Malazan Reading Order: Beginners, Reread & Chronological Guide

By T.L. BransonFantasy

Figuring out the best Malazan reading order can feel intimidating before you even open Gardens of the Moon. Steven Erikson and Ian C. Esslemont built a huge fantasy world with empires, gods, armies, ancient races, strange magic, and a timeline that does not always move in a straight line.

Malazan Book of the Fallen has a reputation for being brilliant, dense, and a little overwhelming. That reputation is fair. It is also part of what makes the series so rewarding once the pieces begin to click.

Below, I’ve broken the books down by the order I’d use for a first read, full publication order, chronological order for rereads, and optional side stories.

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Best Malazan Reading Order for First-Time Readers

For a first read, the simplest option is to read the books by series in the order below. Chronological order works better for rereads, after you already know the world and its major reveals.

Malazan Book of the Fallen Books in Order

This is Steven Erikson’s main series and the best place to start.

  1. Gardens of the Moon (1999)
  2. Deadhouse Gates (2000)
  3. Memories of Ice (2001)
  4. House of Chains (2002)
  5. Midnight Tides (2004)
  6. The Bonehunters (2006)
  7. Reaper’s Gale (2007)
  8. Toll the Hounds (2008)
  9. Dust of Dreams (2009)
  10. The Crippled God (2011)

Novels of the Malazan Empire Books in Order

Ian C. Esslemont’s novels share the same world and fill in major events outside Erikson’s main sequence.

  1. Night of Knives (2004)
  2. Return of the Crimson Guard (2008)
  3. Stonewielder (2010)
  4. Orb Sceptre Throne (2012)
  5. Blood and Bone (2012)
  6. Assail (2014)

Kharkanas Trilogy Books in Order

The Kharkanas books are deep prequels. I’d save them until after the main series.

  1. Forge of Darkness (2012)
  2. Fall of Light (2016)
  3. Walk in Shadow (TBA)

Path to Ascendancy Books in Order

Ian C. Esslemont’s Path to Ascendancy books go back to the early history of the Malazan Empire.

  1. Dancer’s Lament (2016)
  2. Deadhouse Landing (2017)
  3. Kellanved’s Reach (2019)
  4. Forge of the High Mage (2024)
  5. The Last Champion (TBA)
  6. Untitled sixth Path to Ascendancy book (TBA)

The Tales of Witness Books in Order

The Tales of Witness are sequel-era Malazan books. This series was once commonly discussed as the Witness Trilogy, but the current lineup is broader than that.

  1. The God Is Not Willing (2021)
  2. No Life Forsaken (2025)
  3. Legacies of Betrayal (2026)
  4. The Last God (TBA)

Bauchelain and Korbal Broach Novellas in Order

These are shorter side stories from Steven Erikson. They’re connected to the Malazan world, but they aren’t required reading for the main series.

  1. Blood Follows (2002)
  2. The Healthy Dead (2004)
  3. The Lees of Laughter’s End (2007)
  4. Crack’d Pot Trail (2009)
  5. The Wurms of Blearmouth (2012)
  6. The Fiends of Nightmaria (2016)
  7. Upon a Dark of Evil Overlords (2020)

Complete Malazan Publication Order

This list mixes the Malazan books together by publication year. It’s helpful for seeing how the world grew across Erikson and Esslemont’s books. This is how millions of readers explored the Malazan series for the first time.

  1. Gardens of the Moon (1999)
  2. Deadhouse Gates (2000)
  3. Memories of Ice (2001)
  4. Blood Follows (2002)
  5. House of Chains (2002)
  6. Midnight Tides (2004)
  7. Night of Knives (2004)
  8. The Healthy Dead (2004)
  9. The Bonehunters (2006)
  10. Reaper’s Gale (2007)
  11. The Lees of Laughter’s End (2007)
  12. Return of the Crimson Guard (2008)
  13. Toll the Hounds (2008)
  14. Crack’d Pot Trail (2009)
  15. Dust of Dreams (2009)
  16. Stonewielder (2010)
  17. Goats of Glory (2010), in Swords & Dark Magic
  18. The Crippled God (2011)
  19. Forge of Darkness (2012)
  20. Orb Sceptre Throne (2012)
  21. The Wurms of Blearmouth (2012)
  22. Blood and Bone (2012)
  23. Assail (2014)
  24. Dancer’s Lament (2016)
  25. Fall of Light (2016)
  26. The Fiends of Nightmaria (2016)
  27. Deadhouse Landing (2017)
  28. Kellanved’s Reach (2019)
  29. Upon a Dark of Evil Overlords (2020)
  30. The God Is Not Willing (2021)
  31. Forge of the High Mage (2024)
  32. No Life Forsaken (2025)
  33. Legacies of Betrayal (2026)

Malazan Chronological Order for Rereads

The Malazan chronology can get pretty messy. Some books overlap. Some jump across continents. Some prequels were written with later knowledge in mind. I’d only use this order after you’ve read the main series once.

For a reread, this is a reasonable broad chronological order:

  1. Forge of Darkness
  2. Fall of Light
  3. Walk in Shadow (TBA)
  4. Dancer’s Lament
  5. Deadhouse Landing
  6. Kellanved’s Reach
  7. Forge of the High Mage
  8. The Last Champion (TBA)
  9. Untitled sixth Path to Ascendancy book (TBA)
  10. Night of Knives
  11. Midnight Tides (around the same broad period as Gardens of the Moon)
  12. Gardens of the Moon
  13. Deadhouse Gates
  14. Blood Follows (novella)
  15. The Lees of Laughter’s End (novella)
  16. The Wurms of Blearmouth (novella)
  17. Memories of Ice
  18. House of Chains
  19. The Healthy Dead (novella)
  20. The Bonehunters
  21. Reaper’s Gale
  22. Crack’d Pot Trail (novella)
  23. The Fiends of Nightmaria (novella)
  24. Upon a Dark of Evil Overlords (novella)
  25. Return of the Crimson Guard
  26. Toll the Hounds
  27. Stonewielder
  28. Goats of Glory, in Swords & Dark Magic
  29. Dust of Dreams
  30. Orb Sceptre Throne
  31. The Crippled God
  32. Blood and Bone
  33. Assail
  34. The God Is Not Willing
  35. No Life Forsaken
  36. Legacies of Betrayal
  37. The Last God (TBA)

Malazan Short Stories and Optional Reads

The short story material is optional, but it’s worth knowing about if you’re trying to read every Malazan-related work.

  1. Goats of Glory (short story), published in Swords & Dark Magic
  2. The Bauchelain and Korbal Broach novellas

What Is Malazan About?

Malazan refers to the empire at the heart of the series, but the books spread far beyond one empire. The story moves across continents, armies, gods, soldiers, mages, ancient races, and ordinary people caught inside conflicts much bigger than themselves.

At its core, Malazan is epic fantasy about empire, war, power, history, compassion, and the cost of survival. The series has a huge cast, and the early books do not explain everything right away. That is part of the challenge. It’s also part of the appeal.

The main series can feel hard to enter because Gardens of the Moon drops you into the world without much hand-holding. It is still the right entry point. Once the pieces begin to connect, the series becomes much easier to trust.

Steven Erikson began the main series, while Ian C. Esslemont wrote major companion novels and prequels in the same world. Both authors matter for the full Malazan experience.

Looking for more books in order?

For more fantasy authors and reading-order guides like this one, start with my Fantasy Books in Order index.

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