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Reading order

Darkover Books in Order

This page lists the complete Darkover reading order by Marion Zimmer Bradley, with book numbers, publication years, and a publication-order view for readers who want to start at the beginning.

Updated 2026-06-22 / 36 books / 1962-2024

Darkover Reading Order

01 Different Kind of Courage(By: Mercedes Lackey) 1985 Buy
01 The Planet Savers(By: Elisabeth Waters) 1962 Buy
02 The Sword of Aldones 1962 Buy
02 Set a Thief(By: Mercedes Lackey) 1991 Buy
03 Rediscovery(With: Mercedes Lackey) 1993 Buy
03 The Bloody Sun 1964 Buy
04 Poetic License(By: Mercedes Lackey) 1994 Buy
04 Star of Danger 1965 Buy
05 The Winds of Darkover 1970 Buy
05 An Object Lesson(By: Mercedes Lackey) 2010 Buy
06 The World Wreckers 1971 Buy
07 Darkover Landfall 1972 Buy
08 The Spell Sword 1974 Buy
09 The Heritage of Hastur 1975 Buy
10 The Shattered Chain 1976 Buy
11 The Forbidden Tower 1977 Buy
12 Stormqueen! 1978 Buy
13 Two to Conquer 1980 Buy
14 Sharra's Exile 1981 Buy
15 Hawkmistress! 1982 Buy
16 Thendara House 1983 Buy
17 City of Sorcery 1984 Buy
18 The Heirs of Hammerfell 1989 Buy
20 Exile's Song 1996 Buy
21 The Shadow Matrix 1997 Buy
22 Traitor's Sun 1999 Buy
23 Zandru's Forge(With: Deborah J. Ross) 2003 Buy
24 A Flame in Hali(With: Deborah J. Ross) 2004 Buy
25 The Alton Gift(With: Deborah J. Ross) 2007 Buy
26 Hastur Lord(With: Deborah J. Ross) 2010 Buy
27 Death of Brendan Ensolare(By: Deborah Wheeler) 2011 Buy
28 The Children of Kings(With: Deborah J. Ross) 2013 Buy
29 Thunderlord(With: Deborah J. Ross) 2016 Buy
30 Ski the Hellers(By: Elisabeth Waters) 2020 Buy
31 The Laran Gambit(With: Deborah J. Ross) 2022 Buy
32 Arilinn(With: Deborah J. Ross) 2024 Buy

Darkover Books by Publication Order

1962 The Planet Savers(By: Elisabeth Waters) #1
1962 The Sword of Aldones #2
1964 The Bloody Sun #3
1965 Star of Danger #4
1970 The Winds of Darkover #5
1971 The World Wreckers #6
1972 Darkover Landfall #7
1974 The Spell Sword #8
1975 The Heritage of Hastur #9
1976 The Shattered Chain #10
1977 The Forbidden Tower #11
1978 Stormqueen! #12
1980 Two to Conquer #13
1981 Sharra's Exile #14
1982 Hawkmistress! #15
1983 Thendara House #16
1984 City of Sorcery #17
1985 Different Kind of Courage(By: Mercedes Lackey) #1
1989 The Heirs of Hammerfell #18
1991 Set a Thief(By: Mercedes Lackey) #2
1993 Rediscovery(With: Mercedes Lackey) #3
1994 Poetic License(By: Mercedes Lackey) #4
1996 Exile's Song #20
1997 The Shadow Matrix #21
1999 Traitor's Sun #22
2003 Zandru's Forge(With: Deborah J. Ross) #23
2004 A Flame in Hali(With: Deborah J. Ross) #24
2007 The Alton Gift(With: Deborah J. Ross) #25
2010 An Object Lesson(By: Mercedes Lackey) #5
2010 Hastur Lord(With: Deborah J. Ross) #26
2011 Death of Brendan Ensolare(By: Deborah Wheeler) #27
2013 The Children of Kings(With: Deborah J. Ross) #28
2016 Thunderlord(With: Deborah J. Ross) #29
2020 Ski the Hellers(By: Elisabeth Waters) #30
2022 The Laran Gambit(With: Deborah J. Ross) #31
2024 Arilinn(With: Deborah J. Ross) #32

Questions readers ask

What is the correct Darkover reading order?

The Darkover reading order on this page follows the numbered series order where available, with publication years shown beside each book.

How many Darkover books are there?

This catalog currently lists 36 Darkover books published across 1962-2024.

Who writes the Darkover books?

Darkover is listed as a book series by Marion Zimmer Bradley.

Should I read Darkover in publication order?

For most readers, publication order is the safest way to read Darkover. If a separate series order is available, this page shows that order first and publication years beside each title.

More by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Marion Zimmer Bradley books in order and complete bibliography ->

Source note: Sequencebooks organizes author, book, and series records from its catalog data. Publication years and series order are shown when available.