Ian McDonald Books in Order
Ian McDonald has written 34 books, published between 1988 and 2026. The first book is Desolation Road (1988) and the newest is Boy, with Accidental Dinosaur (2026). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 34
- Published
- 1988–2026
- Pages on record
- 2,324 in 8 of 34 books
Ian McDonald, born in 1960, is a British science fiction novelist based in Belfast. Nanotechnology, postcyberpunk settings and the effect of fast social and technological change on non-Western societies are recurring themes in the McDonald novels. The catalogue lists 34 books from Desolation Road (1988) to Boy, with Accidental Dinosaur (2026), taking in Out on Blue Six (1989), King of Morning, Queen of Day (1991), The Broken Land (1992) and Necroville (1994). Series headings are the Desolation Road Universe, Chaga, India 2047, Everness and Future Fiction. Subject tags name time travel, space and time, and Brazil.
How many Ian McDonald books are there?
Ian McDonald has 34 books, released between 1988 and 2026. They include 6 series and 19 titles listed outside any series.
Ian McDonald Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 34 Ian McDonald 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 September 2026.
- 11988–1/4
- 2Empire Dreams1988 · confirmed 1/41988–1/4
- 3Out on Blue Six1989 · confirmed 1/41989–1/4
- 4King of Morning, Queen of Day1991 · confirmed 1/41991–1/4
- 5Kling Klang Klatch1992 · 80 pages · confirmed 1/41992801/4
- 6Speaking In Tongues1992 · 248 pages · confirmed 1/419922481/4
- 7The Broken Land / Hearts, Hands And Voices1992 · 320 pages · confirmed 1/419923201/4
- 8Some Strange Desire1993 · confirmed 1/41993–1/4
- 9Terminal Cafe1994 · confirmed 1/41994–1/4
- 10Scissors Cut Paper Wrap Stone1994 · confirmed 1/41994–1/4
- 11Necroville1994 · 320 pages · confirmed 1/419943201/4
- 121995–1/4
- 13Sacrifice of Fools1996 · 288 pages · confirmed 1/419962881/4
- 141998–1/4
- 1520003521/4
- 162000–1/4
- 172004–1/4
- 18The Little Goddess2005 · confirmed 1/42005–1/4
- 192006–1/4
- 20Brasyl2007 · 357 pages · confirmed 1/420073571/4
- 21The Dervish House2009 · 359 pages · confirmed 1/420093591/4
- 222011–1/4
- 232012–1/4
- 242013–1/4
- 252014–1/4
- 262015–1/4
- 27The Best of Ian McDonald2016 · confirmed 1/42016–1/4
- 282017–1/4
- 29Time Was2018 · confirmed 1/42018–1/4
- 30The Guile2018 · confirmed 1/42018–1/4
- 312019–1/4
- 322019–1/4
- 33Hopeland2023 · confirmed 1/42023–1/4
- 34Boy, with Accidental Dinosaur2026 · confirmed 1/42026–1/4
Ian McDonald 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.
Luna in order
4 booksChaga in order
3 booksEverness in order
3 booksDesolation Road Universe in order
2 booksIndia 2047 in order
2 booksFuture Fiction in order
1 bookStandalone books
19 books19 Ian McDonald titles here are not listed as part of any series.
Do you have to read Ian McDonald books in order?
You only need to read Ian McDonald books in order within each series: the books listed here span 6 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.
Where to start with Ian McDonald
Start with Desolation Road (1988), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Ian McDonald book?
Boy, with Accidental Dinosaur (2026) is the newest Ian McDonald book released so far.
Is there a new Ian McDonald book coming?
No next Ian McDonald book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Awards Ian McDonald has won
Wikidata records 17 awards and 78 nominations for Ian McDonald. The most recent 12 are listed here. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- BSFA Award for Best Short Fiction2018Wonfor Time Was
- Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire for Best Foreign-Language Short Story2013Wonfor The Little Goddess
- Planète SF Bloggers' Award2013Wonfor The Dervish House
- Bob Morane award for best foreign novel2011Wonfor River of Gods
- John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel2011Wonfor The Dervish House
- Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire for Best Foreign Novel2011Wonfor River of Gods
- Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire for Best Foreign Novel2010Wonfor King of Morning, Queen of Day
- BSFA Award for Best Novel2010Wonfor The Dervish House
- Imaginales award for best foreign-language novel2009Wonfor King of Morning, Queen of Day
- BSFA Award for Best Novel2007Wonfor Brasyl
- Hugo Award for Best Novelette2007Wonfor The Djinn's Wife
- BSFA Award for Best Short Fiction2006Wonfor The Djinn's Wife
Ian McDonald at a glance
- Still publishing
- Ian McDonald published a book as recently as 2026.
- Release pace
- Ian McDonald books have appeared about one a year on average.
- Length
- 2,324 pages across the 8 of 34 books with a recorded length, a median of 320 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Ian McDonald books, 11 of 34, were published in the 2010s.
What the Ian McDonald books are about
9 of the 34 Ian McDonald books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: science fiction is tagged on 8 of 9. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Science fiction 8 of 9 books