Order of Book Series
0

Robert Merle Books in Order

Robert Merle has written 14 books, published between 1950 and 1989. The first book is Week-end à Zuydcoote (1950) and the newest is The Idol (1989). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
14
Published
1950–1989
Pages on record
1,452 in 4 of 14 books
See all 14 books in order Printable Robert Merle checklist
Photo of Robert Merle, author of the Fortune de France series

Robert Merle was a French novelist who lived from 28 August 1908 to 27 March 2004. The catalogue holds 14 books by Merle, dated 1950 to 1989, starting with Week-end à Zuydcoote (1950). Death Is My Trade, The Island, The Day of the Dolphin, Malevil and The Brethren are among the listed titles, and The Idol (1989) is the latest. Merle wrote the Fortune de France series. Subject tags include French science fiction, captive dolphins, animal intelligence and survivors of a nuclear war.

How many Robert Merle books are there?

Robert Merle has 14 books, released between 1950 and 1989. 4 of them belong to the Fortune de France series.

Robert Merle Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 14 Robert Merle 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 Day of the Dolphin by Robert Merle (1967)
  2. Cover of The Virility Factor by Robert Merle (1977)
  1. 1
    Week-end à Zuydcoote1950 · confirmed 1/4
    1950–
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  2. 2
    Death Is My Trade1954 · confirmed 1/4
    1954–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    The Island1962 · confirmed 1/4
    1962–
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  4. 4
    Ahmed Ben Bella1965 · confirmed 1/4
    1965–
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  5. 5
    The Day of the Dolphin1967 · 320 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1967320
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  6. 6
    Behind the Glass1972 · 379 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1972379
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    Malevil1973 · confirmed 1/4
    1973–
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  8. 8
    The BrethrenFortune de France #11977 · confirmed 1/4
    1977–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    The Virility Factor1977 · 344 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1977344
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    City of Wisdom and BloodFortune de France #21979 · confirmed 1/4
    1979–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    Heretic DawnFortune de France #31980 · confirmed 1/4
    1980–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    League of SpiesFortune de France #41982 · confirmed 1/4
    1982–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    Vittoria1986 · confirmed 1/4
    1986–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    The Idol1989 · 409 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1989409
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Robert Merle 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.

Fortune de France in order

4 books
  1. 1. The Brethren
  2. 2. City of Wisdom and Blood
  3. 3. Heretic Dawn
  4. 4. League of Spies

Standalone books

10 books

10 Robert Merle titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read Robert Merle books in order?

You only need to read Robert Merle books in order within the Fortune de France series, which holds 4 of the 14 Robert Merle books listed here. The numbered table above gives every book in publication order.

Where to start with Robert Merle

Start with Week-end à Zuydcoote (1950), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Robert Merle book?

The Idol (1989) is the newest Robert Merle book released so far.

Is there a new Robert Merle book coming?

No next Robert Merle 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 Robert Merle has won

Wikidata records 3 awards for Robert Merle. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

  • Grand prix Jean-Giono2003Won
  • John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Fiction Novel1974Won
  • Prix Goncourt1949Wonfor Week-end at Zuydcoote

Robert Merle at a glance

Died
Robert Merle died in 2004, according to Wikidata.
Last book
The newest book credited to Robert Merle on record dates from 1989.
Release pace
Robert Merle books have appeared about one every 3 years on average.
Length
1,452 pages across the 4 of 14 books with a recorded length, a median of 362 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Robert Merle books, 5 of 14, were published in the 1970s.

What the Robert Merle books are about

5 of the 14 Robert Merle books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. No subject is tagged on more than one of them, so each one below describes a single book. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.