Order of Book Series
0

John Shirley Books in Order

John Shirley has written 98 books, published between 1976 and 2025. The first book is Universe 6 (1976) and the newest is The Silver Revolver (2025). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
98
Published
1976–2025
Confirmed
9 of 98 titles
Pages on record
14,400 in 52 of 98 books
Reading time
240–360 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 14,400 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 52 of 98 titles with a page count on record.

See all 98 books in order Printable John Shirley checklist
Photo of John Shirley, author

John Shirley, born February 10, 1953, is an American novelist, short story writer, screenwriter and songwriter working in science fiction and horror. City Come A-Walkin' (1980) came before many books now tied to cyberpunk, and William Gibson called Shirley "cyberpunk's Patient Zero" in the introduction to a later edition. Shirley's fiction includes the A Song Called Youth trilogy and the collection Black Butterflies. With David J. Schow, Shirley co-wrote the screenplay for The Crow (1994), and Shirley has written lyrics for Blue Öyster Cult. The catalogue lists 98 books through The Silver Revolver (2025), including media tie-ins in the Bioshock and John Constantine Hellblazer lines.

How many John Shirley books are there?

John Shirley has 98 books, released between 1976 and 2025. They include 9 series and 44 titles listed outside any series.

John Shirley Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 98 John Shirley 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 Universe 6, book 6 of the Universe series (1976)
  2. Cover of Cellars by John Shirley (1982)
  3. Cover of First You Fight by John Shirley, book 1 of the Traveler series (1984)
  4. Cover of Kingdom Come by John Shirley, book 2 of the Traveler series (1984)
  5. Cover of Manhattan Revenge by John Shirley, book 2 of the Specialist series (1984)
  6. Cover of The Stalkers by John Shirley, book 3 of the Traveler series (1984)
  7. Cover of Eclipse by John Shirley, book 1 of the A Song Called Youth series (1985)
  8. Cover of Road War by John Shirley, book 5 of the Traveler series (1985)
  9. Cover of Border War by John Shirley, book 6 of the Traveler series (1985)
  10. Cover of Vengeance Mountain by John Shirley, book 9 of the Specialist series (1985)
  11. Cover of Terminal Road by John Shirley, book 8 of the Traveler series (1986)
  12. Cover of Children's Crusade by John Shirley, book 11 of the Traveler series (1987)
  13. Cover of The Prey by John Shirley, book 12 of the Traveler series (1987)
  14. Cover of Heatseeker by John Shirley (1988)
  15. Cover of Eclipse Penumbra by John Shirley, book 2 of the A Song Called Youth series (1988)
  16. Cover of The Black Hole of Carcosa by John Shirley (1988)
  17. Cover of Three-Ring Psychus by John Shirley (1990)
  18. Cover of Wetbones by John Shirley (1991)
  19. Cover of New Noir by John Shirley (1993)
  20. Cover of The Exploded Heart by John Shirley (1996)
  21. Cover of Silicon Embrace by John Shirley (1996)
  22. Cover of Black Butterflies by John Shirley (1998)
  23. Cover of Really, Really, Really, Really Weird Stories by John Shirley (1999)
  24. Cover of Darkness Divided by John Shirley (2001)
  1. 1
    Universe 6Universe #61976 · confirmed 3/4
    1976–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    Transmaniacon1979 · confirmed 1/4
    1979–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    Dracula in LoveEncyclopocalypse Classics #21979 · confirmed 3/4
    1979–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    Universe 9Universe #91979 · confirmed 3/4
    1979–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    City Come A-Walkin'1980 · confirmed 1/4
    1980–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    Brigade1981 · confirmed 1/4
    1981–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    Cellars1982 · 276 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1982276
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    A Talent for RevengeSpecialist #11984 · confirmed 1/4
    1984–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    First You FightTraveler #11984 · confirmed 1/4
    1984–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    Kingdom ComeTraveler #21984 · confirmed 1/4
    1984–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Manhattan RevengeSpecialist #21984 · 189 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1984189
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    Sullivan's RevengeSpecialist #31984 · confirmed 1/4
    1984–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    The StalkersTraveler #31984 · confirmed 1/4
    1984–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    The Psycho SoldiersSpecialist #41984 · confirmed 1/4
    1984–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    To Kill a ShadowTraveler #41984 · confirmed 1/4
    1984–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    Maltese VengeanceSpecialist #51984 · confirmed 1/4
    1984–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    The Big OneSpecialist #61984 · confirmed 1/4
    1984–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    EclipseA Song Called Youth #11985 · 326 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1985326
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    Road WarTraveler #51985 · confirmed 1/4
    1985–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    Border WarTraveler #61985 · 172 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1985172
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    The Road GhostTraveler #71985 · 172 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1985172
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    The VendettaSpecialist #71985 · confirmed 1/4
    1985–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    One-Man ArmySpecialist #81985 · confirmed 1/4
    1985–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    Vengeance MountainSpecialist #91985 · confirmed 1/4
    1985–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    Beirut RetaliationSpecialist #101985 · confirmed 1/4
    1985–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 26
    American VengeanceSpecialist #111985 · confirmed 1/4
    1985–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 27
    Terminal RoadTraveler #81986 · 173 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1986173
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 28
    The Stalking TimeTraveler #91986 · confirmed 1/4
    1986–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  29. 29
    Hell on EarthTraveler #101986 · confirmed 1/4
    1986–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  30. 30
    Children's CrusadeTraveler #111987 · 172 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1987172
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

John Shirley series in order

Each series linked below has its own reading-order page.

John Shirley books grouped by series

Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. A group whose heading is a link has its own reading-order page; the other groups have no page of their own on this site.

Traveler in order

13 books
  1. 1. First You Fight
  2. 2. Kingdom Come
  3. 3. The Stalkers
  4. 4. To Kill a Shadow
  5. 5. Road War
  6. 6. Border War
  7. 7. The Road Ghost
  8. 8. Terminal Road
  9. 9. The Stalking Time
  10. 10. Hell on Earth
  11. 11. Children's Crusade
  12. 12. The Prey
  13. and 1 more in the table above

A Song Called Youth in order

3 books
  1. 1. Eclipse
  2. 2. Eclipse Penumbra
  3. 3. Eclipse Corona

John Constantine Hellblazer Novels in order

3 books
  1. 1. Constantine
  2. 2. Warlord
  3. 3. Subterranean

Borderlands in order

3 books
  1. 1. The Fallen
  2. 2. Unconquered
  3. 3. Gunsight

Vince Bellator in order

3 books
  1. 1. Firepower
  2. 2. Wildfire
  3. 3. Hellfire

Grimm in order

2 books
  1. 1. Grimm: The Icy Touch
  2. 2. The Icy Touch

Cleve Trewe Western in order

2 books
  1. 1. Axle Bust Creek
  2. 2. Gunmetal Mountain

Encyclopocalypse Classics in order

2 books
  1. 2. Dracula in Love
  2. 4. In Darkness Waiting

Universe in order

2 books
  1. 6. Universe 6
  2. 9. Universe 9

Zombies vs. Robots in order

1 book
  1. 1. Z-Boyz in the Robot Graveyard

Watchdogs in order

1 book
  1. 1. Watch Dogs: Dark Clouds

Aliens (Dark Horse) in order

1 book
  1. 2. Steel Egg

Resident Evil in order

1 book
  1. 4. Retribution

Halo books in order

1 book by John Shirley
  1. 5. Broken Circle

Predator in order

1 book
  1. 6. Forever Midnight

Outspoken Authors in order

1 book
  1. 14. New Taboos

Sundown Riders in order

1 book
  1. 16. Prairie Fire, Kansas

Trail Drive in order

1 book
  1. 30. Red Trail

Standalone books

44 books

44 John Shirley titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read John Shirley books in order?

You only need to read John Shirley books in order within each series: the books listed here span 9 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with John Shirley

Start with the first book of the John Shirley series you want to read: Bioshock starts with BioShock: Rapture (2011) and Specialist starts with A Talent for Revenge (1984). The earliest catalogued title overall is Universe 6 (1976).

What is the newest John Shirley book?

The Silver Revolver (2025) is the newest John Shirley book released so far.

Is there a new John Shirley book coming?

No next John Shirley 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 John Shirley has won

Wikidata records 1 award and 6 nominations for John Shirley. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

  • Bram Stoker Award for Best Fiction Collection1998Wonfor Black Butterflies: A Flock on the Darkside
  • Locus Award for Best Collection2000Shortlistedfor Really, Really, Really, Really, Weird Stories
  • Locus Award for Best Collection1999Shortlistedfor Black Butterflies: A Flock on the Darkside
  • Locus Award for Best Horror Novel1995Shortlistedfor Transmaniacon
  • Locus Award for Best Collection1990Shortlistedfor Heatseeker
  • Locus Award for Best Horror Novel1989Shortlistedfor In Darkness Waiting
  • Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel1981Shortlistedfor City Come A-Walkin'

John Shirley at a glance

Still publishing
John Shirley published a book as recently as 2025.
Release pace
John Shirley books have appeared more than one a year on average.
Length
14,400 pages across the 52 of 98 books with a recorded length, a median of 302 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most John Shirley books, 33 of 98, were published in the 1980s.

What the John Shirley books are about

48 of the 98 John Shirley 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 9 of 48. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.