Malazan Empire Books in Order
Ian C. Esslemont has written 10 Malazan Empire books, published between 2004 and 2023. The first book is Night of Knives (2004) and the newest is Forge of the High Mage (2023). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 10
- Published
- 2004–2023
- Confirmed
- 5 of 10 titles
- Pages on record
- 2,625 in 6 of 10 books
- Reading time
- 44–66 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 2,625 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 6 of 10 titles with a page count on record.
Malazan Empire is an epic fantasy sequence by Ian C. Esslemont, credited to Esslemont on all 10 books. Malaz and the Malazan Empire are recorded as imaginary places, with imaginary wars and battles, raids, quests, treasure troves and scholars among the subjects. The run opens with Night of Knives (2004) and continues through Return of the Crimson Guard (2008), Stonewielder (2010), Orb Sceptre Throne (2012), Blood and Bone (2012), Assail (2013), Dancer's Lament (2016), Deadhouse Landing (2017) and Kellanved's Reach (2019), reaching Forge of the High Mage in 2023.
How many Malazan Empire books are there?
Malazan Empire has 10 books, released between 2004 and 2023.
Malazan Empire Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 10 Malazan Empire 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.
- 120043362/4
- 22008–2/4
- 32010–3/4
- 42012–3/4
- 520125923/4
- 620135443/4
- 720164012/4
- 820174003/4
- 920193522/4
- 102023–2/4
Do you have to read Malazan Empire books in order?
You should read the Malazan Empire books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Malazan Empire book also stands alone.
Where to start with Malazan Empire
Start with Night of Knives (2004), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Malazan Empire book?
Forge of the High Mage (2023) is the newest Malazan Empire book released so far.
Is there a new Malazan Empire book coming?
No next Malazan Empire book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Malazan Empire at a glance
- Paused
- No new Malazan Empire title has appeared for 3 years. The last was published in 2023.
- Release pace
- Malazan Empire books have appeared about one every 2 years on average.
- Length
- 2,625 pages across the 6 of 10 books with a recorded length, a median of 400 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Malazan Empire books, 7 of 10, were published in the 2010s.
What the Malazan Empire books are about
9 of the 10 Malazan Empire books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: fantasy is tagged on 9 of 9. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Fantasy 9 of 9 books
- Imaginary wars and battles 5 of 9 books
More books by Ian C. Esslemont
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- Ian C. Esslemont books in order 11 books