Dark Crystal Books in Order
Dark Crystal contains 17 books, published between 1982 and 2023. The first book is The World of The Dark Crystal (Short Story) (1982) and the newest is Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal Creation Myths:: The Complete 40th Anniversary Collection HC (Short Story) (2023). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 17
- Published
- 1982–2023
- Pages on record
- 1,996 in 12 of 17 books
- Reading time
- 33–50 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 1,996 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 12 of 17 titles with a page count on record.
Dark Crystal is a 17-entry listing connected in the subject headings to The Dark Crystal motion picture, spanning 1982 to 2023 and currently dormant. J.M. Lee is credited on 8 entries, including Shadows of the Dark Crystal (2016), Song of the Dark Crystal (2017), Tides of the Dark Crystal (2018) and Flames of the Dark Crystal (2019). Brian Froud is credited on The World of The Dark Crystal (1982) and Creation Myths, Volume 1 (2011), Christopher Finch on The Making of the Dark Crystal (1983), and Jim Henson on The Dark Crystal (2014). Subjects include children's fiction, fantasy comics, twins, and brothers and sisters.
How many Dark Crystal books are there?
Dark Crystal has 17 books, released between 1982 and 2023.
Dark Crystal Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 17 Dark Crystal 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.
- 1The World of The Dark Crystal (Short Story)1982 · 132 pages · confirmed 2/419821322/4
- 2The Making of the Dark Crystal (Short Story)1983 · 96 pages · confirmed 2/41983962/4
- 2Shadows of the Dark Crystal2016 · 272 pages · confirmed 1/420162721/4
- 3Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths, Volume 1 (Short Story)2011 · confirmed 2/42011–2/4
- 3Song of the Dark Crystal2017 · 272 pages · confirmed 1/420172721/4
- 4Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths Vol. 2 (Short Story)2012 · 96 pages · confirmed 2/42012962/4
- 4Tides of the Dark Crystal2018 · 296 pages · confirmed 1/420182961/4
- 5The Dark Crystal2014 · confirmed 2/42014–2/4
- 5Flames of the Dark Crystal2019 · 272 pages · confirmed 1/420192721/4
- 6Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths, Volume 3 (Short Story)2015 · 96 pages · confirmed 2/42015962/4
- 6Aughra's Words of Wisdom2019 · 40 pages · confirmed 1/42019401/4
- 7Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal Artist Tribute (Short Story)2018 · 112 pages · confirmed 2/420181122/4
- 7Heroes of the Resistance2019 · 88 pages · confirmed 1/42019881/4
- 8Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal: A Discovery Adventure (Short Story)2018 · confirmed 2/42018–2/4
- 8Songs of the Seven Gelfling Clans2020 · 224 pages · confirmed 1/420202241/4
- 9Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal Creation Myths:: The Complete 40th Anniversary Collection HC (Short Story)2023 · confirmed 2/42023–2/4
Dark Crystal Books in Chronological Order
By publication date, the Dark Crystal books run from The World of The Dark Crystal (Short Story) (1982) to Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal Creation Myths:: The Complete 40th Anniversary Collection HC (Short Story) (2023), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for Dark Crystal in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.
Where to start with Dark Crystal
Start with The World of The Dark Crystal (Short Story) (1982), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Dark Crystal book?
Jim Henson's The Dark Crystal Creation Myths:: The Complete 40th Anniversary Collection HC (Short Story) (2023) is the newest Dark Crystal book released so far.
Is there a new Dark Crystal book coming?
No next Dark Crystal book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Dark Crystal at a glance
- Paused
- No new Dark Crystal title has appeared for 3 years. The last was published in 2023.
- Release pace
- Dark Crystal books have appeared about one every 3 years on average.
- Length
- 1,996 pages across the 12 of 17 books with a recorded length, a median of 122 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Dark Crystal books, 13 of 17, were published in the 2010s.
- Attribution
- Of the 17 titles, 8 are credited to J.M. Lee, 6 to Brian Froud, 4 to Jim Henson and 1 to Christopher Finch. A further 5 writers are credited.
What the Dark Crystal books are about
8 of the 17 Dark Crystal books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: children's fiction is tagged on 2 of 8. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Children's fiction 2 of 8 books
- Comics & graphic novels, fantasy 2 of 8 books
- Fantasy 2 of 8 books