Imaginary places book series in reading order

by Brandon Sanderson

by Kazu Kibuishi

by Jim Butcher

by Daisy Meadows

by Emily March

Brandon Sanderson

109 books• 28 series

Brandon Sanderson, born December 19, 1975, is an American writer of high fantasy, science fiction and young adult fiction. Mistborn and The Stormlight Archive both belong to the Cosmere, a shared fictional universe. Outside the Cosmere, Sanderson wrote the Reckoners, Skyward and Alcatraz series, and completed Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time. White Sand and Dark One are Sanderson's two graphic novels. Sanderson's Laws of Magic, a framework for hard and soft magic systems, carry the author's name. The catalogue lists 109 titles, from Centrifugal (1994) through Elantris (2005) to King Lopen the First of Alethkar (2026).

George R.R. Martin

90 books• 19 series

George R.R. Martin, born George Raymond Martin on September 20, 1948 and known by the initials GRRM, is an American author, screenwriter and television producer. A Song of Ice and Fire, the epic fantasy series adapted by HBO as Game of Thrones (2011–2019) and the prequel House of the Dragon, is Martin's best-known work; the related Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas became A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The catalogue begins in 1976 with A Song for Lya, Starlady and Fast-Friend and The Lonely Songs of Laren Dorr, followed by Dying of the Light (1977), Sandkings and Windhaven (1981), and Fevre Dream (1982). Science fiction, fantasy and short stories appear among the subjects.

Steven Erikson

33 books• 5 series

Steven Erikson writes epic fantasy. The Malazan Book of the Fallen, opened by Gardens of the Moon (1999), is the central sequence, and 33 catalogued books reach Legacies of Betrayal in 2026 by way of the Kharkanas Trilogy, the Bauchelain and Korbal Broach novellas and the Willful Child science fiction. Imaginary wars, magic and invented places run through the subjects.

Garth Nix

51 books• 11 series

Garth Nix, born Garth Richard Nix on 19 July 1963, is an Australian writer of children's and young adult fantasy, including the Old Kingdom, Seventh Tower and Keys to the Kingdom series. Asked often whether the name is a pseudonym, Nix has said it is a real name that happens to suit a fantasy writer. The catalogue lists 51 books, from The Ragwitch (1990) through Sabriel (1995) and Shade's Children (1997) to Massif (2026). Other Nix series include Troubletwisters, Have Sword, Will Travel and Left-Handed Booksellers of London. Subjects include magic, castles, good and evil, and space and time.

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.

Margaret Weis

109 books• 34 series

Margaret Edith Weis, born March 16, 1948, is an American fantasy and science fiction author who, with Tracy Hickman at TSR, Inc., created the Dragonlance role-playing game world. Weis founded Sovereign Press and Margaret Weis Productions, which license television and film franchises for role-playing games. Pyramid magazine named Weis one of The Millennium's Most Influential Persons in 1999, and the Origins Hall of Fame inducted Weis in 2002. Dragons of Autumn Twilight (1984) is among the catalogued titles, and series include Death Gate Cycle, Darksword and Star Of The Guardians.

Terry Pratchett

148 books• 18 series

Terry Pratchett (28 April 1948 to 12 March 2015) was an English author, humorist and satirist. Discworld, a run of 41 comic fantasy novels published from 1983 to 2015, is the work most associated with Pratchett, together with Good Omens (1990), written with Neil Gaiman. The Carpet People (1971) was the first Pratchett novel, and The Colour of Magic (1983) opened Discworld. The Shepherd's Crown, the last Discworld novel, came out in August 2015, five months after Pratchett's death. The catalogue also lists the Long Earth, Bromeliad Trilogy and Johnny Maxwell series, with The Discworld Bestiary dated 2026.

Terry Goodkind

33 books• 5 series

Terry Goodkind (January 11, 1948 to September 17, 2020) was an American writer of epic fantasy, known for The Sword of Truth. That series sold 25 million copies, was translated into more than 20 languages and became the television series Legend of the Seeker, which ran from November 2008 to May 2010. Goodkind also wrote The Law of Nines (2009), a contemporary suspense novel tied to the fantasy books, and drew on Ayn Rand's objectivism in the work. The catalogue lists 33 titles, from Wizard's First Rule (1994) to Into Darkness (2020). Richard Rahl and Kahlan Amnell are the characters tagged most often.

Robin Hobb

25 books• 9 series

Robin Hobb is one of two pen names of Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden, an American writer of speculative fiction born on March 5, 1952; the other is Megan Lindholm. As Hobb she writes fantasy set in the Realm of the Elderlings, made up of the Farseer, Liveship Traders and Tawny Man trilogies, the Rain Wild Chronicles and the Fitz and the Fool trilogy. The catalogue lists 25 books from 1991 to 2026, with Assassin's Apprentice (1995), Royal Assassin (1996) and Assassin's Quest (1997) among the early titles, and also includes the Soldier Son Trilogy. As of 2018 her fiction had been translated into 22 languages and sold more than 4 million copies.

Mercedes Lackey

230 books• 52 series

Valdemar, a country in the world of Velgarth, is the setting for many of Mercedes Lackey's interlinked fantasy novels and trilogies. Lackey, an American writer born on June 24, 1950, brings human and non-human protagonists from many cultures together in the Valdemar books. A second Lackey setting resembles Earth but hides populations of elves, mages, vampires and other mythical beings. Bedlam's Bard follows a young man who works magic through music, SERRAted Edge features elves who race cars, and the Diana Tregarde thrillers star a Wiccan fighting evil. Arrows of the Queen (1987), Arrow's Flight (1987) and Arrow's Fall (1988) are among the listed titles, and Elemental Masters and Five Hundred Kingdoms are further series.

Lois McMaster Bujold

54 books• 8 series

Lois McMaster Bujold, born November 2, 1949, is an American writer of speculative fiction who has won the Hugo Award for best novel four times, equalling Robert A. Heinlein's record. The Vorkosigan Saga is her best-known work: science fiction novels set about 1000 years in the future and featuring Miles Vorkosigan of the planet Barrayar, a physically impaired man who serves as interstellar spy and mercenary admiral. The catalogue lists 54 books from 1986 to Darksight Dare (2026), including Shards of Honor, The Warrior's Apprentice, Falling Free, Brothers in Arms and The Vor Game. Other series listings include Penric and Desdemona, Sharing Knife and Curse Of Chalion. SFWA named Bujold its 36th Grand Master in 2019.

Christina Henry

28 books• 4 series

Christina Henry writes horror and dark fantasy. Born in New York in 1974, the American novelist has 28 catalogued books dated 2010 to 2026, opening with Black Wings (2010), first of a national bestselling series of that name, and reaching Pinfeathers (2026). Henry also retells classic children's stories: the Chronicles of Alice draws on Lewis Carroll, Lost Boy (2017) on J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan, and The Girl in Red (2019) on Little Red Riding Hood. Angels, demons, death and imaginary places recur across the catalogue.

Daisy Meadows is the name on the Rainbow Magic children's books, a fantasy line whose subjects include fairies, goblins, Jack Frost and two girls, Kirsty Tate and Rachel Walker. The catalogue opens in 2003 with colour-fairy titles such as Ruby the Red Fairy, Amber the Orange Fairy and Fern the Green Fairy, and runs to Nur the Vlogger Fairy (2023). Sub-series include the Weather, Jewel, Party, Pet Keeper, Dance, Ocean and Showtime Fairies. Magic Animal Friends appears under the same name.

Gail Zehner Martin, born December 1, 1962, writes epic fantasy and urban fantasy, and is most known for The Chronicles of the Necromancer, published by Solaris Books and Double Dragon Publishing. The Summoner opened the run in 2007, and the catalogue reaches 115 titles by Dead of Winter in 2025. Series include Ascendant Kingdoms, Assassins of Landria, Darkhurst, Deadly Curiosities, Spells, Salt, & Steel and Jonmarc Vahanian Adventure. Nonfiction on book marketing sits in the same listing, among it The Thrifty Author's Guide to Launching Your Book without Losing Your Mind and 30 Days to Online PR & Marketing Success, and internet marketing duly appears in the subject list.

Sarah J. Maas, born March 5, 1986, is an American fantasy author known for three series: Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses and Crescent City. The catalogue holds 45 books dated 2012 to 2027, starting in 2012 with The Assassin and the Pirate Lord and Throne of Glass, then Crown of Midnight in 2013. A Court of Splintered Harmony (2026) is the newest release, and A Court of Forgotten Melody is scheduled for 2027. Subjects across the books include fairies, assassins, magic, courts and courtiers, and romance. By 2024 Maas had sold more than 75 million copies, with translations in 40 languages.

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.

Robert Jordan

43 books• 8 series

Robert Jordan was the pen name of James Oliver Rigney Jr. (17 October 1948 to 16 September 2007), an American writer of epic fantasy who used several pen names for different genres. The Wheel of Time, 14 books plus a prequel novel, has sold 90 million copies and ranks among the highest-selling book series. Earlier in the career, Jordan was one of several writers of original Conan the Barbarian novels. The catalogue opens with The Fallon Blood (1980), followed by The Fallon Pride (1981), and Conan titles such as Conan the Invincible (1982) and Conan the Destroyer (1984) appear in the early years. Jordan series also include Fallon.

Midkemia is the world Raymond E. Feist writes: epic fantasy of magicians, wizards and long imaginary wars, with Pug and Mara among its figures. The Riftwar opens the sequence in Magician: Apprentice and Magician: Master (1982), and the Serpentwar, Demonwar, Darkwar, Chaoswar, Dragonwar and Firemane sagas follow, with the Riftwar Legacy and the Conclave of Shadows between them. Thirty-four catalogued books reach A Darkness Returns in 2024.

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.

R.L. Stine

589 books• 64 series

Robert Lawrence Stine, born October 8, 1943, is an American novelist who writes horror fiction for children. Goosebumps, the series Stine created, sold more than 400 million copies in 35 languages and grew into a franchise of two television series, video games, comics and two feature films. Fear Street, Stine's horror sequence for teenagers, passed 80 million copies and was adapted for film. Stine has been called the Stephen King of children's literature. The listing runs to 590 titles, from How to Be Funny (1978), published as Jovial Bob Stine, to How to Train Your Dummy, scheduled for 2027.

Tamora Pierce

34 books• 12 series

Tamora Pierce writes fantasy for younger readers, much of it set in Tortall. Song of the Lioness opens the catalogue with Alanna: The First Adventure (1983), and The Immortals, Protector of the Small, Beka Cooper, Daughter of the Lioness and the Numair Chronicles extend the same world, with knighthood, magic and gender roles among the subjects. Circle of Magic, The Circle Opens and Circle Reforged form a separate sequence. Pierce's 34 catalogued books reach 2025.

Simon Brett writes English detective fiction across several long-running series. Charles Paris, an actor, heads one; the Fethering Mysteries follow Carole Seddon; Mrs Pargeter, Blotto and Twinks, and the Decluttering Mysteries make up the rest. Brett's catalogue holds 107 books, from Cast in Order of Disappearance (1975) to A Shock to the System (2026), with plays, short stories and non-fiction alongside.

Epic fantasy quests define David Eddings's catalogue: the Belgariad and the Malloreon around Garion, the Elenium and the Tamuli around Sparhawk, and the Dreamers books. High Hunt (1973) is the earliest of 29 catalogued titles, Pawn of Prophecy (1982) opens the Belgariad, and Seeress of Kell closes the catalogued run. Magic, wizards and imaginary wars supply the material, and the 1990s were the densest decade.

Christopher Paolini

10 books• 3 series

Dragons and magic carry Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle, which opens with Eragon (2002) and continues through Eldest, Brisingr and Inheritance. Murtagh returns to the same world, as do The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm and Eragon's Guide to Alagaesia. To Sleep in a Sea of Stars starts the Fractalverse, a science fiction strand. Ten titles make up the catalogue, long ones at a median of 528 pages.