Fantasy, urban book series in reading order

by Benedict Jacka

by Richard Kadrey

by Matt Wallace

by Charlaine Harris

by Sarah J. Maas

Shannon Mayer has 98 books in the catalogue, published from 2011 to 2026 and tagged as urban fantasy, paranormal fantasy and paranormal romance. Dark Waters (2011) opens the list and Forged by Fate (2026) is the newest. Rylee Adamson appears as a character listing, and subjects include missing children, psychic ability and investigations. Series listings include Forty Proof, Desert Cursed, Alpha Territories, Nix, Questing Witch, Nevermore Trilogy, Celtic Legacy, Honey and Ice Trilogy, Golden Wolf and Inkbound.

Jennifer Estep writes fantasy across 76 catalogued books published between 2007 and 2027. Magic, assassins, psychic ability and boarding schools recur through the subject headings, in urban and paranormal registers. Estep's series include Elemental Assassin, Mythos Academy and Mythos Academy: Colorado, Crown of Shards, Gargoyle Queen, Black Blade, Bigtime, Galactic Bonds and Section 47, beside standalone novels, short fiction and non-fiction. The list runs from Karma Girl (2007) to Queen of Foxes (2026), and Only Bright Destinies is announced for 2027.

Benedict Jacka, born 25 September 1980, is a British author best known for the Alex Verus series. Urban and contemporary fantasy describe the catalogue, whose subjects also cover magic, psychics, apprentices, good and evil, ninja and runaway children. Nineteen books run from The Beginning (2005) to A Judgement of Powers (2025), with Fated, Cursed and Taken all published in 2012. Alex Verus and Inheritance of Magic are the two series credited to Jacka.

Charlaine Harris

78 books• 14 series

Charlaine Harris, born Jean Charlaine Harris Schulz on November 25, 1951, in Tunica, Mississippi, is an American author specialising in mysteries. The Southern Vampire Mysteries, Harris's best-known series, became HBO's True Blood, which ran for seven seasons from 2008 to 2014. The catalogue starts with Sweet and Deadly (1981) and A Secret Rage (1984) and reaches The Last Wizards' Ball (2025). Sookie Stackhouse, Aurora Teagarden, Lily Bard, Gunnie Rose and Midnight, Texas are among the series. Vampires, werewolves and women librarians appear in the subjects, and Harris lives in Texas.

Werewolves, vampires and shapeshifters populate Patricia Briggs's paranormal fantasy. Mercy Thompson, a shapeshifter who works as a car mechanic, leads the sequence that carries her name, and Alpha and Omega runs beside it, both with graphic novel adaptations. Briggs started with Masques (1993) and the Sianim and Hurog books before turning to the modern-day novels. The catalogue holds 54 titles and reaches Steel Rain in 2027.

Kim Harrison

43 books• 8 series

Kim Harrison is the pen name of American author Dawn Cook, born September 30, 1966. The Hollows, an urban fantasy series that hit #1 on the New York Times list, features Rachel Morgan. Harrison has also written young adult fiction and science thrillers, scripted two Hollows graphic novels and published traditional fantasy as Dawn Cook. The catalogue counts 44 books from Dead Witch Walking (2004) through Secondhand Luck (2026), with Absolute Demon set for 2027. Witches, vampires, demonology and Cincinnati recur in the subject headings.

Caitlin Kittredge, born September 1984, is an American author and comic-book writer working in dark fantasy and urban fantasy noir. The Nocturne City novels for adults and the young adult Iron Codex are what she is known for, and her comics include Coffin Hill for Vertigo, and Witchblade and Throwaways for Image. The catalogue holds 29 books from Night Life (2008) to Witchblade, Vol. 3 (2019), adding Black London, the Icarus Project, the Hellhound Chronicles and Grimm graphic novels. Witches, werewolves, demonology and policewomen appear among the recorded subjects.

Emma Newman

18 books• 6 series

Emma Newman is a British science fiction and fantasy writer who also works as a podcaster and audiobook narrator. The catalogue holds 18 books published between 2011 and 2025, opening with 20 Years Later (2011) and reaching The Vengeance (2025). Between Two Thorns drew British Fantasy Award nominations in 2014, in the best fantasy novel and best newcomer categories; After Atlas was a 2017 Arthur C. Clarke Award nominee, and the Planetfall series was nominated for the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Series. Split Worlds and Industrial Magic are Newman's other catalogued series.

Sherrilyn Kenyon

117 books• 29 series

Sherrilyn Kenyon, born December 11, 1965, is an American writer of urban fantasy and paranormal romance, best known for the Dark-Hunter series. Under the pseudonym Kinley MacGregor, Kenyon writes historical fiction with paranormal elements. The books have sold over 70 million copies in more than 100 countries. The catalogue lists 117 titles from The Wager (1992) to Hell's Half Acre (2026), among them series such as League: Nemesis Rising, Dream-Hunter, B.A.D. Agency and Chronicles of Nick. Two early non-fiction titles are writer's guides from 1994 and 1995.

Lynsay Sands is a Canadian author from Leamington, Ontario, with more than 80 books to the name. Sands writes historical and paranormal romance, is noted for humour, and is best known for the Argeneau series about a modern vampire family. The catalogue lists 80 books from The Deed (1997) to Immortal by Morning (2025). Other series include Highland Brides, Devil of the Highlands, Deed and Madison Sisters, and subjects on file include vampires and Scotland.

Jim Butcher

48 books• 7 series

Jim Butcher, born October 26, 1971, is an American author of the contemporary fantasy series The Dresden Files, as well as Codex Alera and Cinder Spires. Storm Front (2000) opens the catalogue, which includes Fool Moon (2001), Grave Peril (2001), Summer Knight (2002) and Furies of Calderon (2004), and runs to Out Law: A Dresden Files Novella (2026). Harry Dresden, wizards, private investigators and Chicago appear among the subjects. Butcher is still publishing.

Ilona Andrews is the pen name of a husband-and-wife writing team. Ilona was born in Russia, and Gordon is a former communications sergeant in the U.S. Army; the two met in college and live in Oregon. The pair co-authored the Kate Daniels urban fantasy series and the romantic urban fantasy of The Edge. The catalogue lists 65 books from Magic Bites (2007) to Beast Business (2026), and other series include Hidden Legacy, Innkeeper Chronicles, Iron Covenant and Grey Wolf. Magic, shapeshifting, werewolves and Atlanta feature among the subjects.

Nalini Singh

124 books• 10 series

Paranormal romance is the field of Nalini Singh, a New Zealand writer of Indo-Fijian descent born in 1977. The catalogue lists 124 books from Desert Warrior (2003) to Archangel's Eternity (2026). Slave to Sensation (2006) and Caressed by Ice (2007) are early titles. Series include Guild Hunter, Psy-Changeling Trinity, Rock Kiss, Hard Play and Zulheina, with subjects such as vampires, angels, archangels and assassins.

Robert Jackson Bennett

16 books• 4 series

The Tainted Cup won Robert Jackson Bennett both the 2025 Hugo Award for Best Novel and the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel. Bennett is an American writer of speculative fiction, born June 22, 1984. The catalogue records 16 books from Mr. Shivers and The Company Man (both 2009) to A Trade of Blood (2026), including The Troupe (2012), American Elsewhere (2013), City of Stairs (2014), Foundryside (2018) and Vigilance (2019). Series are Divine Cities, Founders Trilogy and Shadow of the Leviathan. Subject headings name urban fantasy, espionage, horror, corporate power and corruption.

Kevin Hearne

32 books• 8 series

Born on December 9, 1970, Kevin Hearne is a fantasy novelist from Arizona who moved to Ontario and became a Canadian citizen in 2022. The Iron Druid Chronicles is a New York Times bestselling series, and subjects include druids, Atticus O'Sullivan and Celtic, Norse and Greek mythology. Other series are Ink & Sigil, the Seven Kennings trilogy, and Tales of Pell, a collaboration with Delilah S. Dawson. Heir to the Jedi (2015) is a Star Wars novel by Hearne. The catalogue counts 32 books through 2026.

Cassie Alexander is an American writer and nurse whose catalogue mixes urban fantasy, paranormal romance and medical fiction. The 40 books run from Nightshifted (2012) to Guarded by the AI (2025), with Moonshifted and Shapeshifted also from 2012 and Deadshifted (2013) and Bloodshifted (2014) after them. Series include Edie Spence, Dark Ink Tattoo, Sleeping With Monsters, Moth and the Monster, Prince of the Other Worlds and Wardens of the Other Worlds. Vampires, werewolves, shapeshifting and gay romance appear among the subjects.

Chuck Wendig

70 books• 23 series

Chuck Wendig (Charles David Wendig, born April 22, 1976) is an American novelist, comic book writer, screenwriter and blogger best known for the Star Wars: Aftermath trilogy. The catalogue runs from VII (2005) to The Calamities (2026) and includes writing guides such as 250 Things You Should Know About Writing and 500 Ways to Be a Better Writer, both from 2011. Wendig's series include Miriam Black, Atlanta Burns, Mookie Pearl, the Heartland Trilogy, Double Dead and the Dinocalypse Trilogy, along with Turok, Shield single issues and the Star Wars: The Force Awakens adaptation. Subjects include horror, psychic ability, prophecy, the end of the world and resistance to government.

Carrie Vaughn

84 books• 16 series

Carrie Vaughn, born on 28 January 1973, is an American writer and the creator of the urban fantasy Kitty Norville series. Vaughn has published more than 60 short stories in science fiction and fantasy magazines, anthologies and online magazines, writes for the Wild Cards books, won the 2018 Philip K. Dick Award for Bannerless and has been a Hugo Award nominee. The catalogue opens with Kitty and the Midnight Hour (2005), then Kitty Goes to Washington (2006) and Kitty Takes a Holiday (2007), and Blade Through the Heart (2026) is the newest title. Other series include Bannerless Saga, Cormac and Amelia, Graff and Naturalist Society. Subjects include werewolves, radio talk show hosts and Las Vegas.

Thea Harrison is the pen name of American author Teddy Harrison, who writes paranormal romance, science fiction fantasy and contemporary romance. Elder Races is her best known series, a New York Times and USA Today bestseller, with Moonshadow, Game of Shadows, Chronicles of Rhyacia and American Witch beside it. The catalogue reaches back to 1984 through a second pen name, Amanda Carpenter, under which she wrote contemporary romance for Harlequin Mills & Boon: A Damaged Trust, A Deeper Dimension, Rage and The Wall all appeared in 1984. Forty-nine books are catalogued in total, to 2022, at a median of 188 pages. Dragons, vampires and urban fantasy sit in the subject index.

Richard Kadrey, born August 27, 1957, is an American novelist, freelance writer and photographer based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The catalogue holds 37 books from Metrophage (1988) to In the Devil Wind (2026), including Kamikaze L'Amour (1995), Butcher Bird (2005), Sandman Slim (2009) and Kill the Dead (2010). The listing also includes the Covert Culture Sourcebook (1994) and From Myst to Riven (1997). Series include Sandman Slim, Another Coop Heist, Discreet Eliminators and Carrion City. Subjects include the occult and supernatural, angels, zombies, subcultures and Los Angeles.

Shéa MacLeod is catalogued with 87 books published between 2011 and 2026. Subjects name urban fantasy, vampires, dragons, fairies, women bounty hunters and paranormal romance, and set work in Portland, Oregon and in London, England. Lady Rample, Viola Roberts and the Sunwalker Saga recur across the listing; other series include Season of the Witch, Deepwood Witches Mysteries, Notting Hill Diaries and Sugar Martin Vintage Cozy Mystery. Dragon Warrior, Kissed by Darkness, Kissed by Fire and Kissed by Smoke all date from 2011, and Lady Rample and the Dastardly Duke is the newest entry. The books run short, at a median of 204 pages.

Lilith Saintcrow, born December 31, 1976 in New Mexico, is an American author of urban fantasy, historical fantasy, paranormal romance and steampunk, living in Vancouver, Washington. Books for teenage readers carry the pen name Lili St. Crow. The catalogue lists 83 books from Dark Watcher (2004) to Nigel (2026). Jill Kismet, Dante Valentine, Bannon & Clare, Steelflower Chronicles and Gallow and Ragged are among Saintcrow's series, and Working for the Devil dates from 2006.

Kalayna Price writes urban fantasy around Alex Craft, a witch and private investigator. The Grave titles make up most of the catalogue: Grave Witch (2010), Grave Dance (2011), Grave Memory (2012), Grave Visions (2016), Grave Ransom (2017), Grave Destiny (2019) and Grave War (2020). Once Bitten (2009) and Twice Dead (2010) open the 9 catalogued books. Magic, witches, vampires, shapeshifting and murder investigation run through the work.

Joseph Nassise

31 books• 7 series

Joseph Nassise, born 1968, is an American urban fantasy writer. Riverwatch (2000), the debut, drew nominations for the Bram Stoker Award and the International Horror Guild Award, and the Templar Chronicles, the Jeremiah Hunt Chronicle and the Great Undead War series followed, along with books for Gold Eagle's Rogue Angel line. Nassise led the Horror Writers Association as president from 2002 to 2005, and was a Trustee from 2008 to 2010. The work has been translated into German, Russian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian. The 31 catalogued books reach Angel's Regret in 2026, at a median of 271 pages.