Order of Book Series
0

Peter V. Brett Books in Order

Peter V. Brett has written 18 books, published between 2008 and 2026. The first book is The Warded Man / The Painted Man (2008) and the newest is The Demon King (2026). Publication order is the reading order below. 11 of the 18 books listed here are in the Demon Cycle series, which has its own page: Demon Cycle books in order.

Books
18
Published
2008–2026
Pages on record
3,004 in 7 of 18 books
See all 18 books in order Printable Peter V. Brett checklist
Photo of Peter V. Brett, author

Peter V. Brett, born February 8, 1973, is an American fantasy novelist and the author of the Demon Cycle. The first Demon Cycle volume appeared in 2008 under two titles: The Painted Man from HarperCollins's Voyager imprint in the UK and The Warded Man from Del Rey Books in the US. The catalogue lists 18 Brett books, including The Desert Spear (2010) and The Daylight War (2013), with The Demon King (2026) the newest. Red Sonja: Unchained and Nightfall Saga are also listed, and the subjects include epic fantasy, demonology and magic.

In the Demon Cycle, nightly attacks by demonic creatures called Corelings threaten the world. The story follows several protagonists, including Arlen, Leesha and Rojer, each with a distinct role in resisting the demons.

How many Peter V. Brett books are there?

Peter V. Brett has 18 books, released between 2008 and 2026. They include 3 separate series.

Peter V. Brett Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 18 Peter V. Brett 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 Warded Man / The Painted Man by Peter V. Brett, book 1 of the Demon Cycle (2008)
  2. Cover of The Desert Spear by Peter V. Brett, book 2 of the Demon Cycle (2010)
  3. Cover of Brayan's Gold by Peter V. Brett, book 3 of the Demon Cycle (2011)
  4. Cover of The Daylight War by Peter V. Brett, book 4 of the Demon Cycle (2013)
  5. Cover of Messenger’s Legacy by Peter V. Brett, book 5 of the Demon Cycle (2015)
  6. Cover of The Skull Throne by Peter V. Brett, book 6 of the Demon Cycle (2015)
  7. Cover of The Core by Peter V. Brett, book 7 of the Demon Cycle (2017)
  8. Cover of Barren by Peter V. Brett, book 8 of the Demon Cycle (2018)
  1. 1
    The Warded Man / The Painted ManDemon Cycle #12008 · 480 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2008480
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 3
    The Desert SpearDemon Cycle #22010 · confirmed 2/4
    2010–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 4
    Brayan's GoldDemon Cycle #32011 · 94 pages · confirmed 2/4
    201194
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 5
    Red Sonja: Unchained #1Red Sonja: Unchained #12013 · confirmed 2/4
    2013–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 6
    Red Sonja: Unchained #2Red Sonja: Unchained #22013 · confirmed 2/4
    2013–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 7
    Red Sonja: Unchained #3Red Sonja: Unchained #32013 · confirmed 2/4
    2013–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 8
    Red Sonja: Unchained #4Red Sonja: Unchained #42013 · confirmed 2/4
    2013–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 9
    The Daylight WarDemon Cycle #42013 · 688 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2013688
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 10
    Messenger’s LegacyDemon Cycle #52015 · 136 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2015136
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 11
    The Skull ThroneDemon Cycle #62015 · 681 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2015681
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 12
    The CoreDemon Cycle #72017 · 781 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2017781
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 13
    BarrenDemon Cycle #82018 · 144 pages · confirmed 2/4
    2018144
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 14
    The Desert PrinceNightfall Saga #12021 · confirmed 2/4
    2021–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 15
    Messenger RunsDemon Cycle #22024 · confirmed 2/4
    2024–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 16
    The Hidden QueenNightfall Saga #22024 · confirmed 2/4
    2024–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 17
    Butter Cookies and Demon ClawsDemon Cycle #92025 · confirmed 2/4
    2025–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 18
    The Demon KingNightfall Saga #32026 · confirmed 2/4
    2026–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Peter V. Brett series in order

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

Peter V. Brett 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.

Red Sonja: Unchained in order

4 books
  1. 1. Red Sonja: Unchained #1
  2. 2. Red Sonja: Unchained #2
  3. 3. Red Sonja: Unchained #3
  4. 4. Red Sonja: Unchained #4

Nightfall Saga in order

3 books
  1. 1. The Desert Prince
  2. 2. The Hidden Queen
  3. 3. The Demon King

Do you have to read Peter V. Brett books in order?

You only need to read Peter V. Brett books in order within each series: the books listed here span 3 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with Peter V. Brett

Start with The Warded Man / The Painted Man (2008), the first Demon Cycle book. It is also the earliest catalogued title.

What is the newest Peter V. Brett book?

The Demon King (2026) is the newest Peter V. Brett book released so far.

Is there a new Peter V. Brett book coming?

No next Peter V. Brett 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 Peter V. Brett

Wikidata records 3 nominations for Peter V. Brett. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

  • Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel2011Shortlistedfor The Desert Spear
  • Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire for Best Foreign Novel2010Shortlistedfor The Painted Man
  • Locus Award for Best First Novel2009Shortlistedfor The Painted Man

Peter V. Brett at a glance

Still publishing
Peter V. Brett published a book as recently as 2026.
Release pace
Peter V. Brett books have appeared about one a year on average.
Length
3,004 pages across the 7 of 18 books with a recorded length, a median of 480 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Peter V. Brett books, 12 of 18, were published in the 2010s.

What the Peter V. Brett books are about

11 of the 18 Peter V. Brett books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: demonology is tagged on 6 of 11. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.

Other Fantasy authors

Each link below opens a reading-order page with every book in publication order.