    2006–
  14. 14
    Runcible Jones and the Buried CityRuncible Jones #22007 · confirmed 1/4
    2007–
  15. 15
    The Curse on the ChosenSong of Tears #22007 · confirmed 1/4
    2007–
  16. 16
    Runcible Jones and the Frozen CompassRuncible Jones #32008 · confirmed 1/4
    2008–
  17. 17
    The Destiny of the DeadSong of Tears #32008 · 784 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2008784
  18. 18
    Runcible Jones and the Backwards HourglassRuncible Jones #42010 · confirmed 1/4
    2010–
  19. 19
    Tribute to Hell2011 · confirmed 1/4
    2011–
  20. 20
    VengeanceTainted Realm #12011 · 677 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2011677
  21. 21
    RebellionTainted Realm #22012 · 638 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2012638
  22. 22
    JusticeTainted Realm #32013 · 656 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2013656
  23. 24
    The Summon StoneGate of Good and Evil #12016 · 624 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2016624
  24. 25
    The Fatal GateGate of Good and Evil #22017 · 608 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2017608
  25. 26
    The Perilous TowerGate of Good and Evil #32020 · confirmed 1/4
    2020–
  26. 27
    The Sapphire PortalGate of Good and Evil #42020 · confirmed 1/4
    2020–

Ian Irvine books grouped by series

Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.

View from the Mirror in order

4 books
  1. 1. The Tower on the Rift
  2. 2. Dark is the Moon
  3. 3. The Way Between the Worlds
  4. 4. A Shadow on the Glass

Well of Echoes in order

4 books
  1. 1. Geomancer
  2. 2. Tetrarch
  3. 3. Alchymist / Scrutator
  4. 4. Chimaera

Runcible Jones in order

4 books
  1. 1. The Gate to Nowhere
  2. 2. Runcible Jones and the Buried City
  3. 3. Runcible Jones and the Frozen Compass
  4. 4. Runcible Jones and the Backwards Hourglass

Gate of Good and Evil in order

4 books
  1. 1. The Summon Stone
  2. 2. The Fatal Gate
  3. 3. The Perilous Tower
  4. 4. The Sapphire Portal

Human Rites in order

3 books
  1. 1. The Last Albatross
  2. 2. Terminator Gene
  3. 3. The Life Lottery

Song of Tears in order

3 books
  1. 1. The Fate of the Fallen
  2. 2. The Curse on the Chosen
  3. 3. The Destiny of the Dead

Tainted Realm in order

3 books
  1. 1. Vengeance
  2. 2. Rebellion
  3. 3. Justice

Tales of the Three Worlds in order

1 book
  1. 1. A Wizard's War and Other Stories

Standalone books

1 book

1 Ian Irvine title here is not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read Ian Irvine books in order?

You only need to read Ian Irvine books in order within each series: the books listed here span 8 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with Ian Irvine

Start with The Tower on the Rift (1998), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Ian Irvine book?

The Sapphire Portal (2020) is the newest Ian Irvine book released so far.

Is there a new Ian Irvine book coming?

No next Ian Irvine book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Ian Irvine at a glance

No recent titles
The newest Ian Irvine title on record dates from 2020, 6 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
Release pace
Ian Irvine books have appeared about one a year on average.
Length
10,298 pages across the 16 of 27 books with a recorded length, a median of 656 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Ian Irvine books, 14 of 27, were published in the 2000s.

When Ian Irvine books were published

Publication distribution by decade, showing when Ian Irvine titles appeared. 2000s was the most productive decade with 14 titles.

1990s
3
2000s
14
2010s
8
2020s
2

27 books total across 4 decades. Decade reflects the year each title was first catalogued.

What the Ian Irvine books are about

17 of the 27 Ian Irvine books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: fantasy is tagged on 13 of 17. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.