Science fiction & fantasy book series in reading order

by Iain M. Banks

by Alan Burt Akers

by Rhyannon Byrd

by Devney Perry

Henry H. Beam Piper's catalogue subjects list science fiction, collections and anthologies, private investigators and mystery. Paratime Police and Terro-Human Future History are the two series credited to Piper. Titles include Time and Time Again (1947), He Walked Around the Horses (1948), Police Operation (1948), Last Enemy (1950), Temple Trouble (1951) and Ullr Uprising (1952), and The Cosmic Computer appears among the 40 listed books.

C.S. Lewis

59 books• 9 series

C.S. Lewis wrote fantasy fiction and Christian apologetics, and the two meet in Narnia. Spirits in Bondage (1919) opens a catalogue of 59 books that holds the Chronicles of Narnia, the Cosmic Trilogy beginning with Out of the Silent Planet (1938), The Screwtape Letters (1942) and Mere Christianity (1943). The 1950s carry the largest share of the list, and catalogued editions run to 2022.

Kevin J. Anderson

182 books• 44 series

Kevin J. Anderson is an American science fiction author, born March 27, 1962. Tie-in work covers Star Wars, StarCraft, Titan A.E. and The X-Files, including comics such as Tales of the Jedi with Tom Veitch. Original series include the Saga of Seven Suns, Saga of Shadows, Terra Incognita, Gamearth and Dan Shamble, Zombie PI, and Assemblers of Infinity was nominated for a Nebula Award. Rebecca Moesta shares credit on 9 catalogued books. The catalogue lists 182 books from Resurrection, Inc. (1984) to Sleep With the Fishes (2026).

Iain M. Banks

32 books• 3 series

Iain M. Banks (16 February 1954 – 9 June 2013), born Iain Menzies Banks, was a Scottish author who published mainstream fiction as Iain Banks and science fiction as Iain M. Banks. The Wasp Factory (1984), the debut novel, has sold over a million copies in 80 languages, allowed Banks to write full time, and was ranked second-best Scottish novel of all time in a 2016 BBC Scotland poll. The Times placed Banks on its 2008 list of the 50 greatest British writers since 1945. The catalogue of 32 books includes the Culture novels Consider Phlebas (1987), The Player of Games (1988) and Use of Weapons (1990), as well as The Crow Road (1992), and ends with The Culture: The Drawings (2023).

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.

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.

Gena Showalter is an American novelist, born in Oklahoma in 1975, who writes contemporary romance, paranormal romance and young adult fiction. Showalter sold a first book at age 27 and has reached the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists. The catalogue lists 116 books from The Stone Prince (2004) to The Kraken Bride (2026). Lords of the Underworld, Alien Huntress, Angels of the Dark and the White Rabbit Chronicles are among the linked series, and vampires and demonology recur in the subject headings.

Andre Norton (born Alice Mary Norton, February 17, 1912 to March 17, 2005) was an American writer of science fiction and fantasy who also produced historical and contemporary fiction, and used the names Andrew North and Allen Weston as well. Norton was the first woman named Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy and SFWA Grand Master, and the first inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. The catalogue carries 209 books from The Prince Commands (1934) onward. Witch World, Solar Queen, Time Traders, Beast Master and Forerunner are series.

Epic fantasy is Ryan Cahill's territory. Nine books are catalogued, from The Fall (2020) to The Truth (2026), taking in Of Blood and Fire (2021), Of Darkness and Light (2021), Of War and Ruin (2023) and Of Empires and Dust (2025). Bound and the Broken is the series Cahill is listed under. Dragons in fiction, epic fantasy and fantasy literature carry the subject tags, and the sequence is ongoing.

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.

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.

Alan Burt Akers is one of the pen names of Henry Kenneth Bulmer, a British writer working mainly in science fiction. The name carries the Dray Prescot books, a science fantasy sequence whose titles are built on the names Scorpio, Antares and Kregen: Transit to Scorpio (1972), The Suns of Scorpio (1973), Arena of Antares (1974) and on to Turmoil on Kregen (2014). The listing holds 55 books at a median of 200 pages.

Rhyannon Byrd is the pen name Tabitha Byrd publishes paranormal romance under. Werewolves, vampires, shapeshifting and psychics run through the work, which favours intense alpha male heroes. The catalogue lists 40 books from A Bite of Magick and A Shot of Magick (2004) to New York Scandal (2021), at a median of 288 pages. Series include Primal Instinct, the BloodRunners books, McKendrick Warlocks, Surf, Sun & Sex, London Affair and Santos Brothers. No new title has appeared since 2021.

Andy Weir

18 books• 6 series

Andy Weir is an American novelist born on June 16, 1972. The Martian became a 2015 film, and Project Hail Mary (2021) was a finalist for the 2022 Hugo Award for Best Novel before its own 2026 film adaptation. Weir won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in 2016. The catalogue lists 18 items, short stories among them, from Access (2010) to Project Hail Mary. Subjects are science fiction, including hard science fiction, with astronauts, survival and smuggling among the tagged themes.

Heather Graham is the name under which Heather Graham Pozzessere, an American writer born on 15 March 1953, publishes mainly romance fiction; Shannon Drake is a further pen name. Graham's work has been published in about 25 languages, with more than 75 million copies printed. The catalogue records 311 books from Tender Taming (1983) to Destiny Rising (2026). Krewe of Hunters, Harrison Investigation, Cafferty & Quinn, Alliance Vampires, Keepers: L.A., New York Confidential and Finnegan Connection are among the Graham series. Subjects span historical, paranormal, contemporary and suspense romance.

H.G. Wells

152 books• 8 series

H.G. Wells, born Herbert George Wells (21 September 1866 – 13 August 1946), was an English writer of more than forty novels and dozens of short stories. Science fiction novels are the work Wells is most known for today, and Wells shares the title of father of science fiction with Jules Verne and Hugo Gernsback. The non-fiction covers social commentary, politics, history, popular science, satire, biography and autobiography. The catalogue opens with The Chronic Argonauts (1888) and includes The Time Machine (1895), The Wonderful Visit (1895) and The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896). Utopias, civilization and philosophy appear among the subjects.

Greg Bear

52 books• 12 series

American science fiction writer Greg Bear was born on August 20, 1951 and died on November 19, 2022. Conflict, consciousness and accelerated evolution run through the work. Two novels, The Forge of God and Anvil of Stars, established Bear's reputation, and Moving Mars won a Nebula Award. Series include Eon, Queen of Angels, Songs of Earth and Power, Darwin's Radio and Halo: The Forerunner Saga. The 52 catalogued books begin with Psychlone (1979) and close with The Unfinished Land.

Scott Westerfeld

42 books• 18 series

Scott David Westerfeld, born May 5, 1963, is an American young adult writer known for the Uglies and Leviathan series. Other series include Midnighters, Peeps, Impostors, Zeroes and Spill Zone. The 42 catalogued books include Polymorph (1997), Fine Prey (1998), Evolution's Darling (2000) and The Risen Empire (2003). Subjects include science fiction, personal beauty, brainwashing and teenage girls. The Mortons (2026) is the newest title.

Harry Harrison

93 books• 15 series

Harry Harrison, born Henry Maxwell Dempsey (March 12, 1925 to August 15, 2012), was an American science fiction author. The Stainless Steel Rat is the character most tied to Harrison, and the 1966 novel Make Room! Make Room! loosely inspired the film Soylent Green (1973). Harrison lived in Ireland and the United Kingdom, helped found the Irish Science Fiction Association and co-presided over the Birmingham Science Fiction Group with Brian Aldiss. Deathworld (1960), Bill, The Galactic Hero, To The Stars and Hammer and The Cross are among the catalogued works.

Rachel Vincent writes paranormal fantasy; the recorded subjects include children's fiction, teenage girls, banshees, psychic ability, high school students, mythical animals and death. Forty-two books are catalogued from Stray (2007) to The Alchemary (2026). Shifters, Soul Screamers, Wildcats, the Stars Never Rise duology, 100 Hours, Brave New Girl, Broken Legacy and the Alchemy Trials are the series listed, and Shifters and Soul Screamers also stand as recurring character groupings.

Jack Vance

116 books• 14 series

Jack Vance, born John Holbrook Vance (1916–2013), was an American author of fantasy, science fiction and mysteries, some of the mysteries appearing under pen names including Ellery Queen. Honours include the 1984 World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement, Grand Master status from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America in 1997, and induction into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2001. The catalogue lists 116 books, among them the Dying Earth, Demon Princes, Tschai, Alastor and Cadwal Chronicles series, plus The Languages of Pao (1957).

John Wyndham is the pen name used for the best-known work of John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris (10 July 1903 to 11 March 1969), an English science fiction writer who also published as John Beynon and Lucas Parkes. The Day of the Triffids (1951) and The Midwich Cuckoos (1957) head the list of Wyndham's best-known books, and The Midwich Cuckoos reached the screen twice as Village of the Damned. Some Wyndham stories take place in post-apocalyptic landscapes. The catalogue lists 28 books from Foul Play Suspected (1935) to Logical Fantasy: The Many Worlds of John Wyndham (2024), including The Kraken Wakes (1953) and The Seeds of Time (1956).

Lester del Rey was the main pseudonym of Leonard Knapp (1915-1993), an American science fiction author and editor who wrote many books for the juvenile Winston Science Fiction series. His 45 catalogued titles open with the collection ...And Some Were Human (1948) and take in Marooned on Mars (1952), Rocket Jockey (1952), Attack from Atlantis (1953) and Battle on Mercury (1953, as Eric van Lhin). Space ships, space colonies, time travel and magic supply the subjects. Del Rey also worked as fantasy editor at Del Rey Books, the Ballantine imprint run by his fourth wife Judy-Lynn del Rey.

George R. R. Martin and various others is the shared credit on the Wild Cards books, a science fiction anthology run about superheroes. Wild Cards (1986) is the first volume, followed by Aces High and Jokers Wild in 1987. The catalogue holds 26 books over nearly four decades, with card-game titles such as Down and Dirty, Dead Man's Hand, Jokertown Shuffle and Deuces Down. New York City is a setting, and House Rules (2025) is the newest volume.