Reading Order List โ€” Book Series Reading Order Guide
John Scalzi

John Scalzi Reading Order

19 series ยท 112 books ยท Born 10 May 1969

John Scalzi is a prominent American science fiction writer renowned for his engaging storytelling and sharp wit. Over his career, which spans from 1962 to 2026, he has published an impressive 112 books across 19 series, including his acclaimed works like Old Man's War and The Interdependency. Scalzi's contributions to the genre, along with his influential blog, have earned him a dedicated following and a reputation as a leading voice in speculative fiction.

Anthologies Series

Ongoing

9 books (2007โ€“2025)

Start with Space Opera, the first of 9 books in the Anthologies series.

#Title
1
2
3
Tor.com: Selected Original Fiction, 2008-2012
4
5
Some of the Best from Tor.com, 2014 Edition
6
Robots vs. Fairies
7
Cover of Love, Death and Robots: The Official Anthology: Volume One
Love, Death and Robots: The Official Anthology: Volume One
8
Cover of Love, Death + Robots: The Official Anthology: Volumes 2 & 3
Love, Death + Robots: The Official Anthology: Volumes 2 & 3
9
Love, Death and Robots: The Official Anthology: Volume Four

End of All Things Series

Complete

4 books (2015โ€“2015)

Start with Can Long Endure, the first of 4 books in the End of All Things series.

#Title
1
Can Long Endure
2
The Life of the Mind
3
This Hollow Union
4
To Stand or Fall

Far Reaches Collection Series

Likely Complete

6 books (2023โ€“2023)

Start with Falling Bodies(By: Rebecca Roanhorse), the first of 6 books in the Far Reaches Collection series.

#Title
1
Falling Bodies(By: Rebecca Roanhorse)
2
How It Unfolds(By: James S.A. Corey)
3
Just Out of Jupiter's Reach(By: Nnedi Okorafor)
4
Slow Time Between the Stars
5
The Long Game(By: Ann Leckie)
6
Void(By: Veronica Roth)

Fuzzy Sapiens Series

Likely Complete

11 books (1962โ€“2022)

Start with Little Fuzzy(By: H. Beam Piper), the first of 11 books in the Fuzzy Sapiens series.

#Title
1
Cover of Little Fuzzy(By: H. Beam Piper)
Little Fuzzy(By: H. Beam Piper)
2
Fuzzy Sapiens / The Other Human Race(By: H. Beam Piper)
3
Cover of Fuzzy Bones(By: William Tuning)
Fuzzy Bones(By: William Tuning)
4
Cover of Golden Dream(By: Ardath Mayhar)
Golden Dream(By: Ardath Mayhar)
5
Cover of The Adventures of Little Fuzzy(By: H. Beam Piper)
The Adventures of Little Fuzzy(By: H. Beam Piper)
6
Cover of Fuzzies and Other People(By: H. Beam Piper)
Fuzzies and Other People(By: H. Beam Piper)
7
Fuzzy Ergo Sum(By: Wolfgang Diehr)
8
Fuzzy Nation
9
Caveat Fuzzy(By: Wolfgang Diehr)
10
Cover of The Fuzzy Conundrum(By: John F. Carr,Wolfgang Diehr)
The Fuzzy Conundrum(By: John F. Carr,Wolfgang Diehr)
11
Fuzzy Logic(By: Wolfgang Diehr)

Human Division Series

Complete

13 books (2013โ€“2013)

Start with A Problem of Proportion, the first of 13 books in the Human Division series.

#Title
1
A Problem of Proportion
2
Cover of A Voice in the Wilderness
A Voice in the Wilderness
3
Earth Below, Sky Above
4
Tales From the Clarke
5
6
The Back Channel
7
The Dog King
8
The Gentle Art of Cracking Heads
9
Cover of The Observers
The Observers
10
The Sound of Rebellion
11
This Must Be the Place
12
Cover of Walk the Plank
Walk the Plank
13
We Only Need the Heads

Lock In Series

Complete

3 books (2014โ€“2018)

Start with Lock In and read in order.

METAtropolis Series

Complete

8 books (2008โ€“2016)

Start with METAtropolis(With: Jay Lake,Elizabeth Bear,Tobias Buckell,Karl Schroeder), the first of 8 books in the METAtropolis series.

#Title
1
METAtropolis(With: Jay Lake,Elizabeth Bear,Tobias Buckell,Karl Schroeder)
2
Cascadia(By: Ken Scholes)
3
Green Space(By: Jay Lake)
4
A Symmetry of Serpents and Doves(By: Ken Scholes)
5
Byways(By: Tobias Buckell)
6
Cover of The Wings We Dare Aspire(By: Ken Scholes)
The Wings We Dare Aspire(By: Ken Scholes)
7
Stochasticity(By: Tobias Buckell)
8
Tensegrity(By: Tobias Buckell)

Non-Fiction Series

Complete

8 books (2000โ€“2017)

Start with Rough Guide to Money Online, the first of 8 books in the Non-Fiction series.

#Title
1
Rough Guide to Money Online
2
Cover of The Rough Guide to the Universe
The Rough Guide to the Universe
3
Cover of Uncle John's Presents: The Book of the Dumb
Uncle John's Presents: The Book of the Dumb
4
Cover of Uncle John's Presents Book of the Dumb 2
Uncle John's Presents Book of the Dumb 2
5
Cover of The Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies
The Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies
6
Cover of You're Not Fooling Anyone When You Take Your Laptop to a Coffee Shop: Scalzi On Writing
You're Not Fooling Anyone When You Take Your Laptop to a Coffee Shop: Scalzi On Writing
7
Cover of 24 Frames into the Future
24 Frames into the Future
8
Don't Live For Your Obituary

Old Man's War Series

Ongoing

7 books (2005โ€“2025)

Start with Old Man's War, the first of 7 books in the Old Man's War series.

#Title
1
Cover of Old Man's War
Old Man's War
2
Cover of The Ghost Brigades
The Ghost Brigades
3
Cover of The Last Colony
The Last Colony
4
5
Cover of The Human Division
The Human Division
6
Cover of The End of All Things
The End of All Things
7
The Shattering Peace

Old Man's War Short Stories/Novellas Series

Complete

3 books (2005โ€“2008)

Start with Questions for a Soldier and read in order.

#Title
1
Questions for a Soldier
2
Cover of The Sagan Diary
The Sagan Diary
3
After the Coup

Shadow War Of The Night Dragons Short Stories/Novellas Series

Complete

1 book (2011โ€“2011)

#Title
1
The Dead City

Short Stories/Novellas Series

Ongoing

11 books (2006โ€“2024)

Start with How I Proposed to My Wife: An Alien Sex Story, the first of 11 books in the Short Stories/Novellas series.

#Title
1
How I Proposed to My Wife: An Alien Sex Story
2
3
The Tale of the Wicked
4
5
The President's Brain is Missing
6
When the Yogurt Took Over
7
Dave and Liz and Chicago Save the World
8
Muse of Fire
9
Everything but the Squeal
10
Automated Customer Service
11
Constituent Service

Short Story Collections Series

Complete

1 book (2016โ€“2016)

#Title
1

Standalone Novels Series

Ongoing

10 books (2004โ€“2026)

Start with Agent to the Stars, the first of 10 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#Title
1
Cover of Agent to the Stars
Agent to the Stars
2
Cover of The God Engines
The God Engines
3
The Dead City
4
5
Virtue Signaling and Other Heresies
6
Cover of A Very Scalzi Christmas
A Very Scalzi Christmas
7
Cover of The Kaiju Preservation Society
The Kaiju Preservation Society
8
Cover of Starter Villain
Starter Villain
9
Cover of When the Moon Hits Your Eye
When the Moon Hits Your Eye
10
Monsters of Ohio

The Android's Dream Series

Complete

2 books (2006โ€“2009)

Start with The Android's Dream and read in order.

#Title
1
Cover of The Android's Dream
The Android's Dream
2
Cover of Judge Sn Goes Golfing
Judge Sn Goes Golfing

The Dispatcher Series

Likely Complete

3 books (2016โ€“2022)

Start with The Dispatcher and read in order.

#Title
1
Cover of The Dispatcher
The Dispatcher
2
Cover of Murder By Other Means
Murder By Other Means
3
Travel by Bullet

The Interdependency Series

Complete

4 books (2017โ€“2020)

Start with The Collapsing Empire, the first of 4 books in the The Interdependency series.

#Title
1
Cover of The Collapsing Empire
The Collapsing Empire
2
Cover of The Consuming Fire
The Consuming Fire
3
The Origin of the Flow
4
The Last Emperox

The Time Traveler's Passport Series

Ongoing

6 books (2025โ€“2025)

Start with 3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years, the first of 6 books in the The Time Traveler's Passport series.

#Title
1
3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years
2
A Visit to the Husband Archive(By: Kaliane Bradley)
3
All Manner of Thing Shall Be(By: Olivie Blake)
4
Cronus(By: P Djรจlรญ Clark)
5
For a Limited Time Only(By: Peng Shepherd)
6
Making Space(By: R.F. Kuang)

Whatever Series

Complete

2 books (2008โ€“2013)

Start with Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded and read in order.

#Title
1
Cover of Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded
Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded
2
Cover of The Mallet of Loving Correction
The Mallet of Loving Correction

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has John Scalzi written?
John Scalzi has written 112 books across 19 series. Their published works span from 1962 to 2026.
What is the first book in each John Scalzi series?
Here are the first books in John Scalzi's series: Anthologies: Space Opera; End of All Things: Can Long Endure; Far Reaches Collection: Falling Bodies(By: Rebecca Roanhorse); Fuzzy Sapiens: Little Fuzzy(By: H. Beam Piper); Human Division: A Problem of Proportion.
What order should I read John Scalzi's books?
We recommend reading John Scalzi's series in publication order. Each series can be read independently.
Is John Scalzi still writing new books?
Yes, John Scalzi has 5 ongoing series: Anthologies, Old Man's War, Short Stories/Novellas, Standalone Novels, The Time Traveler's Passport.

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