Ken Liu Books in Order
Ken Liu has written 26 books, published between 2011 and 2026. The first book is The Caretaker (2011) and the newest is The Passing of the Dragon and Other Stories (2026). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 26
- Published
- 2011–2026
- Confirmed
- 2 of 26 titles
- Pages on record
- 3,419 in 5 of 26 books
Ken Liu, born Kenneth Yukun Liu in 1976, is an American writer of science fiction and fantasy and a winner of multiple Hugo and Nebula Awards. Liu's short fiction has appeared in F&SF, Asimov's Science Fiction, Analog, Lightspeed, Clarkesworld and Uncanny Magazine, among others. The Dandelion Dynasty, Liu's first epic fantasy series, is described as silkpunk, a term Liu coined for its blend of East Asian antiquity's material culture and philosophy into an alternative modernity. The catalogue holds 26 books from The Caretaker (2011) to The Passing of the Dragon and Other Stories (2026), including Good Hunting (2012) and Mono no Aware (2012), and origami and Japanese fiction in translation appear among the subjects.
How many Ken Liu books are there?
Ken Liu has 26 books, released between 2011 and 2026. They include 2 series and 15 titles listed outside any series.
Ken Liu Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 26 Ken Liu 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.
- 1The Caretaker2011 · confirmed 1/42011–1/4
- 2Simulacrum2011 · confirmed 1/42011–1/4
- 3The Man Who Ended History: A Documentary2011 · confirmed 1/42011–1/4
- 4Staying Behind2011 · confirmed 1/42011–1/4
- 5Good Hunting2012 · 464 pages · confirmed 1/420124641/4
- 6Mono no Aware2012 · confirmed 1/42012–1/4
- 72013–3/4
- 82014–1/4
- 9Knotting Grass, Holding Ring2014 · confirmed 1/42014–1/4
- 10Presence2014 · confirmed 1/42014–1/4
- 11The Regular2014 · confirmed 1/42014–1/4
- 1220156562/4
- 132015–3/4
- 1420168801/4
- 15An Advanced Reader's Picture Book of Comparative Cognition2016 · confirmed 1/42016–1/4
- 172020–2/4
- 182020–2/4
- 19202110081/4
- 20The Armies of Those I Love2021 · confirmed 1/42021–1/4
- 212022–1/4
- 22The Passing of the Dragon2023 · confirmed 1/42023–1/4
- 23Laozi's Dao De Jing: A New Interpretation for a Transformative Time2024 · confirmed 1/42024–1/4
- 242025–1/4
- 252025–1/4
- 26The Passing of the Dragon and Other Stories2026 · confirmed 1/42026–1/4
Ken Liu 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.
Dandelion Dynasty in order
4 booksAnderson Project in order
1 book- 1. Reborn
Julia Z in order
1 bookFaraway in order
1 book- 4. The Cleaners
Future Science Fiction Digest in order
1 bookFuture Chronicles in order
1 bookOz Reimagined in order
1 bookCaroline M. Yoachim Short Stories/Novellas
1 book1 title published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.
Standalone books
15 books15 Ken Liu titles here are not listed as part of any series.
Do you have to read Ken Liu books in order?
You only need to read Ken Liu books in order within each series: the books listed here span 2 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.
Where to start with Ken Liu
Start with The Caretaker (2011), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Ken Liu book?
The Passing of the Dragon and Other Stories (2026) is the newest Ken Liu book released so far.
Is there a new Ken Liu book coming?
No next Ken Liu 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 Ken Liu has won
Wikidata records 10 awards and 40 nominations for Ken Liu. The most recent 12 are listed here. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- Locus Award for Best Collection2021Wonfor The Hidden Girl and Other Stories
- Ignotus Award for Best Anthology2018Wonfor The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories
- Locus Award for Best Collection2017Wonfor The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories
- Locus Award for Best First Novel2016Wonfor The Grace of Kings
- Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire for Best Foreign-Language Short Story2016Wonfor La Ménagerie de papier
- Seiun Award for Best Translated Short Story2014Wonfor The Paper Menagerie
- Hugo Award for Best Short Story2013Wonfor Mono no Aware
- Nebula Award for Best Short Story2012Wonfor The Paper Menagerie
- Hugo Award for Best Short Story2012Wonfor The Paper Menagerie
- World Fantasy Award for Best Short Fiction2012Wonfor The Paper Menagerie
- Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel2026Shortlistedfor All That We See or Seem
- Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire for Best Foreign-Language Short Story2025Shortlistedfor The Armies of Those I Love
Ken Liu at a glance
- Still publishing
- Ken Liu published a book as recently as 2026.
- Release pace
- Ken Liu books have appeared more than one a year on average.
- Length
- 3,419 pages across the 5 of 26 books with a recorded length, a median of 656 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Ken Liu books, 15 of 26, were published in the 2010s.
What the Ken Liu books are about
6 of the 26 Ken Liu books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: american literature is tagged on 3 of 6. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- American literature 3 of 6 books
- Friendship 2 of 6 books
- Science fiction 2 of 6 books
- Short stories 2 of 6 books
Other Fantasy authors
Each link below opens a reading-order page with every book in publication order.
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