Order of Book Series
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Lloyd Biggle Jr. Books in Order

30 books are credited to Lloyd Biggle Jr., published between 1959 and 2018; 8 of them appeared after Lloyd Biggle Jr.'s death in 2002. The first book is Hornet's Nest (1959) and the newest is Murder in the Maze (2018). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
30
Published
1959–2018
Pages on record
5,451 in 22 of 30 books
Reading time
91–136 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 5,451 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 22 of 30 titles with a page count on record.

See all 30 books in order Printable Lloyd Biggle Jr. checklist

Lloyd Biggle Jr. (1923-2002) was an American musician, author and oral historian who wrote science fiction and mystery. The catalogue lists 30 books from Hornet's Nest (1959) to Murder in the Maze (2018), at a median of 220 pages, with the 1970s the heaviest decade. Science fiction fills the early run, in The Angry Espers (1961), All the Colors of Darkness (1963) and The World Menders (1971), through the Jan Darzek and Interplanetary Relations Bureau series. The mysteries take in Pletcher and Lambert, the Grandfather Rastin stories, Lady Sara Varnley Victorian Mystery and work featuring Sherlock Holmes.

How many Lloyd Biggle Jr. books are there?

Lloyd Biggle Jr. has 30 books, released between 1959 and 2018. 8 of them were published after Lloyd Biggle Jr.'s death in 2002. They include 5 series and 17 titles listed outside any series.

Lloyd Biggle Jr. Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 30 Lloyd Biggle Jr. 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 Still, Small Voice of Trumpets by Lloyd Biggle Jr., book 1 of the Interplanetary Relations Bureau series (1961)
  2. Cover of All the Colors of Darkness by Lloyd Biggle Jr., book 1 of the Jan Darzek series (1963)
  3. Cover of The Fury Out of Time by Lloyd Biggle Jr. (1965)
  4. Cover of Watchers of the Dark by Lloyd Biggle Jr., book 2 of the Jan Darzek series (1966)
  5. Cover of The Rule of the Door and Other Fanciful Regulations by Lloyd Biggle Jr. (1967)
  6. Cover of The World Menders by Lloyd Biggle Jr., book 2 of the Interplanetary Relations Bureau series (1971)
  7. Cover of The Light That Never Was by Lloyd Biggle Jr. (1972)
  8. Cover of Monument by Lloyd Biggle Jr. (1974)
  9. Cover of This Darkening Universe by Lloyd Biggle Jr., book 3 of the Jan Darzek series (1975)
  10. Cover of A Galaxy of Strangers by Lloyd Biggle Jr. (1976)
  11. Cover of Silence is Deadly by Lloyd Biggle Jr., book 4 of the Jan Darzek series (1977)
  12. Cover of The Whirligig of Time by Lloyd Biggle Jr., book 5 of the Jan Darzek series (1979)
  13. Cover of The Quallsford Inheritance by Lloyd Biggle Jr. (1986)
  14. Cover of Interface for Murder by Lloyd Biggle Jr., book 1 of the Pletcher and Lambert series (1987)
  15. Cover of The Glendower Conspiracy by Lloyd Biggle Jr. (1990)
  16. Cover of Where Dead Soldiers Walk by Lloyd Biggle Jr., book 2 of the Pletcher and Lambert series (1994)
  17. Cover of A Hazard of Losers by Lloyd Biggle Jr. (1995)
  18. Cover of The Grandfather Rastin Mysteries by Lloyd Biggle Jr., book 1 of the Grandfather Rastin Mystery series (2007)
  19. Cover of The World That Death Made by Lloyd Biggle Jr. (2013)
  20. Cover of The Best of Biggle by Lloyd Biggle Jr. (2014)
  21. Cover of Murder in the Maze by Lloyd Biggle Jr., book 2 of the Grandfather Rastin Mystery series (2018)
  1. 1
    Hornet's Nest1959 · confirmed 1/4
    1959–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    The Still, Small Voice of TrumpetsInterplanetary Relations Bureau #11961 · 208 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1961208
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    The Angry Espers1961 · confirmed 1/4
    1961–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    All the Colors of DarknessJan Darzek #11963 · 220 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1963220
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    The Fury Out of Time1965 · 264 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1965264
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    Watchers of the DarkJan Darzek #21966 · 240 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1966240
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    The Rule of the Door and Other Fanciful Regulations1967 · 208 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1967208
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    The World MendersInterplanetary Relations Bureau #21971 · 192 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1971192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    The Metallic Muse1972 · confirmed 1/4
    1972–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    The Light That Never Was1972 · 240 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1972240
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Monument1974 · 185 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1974185
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    This Darkening UniverseJan Darzek #31975 · 220 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1975220
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    A Galaxy of Strangers1976 · 192 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1976192
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    Silence is DeadlyJan Darzek #41977 · 184 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1977184
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    The Whirligig of TimeJan Darzek #51979 · 220 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1979220
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    Alien Main1985 · 212 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1985212
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    The Quallsford Inheritance1986 · 246 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1986246
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    Interface for MurderPletcher and Lambert #11987 · 185 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1987185
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    The Glendower Conspiracy1990 · 423 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1990423
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    Where Dead Soldiers WalkPletcher and Lambert #21994 · 267 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1994267
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    A Hazard of Losers1995 · 388 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1995388
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    The Chronocide Mission2001 · confirmed 1/4
    2001–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    The Grandfather Rastin MysteriesGrandfather Rastin Mystery #12007 · 233 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2007233
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    Murder JambalayaPletcher and Lambert #32012 · confirmed 1/4
    2012–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 25
    Byways to EvilLady Sara Varnley Victorian Mystery #12013 · confirmed 1/4
    2013–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 26
    Murder Applied for2013 · confirmed 1/4
    2013–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 27
    The World That Death Made2013 · 628 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2013628
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 28
    Ordeal by Terror2013 · confirmed 1/4
    2013–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  29. 29
    The Best of Biggle2014 · 148 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2014148
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  30. 30
    Murder in the MazeGrandfather Rastin Mystery #22018 · 148 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2018148
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Lloyd Biggle Jr. 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.

Jan Darzek in order

5 books
  1. 1. All the Colors of Darkness
  2. 2. Watchers of the Dark
  3. 3. This Darkening Universe
  4. 4. Silence is Deadly
  5. 5. The Whirligig of Time

Pletcher and Lambert in order

3 books
  1. 1. Interface for Murder
  2. 2. Where Dead Soldiers Walk
  3. 3. Murder Jambalaya

Interplanetary Relations Bureau in order

2 books
  1. 1. The Still, Small Voice of Trumpets
  2. 2. The World Menders

Grandfather Rastin Mystery in order

2 books
  1. 1. The Grandfather Rastin Mysteries
  2. 2. Murder in the Maze

Lady Sara Varnley Victorian Mystery in order

1 book
  1. 1. Byways to Evil

Standalone books

17 books

17 Lloyd Biggle Jr. titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read Lloyd Biggle Jr. books in order?

You only need to read Lloyd Biggle Jr. books in order within each series: the books listed here span 5 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with Lloyd Biggle Jr.

Start with Hornet's Nest (1959), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Lloyd Biggle Jr. book?

Murder in the Maze (2018) is the newest Lloyd Biggle Jr. book released so far.

Is there a new Lloyd Biggle Jr. book coming?

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

Award nominations for Lloyd Biggle Jr.

Wikidata records 4 nominations for Lloyd Biggle Jr.. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

  • Locus Award for Best Reprint Anthology/Collection1974Shortlistedfor Nebula Award Stories 7
  • Locus Award for Best Reprint Anthology/Collection1973Shortlistedfor Nebula Award Stories 7
  • Locus Award for Best Novel1972Shortlistedfor The World Menders
  • Hugo Award for Best Short Story1962Shortlistedfor Monument

Lloyd Biggle Jr. at a glance

Died
Lloyd Biggle Jr. died in 2002, according to Wikidata.
After death
Books credited to Lloyd Biggle Jr. are still being published after Lloyd Biggle Jr.'s death in 2002; the newest appeared in 2018.
Release pace
Lloyd Biggle Jr. books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
Length
5,451 pages across the 22 of 30 books with a recorded length, a median of 220 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Lloyd Biggle Jr. books, 8 of 30, were published in the 1970s.

What the Lloyd Biggle Jr. books are about

17 of the 30 Lloyd Biggle Jr. 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 7 of 17. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.

  • Science fiction 7 of 17 books
  • Fiction in English 5 of 17 books
  • Private investigators 4 of 17 books
  • J. Pletcher (Fictitious character) 2 of 17 books
  • Raina Lambert (Fictitious character) 2 of 17 books
  • Sherlock Holmes (Fictitious character) 2 of 17 books