The Mortal Instruments Books in Order
Cassandra Clare has written 20 The Mortal Instruments books, published between 2007 and 2025: 9 in the 2 main-line series and 11 related titles. The first book is City of Bones (2007) and the newest main-line book is A Long Conversation (2017). Publication order is the reading order below.
Also searched as Mortal Instruments.
- Books
- 20
- Published
- 2007–2025
- Confirmed
- 20 of 20 titles
- Pages on record
- 2,761 in 8 of 20 books
The Mortal Instruments is Cassandra Clare's young adult fantasy sequence, built on demons, vampires, magic and a hidden supernatural world. City of Bones (2007) opens it, followed by City of Ashes (2008), City of Glass (2009), City of Fallen Angels (2011) and City of Lost Souls (2012). 20 catalogued titles include graphic novel adaptations and companion non-fiction, and the books sit within the wider Shadowhunter Chronicles. New volumes continue to appear.
Source: composed
How many The Mortal Instruments books are there?
The Mortal Instruments has 20 books, released between 2007 and 2025. 9 of them belong to the 2 main-line series (Shadowhunter Chronicles, Mortal Instruments), and 11 related titles sit outside it: graphic novels and non-fiction.
The Mortal Instruments Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 20 The Mortal Instruments 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 November 2026.
- 120074854/4
- 220084534/4
- 32009–4/4
- 42011–4/4
- 52012–4/4
- 62013–3/4
- 72013–4/4
- 820132744/4
- 920147254/4
- 10An Illustrated History of Notable Shadowhunters and Denizens of Downworld / A History of Notable Shadowhunters and Denizens of DownworldMortal Instruments #22016 · confirmed 4/42016–4/4
- 11The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 1Mortal Instruments Graphic Novels #12017 · 208 pages · confirmed 4/420172084/4
- 122017–4/4
- 13The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 2Mortal Instruments Graphic Novels #22018 · 208 pages · confirmed 4/420182084/4
- 14The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 3Mortal Instruments Graphic Novels #32019 · confirmed 4/42019–4/4
- 15The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 4Mortal Instruments Graphic Novels #42020 · 192 pages · confirmed 4/420201924/4
- 16The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 5Mortal Instruments Graphic Novels #52022 · confirmed 4/42022–4/4
- 17The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 6Mortal Instruments Graphic Novels #62022 · confirmed 4/42022–4/4
- 18The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 7Mortal Instruments Graphic Novels #72023 · confirmed 4/42023–4/4
- 19The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 8Mortal Instruments Graphic Novels #82024 · confirmed 4/42024–4/4
- 20The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 9Mortal Instruments Graphic Novels #92025 · 216 pages · confirmed 3/420252163/4
The Mortal Instruments Books in Chronological Order
By publication date, the books of the 2 main-line series run from City of Bones (2007) to A Long Conversation (2017), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for The Mortal Instruments in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.
Do you have to read The Mortal Instruments books in order?
You should read the 2 main-line series in publication order, the order of the numbered table above; the 11 related titles (graphic novels and non-fiction) sit outside that sequence. The catalogue does not record whether each The Mortal Instruments book also stands alone.
What order should you read The Mortal Instruments books in?
Read them in publication order, starting with City of Bones (2007), the earliest published book in the 2 main-line series. After it come City of Ashes (2008), City of Glass (2009), City of Fallen Angels (2011), City of Lost Souls (2012), Shadowhunters and Downworlders (2013), City of Heavenly Fire (2014), An Illustrated History of Notable Shadowhunters and Denizens of Downworld / A History of Notable Shadowhunters and Denizens of Downworld (2016) and A Long Conversation (2017).
What is the newest The Mortal Instruments book?
A Long Conversation (2017) is the newest book in the 2 main-line series. The newest related title is The Mortal Instruments: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 9 (2025).
Is there a new The Mortal Instruments book coming?
No next The Mortal Instruments 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 The Mortal Instruments
Wikidata records 2 nominations for The Mortal Instruments. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given. Award data is sourced from Wikidata.
- Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book2009Shortlistedfor City of Ashes
- Locus Award for Best First Novel2008Shortlistedfor City of Bones
The Mortal Instruments at a glance
- No recent titles
- The newest main-line The Mortal Instruments title on record is A Long Conversation (2017), 9 years ago. Related titles have appeared since.
- Release pace
- The Mortal Instruments books have appeared about one a year on average.
- Length
- 2,761 pages across the 8 of 20 books with a recorded length, a median of 245 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most The Mortal Instruments books, 11 of 20, were published in the 2010s.
- Corroboration
- 18 of the 20 titles appear in all four independent book listings, and every one of them in at least three.
When The Mortal Instruments books were published
Publication distribution by decade, showing when The Mortal Instruments titles appeared. 2010s was the most productive decade with 11 titles.
20 books total across 3 decades. Decade reflects the year each title was first catalogued.
What the The Mortal Instruments books are about
14 of the 20 The Mortal Instruments books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: magic is tagged on 7 of 14. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Magic 7 of 14 books
- Supernatural 7 of 14 books
- Children's fiction 6 of 14 books
- Demonology 6 of 14 books
- Vampires 4 of 14 books
- Horror 3 of 14 books
- American Young adult fiction 2 of 14 books
- Authors, juvenile literature 2 of 14 books
- Comics & graphic novels 2 of 14 books
- Paranormal fiction 2 of 14 books
- Quests (expeditions) 2 of 14 books
More books by Cassandra Clare
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- Cassandra Clare books in order 82 books