Order of Book Series
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Jack Vance Books in Order

116 books are credited to Jack Vance, published between 1950 and 2015; 1 of them appeared after Jack Vance's death in 2013. The first book is The Dying Earth / Mazirian the Magician (1950) and the newest is Dodkin's Job (2015). Publication order is the reading order below.

Jack Vance also publishes as Alan Wade, Ellery Queen books in order, Jay Kavanse, John van See, Peter Held.

Books
116
Published
1950–2015
Pages on record
14,958 in 60 of 116 books
Reading time
249–374 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 14,958 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 60 of 116 titles with a page count on record.

See all 116 books in order Printable Jack Vance checklist
Photo of Jack Vance, author

Jack Vance, born John Holbrook Vance (1916–2013), was an American author of fantasy, science fiction and mysteries, some of the mysteries appearing under pen names including Ellery Queen. Honours include the 1984 World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement, Grand Master status from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 1997, and induction into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2001. The catalogue lists 116 books, among them the Dying Earth, Demon Princes, Tschai, Alastor and Cadwal Chronicles series, plus The Languages of Pao (1957).

How many Jack Vance books are there?

Jack Vance has 116 books, released between 1950 and 2015. 1 of them were published after Jack Vance's death in 2013. They include 14 series and 64 titles listed outside any series.

Jack Vance Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 116 Jack Vance 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.

  1. Cover of The Dying Earth / Mazirian the Magician by Jack Vance, book 1 of the Dying Earth series (1950)
  2. Cover of The Five Gold Bands / The Space Pirate by Jack Vance (1950)
  3. Cover of Son of the Tree by Jack Vance, book 1 of the Nopalgarth series (1951)
  4. Cover of Big Planet by Jack Vance, book 1 of the Big Planet series (1952)
  5. Cover of Vandals of the Void by Jack Vance (1953)
  6. Cover of The Houses of Iszm by Jack Vance, book 2 of the Nopalgarth series (1954)
  7. Cover of The Languages of Pao by Jack Vance (1957)
  8. Cover of Slaves of the Klau / Gold and Iron by Jack Vance (1958)
  9. Cover of The Star King by Jack Vance, book 1 of the Demon Princes series (1964)
  10. Cover of The Killing Machine by Jack Vance, book 2 of the Demon Princes series (1964)
  11. Cover of Monsters in orbit by Jack Vance (1965)
  12. Cover of Space Opera by Jack Vance (1965)
  13. Cover of The Many Worlds of Magnus Ridolph by Jack Vance, book 1 of the Magnus Ridolph series (1966)
  14. Cover of Cugel's Saga / Cugel: The Skybreak Spatterlight by Jack Vance, book 2 of the Dying Earth series (1966)
  15. Cover of The Brains of Earth by Jack Vance, book 3 of the Nopalgarth series (1966)
  16. Cover of The Eyes of the Overworld / Cugel the Clever by Jack Vance, book 3 of the Dying Earth series (1966)
  17. Cover of The Blue World by Jack Vance (1966)
  18. Cover of The Palace of Love by Jack Vance, book 3 of the Demon Princes series (1967)
  19. Cover of City of the Chasch by Jack Vance, book 1 of the Tschai, Planet of Adventure series (1968)
  20. Cover of The Dirdir by Jack Vance, book 2 of the Tschai, Planet of Adventure series (1969)
  21. Cover of The Pnume by Jack Vance, book 4 of the Tschai, Planet of Adventure series (1970)
  22. Cover of The Anome / The Faceless Man by Jack Vance, book 1 of the Durdane series (1971)
  23. Cover of Trullion by Jack Vance, book 1 of the Alastor series (1973)
  24. Cover of The Brave Free Men by Jack Vance, book 2 of the Durdane series (1973)
  1. 1
    The Dying Earth / Mazirian the MagicianDying Earth #11950 · 220 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1950220
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    The Five Gold Bands / The Space Pirate1950 · confirmed 1/4
    1950–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    Son of the TreeNopalgarth #11951 · 128 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1951128
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    Big PlanetBig Planet #11952 · 218 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1952218
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Vandals of the Void1953 · 213 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1953213
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    The Houses of IszmNopalgarth #21954 · 126 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1954126
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    To Live Forever1956 · confirmed 1/4
    1956–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    The Languages of Pao1957 · confirmed 1/4
    1957–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    Slaves of the Klau / Gold and Iron1958 · 126 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1958126
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    Man in a Cage1961 · confirmed 1/4
    1961–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    The Dragon Masters1962 · confirmed 1/4
    1962–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    Future Tense / Dust of Far Suns1964 · confirmed 1/4
    1964–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    The Star KingDemon Princes #11964 · confirmed 1/4
    1964–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    The Killing MachineDemon Princes #21964 · 1 pages · confirmed 1/4
    19641
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    Alfred's Ark1965 · confirmed 1/4
    1965–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    Monsters in orbit1965 · 119 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1965119
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    Space Opera1965 · 168 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1965168
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    The Many Worlds of Magnus RidolphMagnus Ridolph #11966 · confirmed 1/4
    1966–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    Cugel's Saga / Cugel: The Skybreak SpatterlightDying Earth #21966 · 334 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1966334
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    The Brains of EarthNopalgarth #31966 · 108 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1966108
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    The Eyes of the Overworld / Cugel the CleverDying Earth #31966 · 190 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1966190
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    The Blue World1966 · 178 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1966178
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    The Last Castle1966 · confirmed 1/4
    1966–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    The Palace of LoveDemon Princes #31967 · 178 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1967178
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    City of the ChaschTschai, Planet of Adventure #11968 · 176 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1968176
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 26
    Eight Fantasms and Magics1969 · confirmed 1/4
    1969–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 27
    The DirdirTschai, Planet of Adventure #21969 · 160 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1969160
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 28
    Servants of the WankhTschai, Planet of Adventure #31969 · confirmed 1/4
    1969–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  29. 29
    Emphyrio1969 · 228 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1969228
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  30. 30
    The PnumeTschai, Planet of Adventure #41970 · 158 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1970158
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Jack Vance 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.

Dying Earth in order

9 books
  1. 1. The Dying Earth / Mazirian the Magician
  2. 2. Cugel's Saga / Cugel: The Skybreak Spatterlight
  3. 3. The Eyes of the Overworld / Cugel the Clever
  4. 5. Morreion
  5. 6. The Seventeen Virgins
  6. 7. The Bagful of Dreams
  7. 8. Rhialto the Marvellous
  8. 9. The Laughing Magician
  9. 10. Songs of the Dying Earth: Stories in Honour of Jack Vance

Tschai, Planet of Adventure in order

6 books
  1. 1. City of the Chasch
  2. 2. The Dirdir
  3. 3. Servants of the Wankh
  4. 4. The Pnume
  5. 5. The Chasch
  6. 6. Tschai

Demon Princes in order

5 books
  1. 1. The Star King
  2. 2. The Killing Machine
  3. 3. The Palace of Love
  4. 4. The Face
  5. 5. The Book of Dreams

Cadwal Chronicles in order

4 books
  1. 1. Araminta Station
  2. 2. Ecce and Old Earth
  3. 3. Throy
  4. 4. The Cadwal Chronicles

Early Jack Vance in order

4 books
  1. 1. Hard Luck Diggings
  2. 2. Dream Castles
  3. 3. Magic Highways
  4. 4. Minding the Stars

Nopalgarth in order

3 books
  1. 1. Son of the Tree
  2. 2. The Houses of Iszm
  3. 3. The Brains of Earth

Magnus Ridolph in order

3 books
  1. 1. The Many Worlds of Magnus Ridolph
  2. 2. The Complete Magnus Ridolph
  3. 3. Magnus Ridolph

Durdane in order

3 books
  1. 1. The Anome / The Faceless Man
  2. 2. The Brave Free Men
  3. 3. The Asutra

Alastor in order

3 books
  1. 1. Trullion
  2. 2. Marune
  3. 3. Wyst

Miro Hetzel in order

3 books
  1. 1. The Dogtown Tourist Agency
  2. 2. Freitzke’s Turn
  3. 3. Miro Hetzel

Lyonesse in order

3 books
  1. 1. Suldrun's Garden / Lyonesse
  2. 2. The Green Pearl
  3. 3. Madouc

Big Planet in order

2 books
  1. 1. Big Planet
  2. 2. Showboat World

Gaean Reach in order

2 books
  1. 1. The Gray Prince
  2. 2. Maske

Ports of Call in order

2 books
  1. 1. Ports of Call
  2. 2. Lurulu

Standalone books

64 books

64 Jack Vance titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read Jack Vance books in order?

You only need to read Jack Vance books in order within each series: the books listed here span 14 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with Jack Vance

Start with The Dying Earth / Mazirian the Magician (1950), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Jack Vance book?

Dodkin's Job (2015) is the newest Jack Vance book released so far.

Is there a new Jack Vance book coming?

No next Jack Vance 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 Jack Vance has won

Wikidata records 8 awards and 35 nominations for Jack Vance. The most recent 12 are listed here. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

  • Hugo Award for Best Related Work2010Won
  • Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame2001Won
  • Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master Award1997Won
  • World Fantasy Award for Best Novel1990Wonfor Madouc
  • Nebula Award for Best Novella1967Wonfor The Last Castle
  • Hugo Award for Best Novelette1967Wonfor The Last Castle
  • Hugo Award for Best Short Story1963Wonfor The Dragon Masters
  • Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best First Novel1961Wonfor The Man in the Cage
  • Locus Award for Best Collection2016Shortlistedfor Grand Crusades: The Early Jack Vance, Volume Five
  • Locus Award for Best Collection2014Shortlistedfor Magic Highways: The Early Jack Vance, Volume Three
  • Locus Award for Best Collection2013Shortlistedfor Dream Castles: The Early Jack Vance, Volume Two
  • Locus Award for Best Collection2011Shortlistedfor Hard-Luck Diggings: The Early Jack Vance

Jack Vance at a glance

Died
Jack Vance died in 2013, according to Wikidata.
After death
Books credited to Jack Vance are still being published after Jack Vance's death in 2013; the newest appeared in 2015.
Release pace
Jack Vance books have appeared more than one a year on average.
Length
14,958 pages across the 60 of 116 books with a recorded length, a median of 221 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Jack Vance books, 30 of 116, were published in the 2010s.

What the Jack Vance books are about

67 of the 116 Jack Vance 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 38 of 67. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.