Humanx Commonwealth Books in Order
Alan Dean Foster has written 29 Humanx Commonwealth books, published between 1972 and 2018. The first book is The Tar-Aiym Krang (1972) and the newest is Strange Music (2018). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 29
- Published
- 1972–2018
- Confirmed
- 29 of 29 titles
- Pages on record
- 6,916 in 24 of 29 books
- Reading time
- 115–173 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 6,916 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 24 of 29 titles with a page count on record.
Humanx Commonwealth is Alan Dean Foster's science fiction setting, an imagined interstellar organisation, and the books in it run to 29 titles. The Tar-Aiym Krang (1972) opens the sequence and introduces Flinx and Pip, who carry the longest of three sub-series; Icerigger and the Founding of the Commonwealth are the others. Alien contact, space exploration and life on other planets are the recurring subjects. Strange Music (2018) is the last entry, at a median 288 pages per volume.
How many Humanx Commonwealth books are there?
Humanx Commonwealth has 29 books, released between 1972 and 2018.
Humanx Commonwealth Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 29 Humanx Commonwealth 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.
- 11972–3/4
- 21973353/4
- 319743133/4
- 41975–3/4
- 51977–3/4
- 619772213/4
- 71979–3/4
- 819802753/4
- 919822403/4
- 1019832563/4
- 1119842433/4
- 1219852733/4
- 131987–3/4
- 1419883243/4
- 1519953463/4
- 1619973263/4
- 1719993043/4
- 1820002893/4
- 1920013523/4
- 2020023193/4
- 2120022883/4
- 2220033363/4
- 2320042883/4
- 2420053043/4
- 2520062723/4
- 2620072283/4
- 2720082863/4
- 2820093983/4
- 2920184003/4
Humanx Commonwealth Books in Chronological Order
In story order, Nor Crystal Tears comes first and Cachalot comes last. Chronological order follows the events inside the story rather than the release dates. The 8 books with a recorded story position run in that sequence below.
- 3Nor Crystal Tears1982 · 240 pages · confirmed 3/419822403/4
- 4Voyage to the City of the Dead1984 · 243 pages · confirmed 3/419842433/4
- 1Midworld1975 · confirmed 3/41975–3/4
- 7Drowning World2003 · 336 pages · confirmed 3/420033363/4
- 8Quofum2008 · 286 pages · confirmed 3/420082863/4
- 6The Howling Stones1997 · 326 pages · confirmed 3/419973263/4
- 5Sentenced to Prism1985 · 273 pages · confirmed 3/419852733/4
- 2Cachalot1980 · 275 pages · confirmed 3/419802753/4
Do you have to read Humanx Commonwealth books in order?
You should read the Humanx Commonwealth books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Humanx Commonwealth book also stands alone.
Where to start with Humanx Commonwealth
Start with The Tar-Aiym Krang (1972), the earliest published title. In the chronological order, Nor Crystal Tears comes first.
What is the newest Humanx Commonwealth book?
Strange Music (2018) is the newest Humanx Commonwealth book released so far.
Is there a new Humanx Commonwealth book coming?
No next Humanx Commonwealth 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 Humanx Commonwealth
Wikidata records 2 nominations for Humanx Commonwealth. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.
- Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel1983Shortlistedfor Nor Crystal Tears
- Locus Award for Best Novel1975Shortlistedfor Icerigger
Humanx Commonwealth at a glance
- No recent titles
- The newest Humanx Commonwealth title on record dates from 2018, 8 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
- Release pace
- Humanx Commonwealth books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
- Length
- 6,916 pages across the 24 of 29 books with a recorded length, a median of 288 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Humanx Commonwealth books, 11 of 29, were published in the 2000s.
What the Humanx Commonwealth books are about
All 29 Humanx Commonwealth 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 24 of 29. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Science fiction 24 of 29 books
- Flinx (Fictitious character) 12 of 29 books
- Pip (Fictitious character : Foster) 9 of 29 books
- Science fiction, action & adventure 9 of 29 books
- Fiction in English 7 of 29 books
- Life on other planets 7 of 29 books
- Human-alien encounters 3 of 29 books
- Science fiction, alien contact 2 of 29 books
- Science fiction, space exploration 2 of 29 books
More books by Alan Dean Foster
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- Alan Dean Foster books in order 162 books
Series that include Humanx Commonwealth books
The series linked below has its own reading-order page.
- Pip & Flinx books in order 15 books