Reading Order List โ€” Book Series Reading Order Guide

John Birmingham Reading Order

15 series ยท 154 books

John Birmingham is a prolific British-born Australian writer celebrated for his contributions to military science fiction and speculative narratives. He has penned an impressive 154 novels across 15 series, including noteworthy titles such as the Axis of Time trilogy and A Girl in Time. Active from 1992 to 2026, Birmingham's work blends engaging storytelling with imaginative concepts, making him a standout figure in contemporary fiction.

A Girl in Time Series

Complete

2 books (2016โ€“2018)

Start with A Girl in Time and read in order.

#Title
1
Cover of A Girl in Time
A Girl in Time
2
The Golden Minute

Anthologies Series

Ongoing

8 books (1992โ€“2024)

Start with The Henfield Prize Stories, the first of 8 books in the Anthologies series.

#Title
1
Cover of The Henfield Prize Stories
The Henfield Prize Stories
2
Cover of Adventures in Pop Culture
Adventures in Pop Culture
3
Cover of Contemporary Australia: Optimism
Contemporary Australia: Optimism
4
Cover of Legends of Australian Fantasy
Legends of Australian Fantasy
5
Cover of 10 Short Stories You Must Read in 2011
10 Short Stories You Must Read in 2011
6
Cover of The Best Australian Essays: A Ten-Year Collection
The Best Australian Essays: A Ten-Year Collection
7
Cover of Defending Australia
Defending Australia
8
Cover of The Time Machine
The Time Machine

Axis Of Time Series

Complete

3 books (2004โ€“2006)

Start with Weapons of Choice and read in order.

#Title
1
Cover of Weapons of Choice
Weapons of Choice
2
Cover of Designated Targets
Designated Targets
3
Final Impact

Axis Of Time: Stalin's Hammer Series

Complete

3 books (2012โ€“2016)

Start with Rome and read in order.

Axis of Time: Reloaded Series

Ongoing

3 books (2023โ€“2026)

Start with World War 3.1 and read in order.

#Title
1
World War 3.1
2
World War 3.2: The Axis of Time
3
World War 3.3

Dave vs. The Monsters Series

Complete

6 books (2014โ€“2017)

Start with Emergence, the first of 6 books in the Dave vs. The Monsters series.

#Title
1
2
3
4
A Protocol for Monsters
5
Soul Full of Guns
6
The Demons of Butte Crack County

End of Days Series

Likely Complete

3 books (2021โ€“2022)

Start with Fail State and read in order.

#Title
1
2
Zero Day Code
3
American Kill Switch

Non-Fiction Series

Complete

9 books (1994โ€“2019)

Start with He Died with a Felafel in His Hand, the first of 9 books in the Non-Fiction series.

#Title
1
Cover of He Died with a Felafel in His Hand
He Died with a Felafel in His Hand
2
Cover of How to be a Man
How to be a Man
3
Cover of Leviathan: The Unauthorised Biography of Sydney
Leviathan: The Unauthorised Biography of Sydney
4
Off One's Tits: Ill-Considered Rants And Raves from a Graceless Oaf Named John Birmingham
5
Cover of Dopeland; Taking The High Road Through Australia's Marijuana Culture
Dopeland; Taking The High Road Through Australia's Marijuana Culture
6
Cover of How to Be a Writer
How to Be a Writer
7
Stranger Thingies: From Felafel to Now
8
The Seven Stages of Drinking Martinis.
9

Quarterly Essay Series

Ongoing

99 books (2001โ€“2026)

Start with Appeasing Jakarta, the first of 99 books in the Quarterly Essay series.

#Title
1
Appeasing Jakarta
2
In Denial(By: Robert Manne)
3
Rabbit Syndrome(By: Don Watson)
4
The Opportunist(By: Guy Rundle)
5
Beyond Belief(By: John Button)
6
Girt By Sea(By: Mungo MacCallum)
7
Groundswell(By: Amanda Lohrey)
8
Paradise Betrayed(By: John Martinkus)
9
Bad Company(By: Gideon Haigh)
10
Beautiful Lies(By: Tim Flannery)
11
Made in England(By: David Malouf)
12
Whitefella Jump Up(By: Germaine Greer)
13
Breach of Trust(By: Raimond Gaita)
14
Latham's World(By: Margaret Simons)
15
Mission Impossible(By: Paul McGeough)
16
Sending Them Home(By: Robert Manne,David Corlett)
17
A Time for War
18
Kangaroo Court(By: John Hirst)
19
Relaxed and Comfortable(By: Judith Brett)
20
The Worried Well(By: Gail Bell)
21
The History Question(By: Inga Clendinnen)
22
Voting for Jesus(By: Amanda Lohrey)
23
What's Left?(By: Clive Hamilton)
24
Bipolar Nation(By: Peter Hartcher)
25
Exit Right(By: Ian Lowe)
26
His Master's Voice(By: David Marr)
27
Reaction Time(By: Ian Lowe)
28
American Revolution(By: Kate Jennings)
29
Last Drinks(By: Paul Toohey)
30
Love & Money(By: Anne Manne)
31
Now or Never(By: Tim Flannery)
32
Australian Story(By: Mungo MacCallum)
33
Quarry Vision(By: Guy Pearse)
34
Radical Hope(By: Noel Pearson)
35
Power Shift(By: HughWhite)
36
Power Trip(By: David Marr)
37
Trivial Pursuit(By: George Megalogenis)
38
What's Right?(By: Waleed Aly)
39
Bad News(By: Robert Manne)
40
Fair Share(By: Judith Brett)
41
Man-Made World(By: Andrew Charlton)
42
The Happy Life(By: David Malouf)
43
After The Future(By: Tim Flannery)
44
Us and Them(By: Anna Krien)
45
Found in Translation(By: Linda Jaivin)
46
Great Expectations(By: Laura Tingle)
47
Not Dead Yet(By: Mark Latham)
48
The Prince(By: David Marr)
49
Unfinished Business(By: Anna Goldsworthy)
50
A Rightful Place(By: Noel Pearson)
51
Clivosaurus(By: Guy Rundle)
52
Dragon's Tail(By: Andrew Charlton)
53
That Sinking Feeling(By: Paul Toohey)
54
Blood Year(By: David Kilcullen)
55
Dear Life(By: Karen Hitchcock)
56
Faction Man(By: David Marr)
57
Political Amnesia(By: Laura Tingle)
58
Balancing Act(By: George Megalogenis)
59
Enemy Within(By: Don Watson)
60
Firing Line(By: James Brown)
61
Stop at Nothing(By: Annabel Crabb)
62
The Australian Dream(By: Stan Grant)
63
Moral Panic 101(By: Benjamin Law)
64
The Long Goodbye(By: Anna Krien)
65
The White Queen(By: David Marr)
66
Without America(By: HughWhite)
67
Dead Right(By: Richard Denniss)
68
Follow the Leader(By: Laura Tingle)
69
Moment of Truth(By: Mark McKenna)
70
Net Loss(By: Sebastian Smee)
71
Australia Fair(By: Rebecca Huntley)
72
Men at Work(By: Annabel Crabb)
73
Red Flag(By: Peter Hartcher)
74
The Prosperity Gospel(By: Erik Jensen)
75
Cry Me a River(By: Margaret Simons)
76
The Coal Curse(By: Judith Brett)
77
The End of Certainty(By: Katharine Murphy)
78
The High Road(By: Laura Tingle)
79
Exit Strategy(By: George Megalogenis)
80
Getting to Zero(By: Colin James,Frank Bongiorno,Shireen Morris,John Quiggin,AndrewLeigh,Laura Tingle,Alan Finkel,AlanAtkinson,Bain Attwood,Tim Hazledine,MirandaJohnson,Ben McKay,Hugh Riminton,DonRussell)
81
The Reckoning(By: Jess Hill)
82
Top Blokes(By: Lech Blaine)
83
Lone Wolf(By: Katharine Murphy)
84
Not Waving, Drowning(By: Sarah Krasnostein)
85
Sleepwalk to War(By: HughWhite)
86
Uncivil Wars(By: Waleed Aly,ScottStephens)
87
Lifeboat(By: Micheline Lee)
88
The Great Divide(By: Alan Kohler)
89
The Wires That Bind(By: Saul Griffith)
90
Voice of Reason(By: MeganDavis)
91
Bad Cop(By: Stephen Smith)
92
High Noon(By: Don Watson)
93
Highway to Hell(By: Joรซlle Gergis)
94
Minority Report(By: George Megalogenis)
95
Hard New World(By: HughWhite)
96
Losing It(By: Jess Hill)
97
The Good Fight(By: Sean Kelly)
98
Woodside vs the Planet(By: Marian Wilkinson)
99
On Australia and Asia(By: Michael Wesley)

Short Blacks Series

Complete

5 books (2001โ€“2015)

Start with Regions of Thick-Ribbed Ice(By: Helen Garner), the first of 5 books in the Short Blacks series.

#Title
1
Regions of Thick-Ribbed Ice(By: Helen Garner)
2
Cover of Cypherpunk Revolutionary: On Julian Assange(By: Robert Manne)
Cypherpunk Revolutionary: On Julian Assange(By: Robert Manne)
3
Prosper: A Voyage at Sea(By: Simon Leys)
4
Cover of The Brave Ones
The Brave Ones
5
The One Day(By: David Malouf)

Short Stories/Novellas Series

Complete

3 books (2008โ€“2018)

Start with Here Be Monsters and read in order.

#Title
1
Here Be Monsters
2
A Captain of the Gate
3
Fortune and Glory

Sleeper Agent Series

Ongoing

2 books (2021โ€“2024)

Start with Sleeper Agent and read in order.

#Title
1
Sleeper Agent
2

Standalone Novels Series

Complete

1 book (1996โ€“1996)

#Title
1
Cover of The Tasmanian Babes Fiasco
The Tasmanian Babes Fiasco

The Cruel Stars Series

Ongoing

4 books (2019โ€“2024)

Start with The Cruel Stars, the first of 4 books in the The Cruel Stars series.

#Title
1
Cover of The Cruel Stars
The Cruel Stars
2
Cover of The Shattered Skies
The Shattered Skies
3
Cover of The Forever Dead
The Forever Dead
4
The Javan War(With: Jason Lambright)

The Disappearance Series

Complete

3 books (2009โ€“2012)

Start with Without Warning and read in order.

#Title
1
Cover of Without Warning
Without Warning
2
Cover of After America
After America
3
Cover of Angels Of Vengeance
Angels Of Vengeance

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has John Birmingham written?
John Birmingham has written 154 books across 15 series. Their published works span from 1992 to 2026.
What is the first book in each John Birmingham series?
Here are the first books in John Birmingham's series: A Girl in Time: A Girl in Time; Anthologies: The Henfield Prize Stories; Axis Of Time: Weapons of Choice; Axis Of Time: Stalin's Hammer: Rome; Axis of Time: Reloaded: World War 3.1.
What order should I read John Birmingham's books?
We recommend reading John Birmingham's series in publication order. Each series can be read independently.
Is John Birmingham still writing new books?
Yes, John Birmingham has 5 ongoing series: Anthologies, Axis of Time: Reloaded, Quarterly Essay, Sleeper Agent, The Cruel Stars.

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