John Scalzi Reading Order

12 books (2007–2025)

John Scalzi has edited nine anthologies spanning science fiction and fantasy from 2007 to 2025, with the series still ongoing. These collections should be read in publication order, beginning with Space Opera and progressing through various themed anthologies including the Love, Death and Robots official adaptations and selections from Tor.com and Uncanny Magazine. The series represents a diverse range of speculative fiction edited across multiple decades and publishing platforms.

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

#	Title
1	Space Opera 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Rip-Off! 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Tor.com: Selected Original Fiction, 2008-2012 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Ad Astra 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Some of the Best from Tor.com, 2014 Edition 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Robots vs. Fairies 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Love, Death and Robots: The Official Anthology: Volume One 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Love, Death + Robots: The Official Anthology: Volumes 2 & 3 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Uncanny Magazine Issue 56: January/February 2024 2024Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Uncanny Magazine Issue 57: March/April 2024 2024Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Uncanny Magazine Issue 58: May/June 2024 2024Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Love, Death and Robots: The Official Anthology: Volume Four 2025Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

4 books (2015–2015)

The End of All Things is a four-book science fiction series by John Scalzi published in 2015. The series is complete and should be read in publication order, beginning with Can Long Endure and continuing through The Life of the Mind, This Hollow Union, and To Stand or Fall.

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

6 books (2023–2023)

The Far Reaches Collection is an anthology series of six science fiction novellas edited by John Scalzi, all published in 2023. The collection features stories by acclaimed authors including Rebecca Roanhorse, James S.A. Corey, Nnedi Okorafor, Ann Leckie, and Veronica Roth, with each novella standing as its own complete work. These books should be read in publication order, beginning with Falling Bodies. The series appears to be complete.

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

11 books (1962–2022)

The Fuzzy Sapiens series spans eleven science fiction novels originally beginning with H. Beam Piper's 1962 work, continuing through contributions by William Tuning, Ardath Mayhar, Wolfgang Diehr, John Scalzi, and John F. Carr, with the final entry published in 2022. This series should be read in publication order to follow the evolving narrative across multiple authors and decades. The collection appears to be complete, though the extended timeline and multiple authors suggest the property has been built upon and expanded considerably since its original inception.

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

#	Title
1	Little Fuzzy(By: H. Beam Piper) 1962Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Fuzzy Sapiens / The Other Human Race(By: H. Beam Piper) 1964Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Fuzzy Bones(By: William Tuning) 1981Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Golden Dream(By: Ardath Mayhar) 1982Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Adventures of Little Fuzzy(By: H. Beam Piper) 1983Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Fuzzies and Other People(By: H. Beam Piper) 1984Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Fuzzy Ergo Sum(By: Wolfgang Diehr) 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Fuzzy Nation 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Caveat Fuzzy(By: Wolfgang Diehr) 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	The Fuzzy Conundrum(By: John F. Carr,Wolfgang Diehr) 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Fuzzy Logic(By: Wolfgang Diehr) 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

13 books (2013–2013)

The Human Division is a complete science fiction series by John Scalzi comprising 13 books published in 2013. The books should be read in publication order, beginning with A Problem of Proportion and concluding with We Only Need the Heads. This series follows interconnected stories across its installments, with each entry building on the events and character development of previous volumes.

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

#	Title
1	A Problem of Proportion 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	A Voice in the Wilderness 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Earth Below, Sky Above 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Tales From the Clarke 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The B-Team 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	The Back Channel 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	The Dog King 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	The Gentle Art of Cracking Heads 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	The Observers 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	The Sound of Rebellion 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	This Must Be the Place 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Walk the Plank 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	We Only Need the Heads 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (2014–2018)

John Scalzi's Lock In series comprises three science fiction novels published between 2014 and 2018. The trilogy is complete and should be read in publication order beginning with Lock In, followed by Unlocked and Head On. This series explores a near-future world through interconnected narratives that build upon one another across all three installments.

Start with Lock In and read in order.

#	Title
1	Lock In 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Unlocked 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Head On 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

8 books (2008–2016)

METAtropolis is a science fiction series consisting of eight books published between 2008 and 2016, now complete. The series should be read in publication order, beginning with the collaborative METAtropolis anthology featuring John Scalzi alongside Jay Lake, Elizabeth Bear, Tobias Buckell, and Karl Schroeder. Subsequent installments include solo works by Ken Scholes and Tobias Buckell that expand the shared universe established in the opening volume. This interconnected series explores a speculative future world through multiple authors' contributions across its span.

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) 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Cascadia(By: Ken Scholes) 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Green Space(By: Jay Lake) 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	A Symmetry of Serpents and Doves(By: Ken Scholes) 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Byways(By: Tobias Buckell) 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	The Wings We Dare Aspire(By: Ken Scholes) 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Stochasticity(By: Tobias Buckell) 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Tensegrity(By: Tobias Buckell) 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

8 books (2000–2017)

John Scalzi's non-fiction series comprises eight books published between 2000 and 2017, covering topics ranging from online money management and space science to movies and writing craft. The complete series should be read in publication order, beginning with Rough Guide to Money Online and concluding with Don't Live For Your Obituary. Entries include guides, essay collections, and humorous reference works that showcase Scalzi's ability to write informatively across diverse subjects beyond his science fiction and fantasy work.

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

#	Title
1	Rough Guide to Money Online 2000Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Rough Guide to the Universe 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Uncle John's Presents: The Book of the Dumb 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Uncle John's Presents Book of the Dumb 2 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Rough Guide to Sci-Fi Movies 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	You're Not Fooling Anyone When You Take Your Laptop to a Coffee Shop: Scalzi On Writing 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	24 Frames into the Future 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Don't Live For Your Obituary 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

7 books (2005–2025)

John Scalzi's Old Man's War series spans seven science fiction novels published between 2005 and 2025, with the most recent installment arriving in 2025. The series is ongoing and should be read in publication order, beginning with Old Man's War and continuing through The Ghost Brigades, The Last Colony, Zoe's Tale, The Human Division, The End of All Things, and The Shattering Peace. This sequence follows the chronological unfolding of events and character development essential to the overall narrative arc.

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

#	Title
1	Old Man's War 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Ghost Brigades 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Last Colony 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Zoe's Tale 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Human Division 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	The End of All Things 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	The Shattering Peace 2025Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (2005–2008)

John Scalzi's Old Man's War short story collection consists of three complete works published between 2005 and 2008. These science fiction novellas should be read in publication order, beginning with Questions for a Soldier, followed by The Sagan Diary, and concluding with After the Coup. The series offers a complementary exploration of the Old Man's War universe alongside the main novels.

Start with Questions for a Soldier and read in order.

#	Title
1	Questions for a Soldier 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Sagan Diary 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	After the Coup 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

1 book (2011–2011)

11 books (2006–2024)

John Scalzi's Short Stories/Novellas series comprises eleven works published between 2006 and 2024, spanning science fiction and fantasy themes with occasional forays into other genres. The series remains ongoing and should be read in publication order, beginning with How I Proposed to My Wife: An Alien Sex Story and continuing through recent additions like Constituent Service. Each entry stands as an independent work, making the collection accessible whether read sequentially or individually according to reader preference.

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

1 book (2016–2016)

#	Title
1	Miniatures 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

10 books (2004–2026)

John Scalzi's standalone novels span science fiction and fantasy across ten books published from 2004 to 2026, beginning with Agent to the Stars and continuing through Monsters of Ohio. Each book stands alone as a complete story, though the series remains ongoing with new entries potentially forthcoming. Readers should approach these works in publication order to experience Scalzi's evolving style and thematic interests across the two decades of releases.

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

#	Title
1	Agent to the Stars 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The God Engines 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Dead City 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Redshirts 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Virtue Signaling and Other Heresies 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	A Very Scalzi Christmas 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	The Kaiju Preservation Society 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Starter Villain 2023Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	When the Moon Hits Your Eye 2025Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Monsters of Ohio 2026Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (2006–2009)

John Scalzi's complete Android's Dream series consists of two science fiction novels released between 2006 and 2009. The books should be read in publication order, beginning with The Android's Dream followed by Judge Sn Goes Golfing. This finished series offers two standalone-adjacent entries that work best when experienced sequentially.

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

#	Title
1	The Android's Dream 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Judge Sn Goes Golfing 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (2016–2022)

John Scalzi's Dispatcher series comprises three science fiction novels published between 2016 and 2022. The books should be read in publication order, beginning with The Dispatcher, followed by Murder By Other Means and Travel by Bullet. The series appears to be complete, making it an ideal choice for readers seeking a finished narrative arc.

Start with The Dispatcher and read in order.

#	Title
1	The Dispatcher 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Murder By Other Means 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Travel by Bullet 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

4 books (2017–2020)

The Interdependency is a four-book science fiction series by John Scalzi published between 2017 and 2020. The complete series should be read in publication order, beginning with The Collapsing Empire followed by The Consuming Fire, The Origin of the Flow, and concluding with The Last Emperox. This finished series offers a self-contained story arc across its four installments.

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

#	Title
1	The Collapsing Empire 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Consuming Fire 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Origin of the Flow 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	The Last Emperox 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

7 books (2025–2025)

The Time Traveler's Passport is an ongoing science fiction and fantasy anthology series launched in 2025, with six books currently published. Each entry is written by a different author, including John Scalzi, Kaliane Bradley, Olivie Blake, P Djèlí Clark, Peng Shepherd, and R.F. Kuang. Readers should follow publication order, beginning with 3 Days, 9 Months, 27 Years and continuing through Making Space. The series combines perspectives from multiple acclaimed speculative fiction writers exploring time travel themes.

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

2 books (2008–2013)

John Scalzi's Whatever series consists of two complete books published between 2008 and 2013. These collections should be read in publication order, beginning with Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded followed by The Mallet of Loving Correction. The series draws from Scalzi's genres of fantasy, science fiction, and non-fiction.

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

#	Title
1	Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Mallet of Loving Correction 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible