Lin Carter Reading Order

22 books (1969–2012)

Start with Dragons, Elves, and Heroes, the first of 22 books in the Anthologies series.

#	Title
1	Dragons, Elves, and Heroes 1969Buy 🇺🇸
2	The Young Magicians 1969Buy 🇺🇸
3	Golden Cities, Far 1970Buy 🇺🇸
4	Swords Against Tomorrow 1970Buy 🇺🇸
5	New Worlds For Old 1971Buy 🇺🇸
6	The Spawn of Cthulhu 1971Buy 🇺🇸
7	Discoveries in Fantasy 1972Buy 🇺🇸
8	Swordsmen and Supermen 1972Buy 🇺🇸
9	Nameless Places 1975Buy 🇺🇸
10	The Year's Best Fantasy Stories 1 1975Buy 🇺🇸
11	Disciples of Cthulhu 1976Buy 🇺🇸
12	Kingdoms of Sorcery 1976Buy 🇺🇸
13	Realms Of Wizardry 1976Buy 🇺🇸
14	The Year's Best Fantasy Stories 2 1976Buy 🇺🇸
15	The Year's Best Fantasy Stories 3 1977Buy 🇺🇸
16	The Year's Best Fantasy Stories 4 1978Buy 🇺🇸
17	Barbarians 2 1988Buy 🇺🇸
18	Giant Book of Fantasy Tales 1996Buy 🇺🇸
19	The Necronomicon 1996Buy 🇺🇸
20	The Xothic Legend Cycle 1997Buy 🇺🇸
21	The Cthulhu Mythos Megapack 2012Buy 🇺🇸
22	The Wildside Book of Fantasy 2012Buy 🇺🇸

8 books (1972–1978)

Start with Black Legion of Callisto, the first of 8 books in the Callisto series.

#	Title
1	Black Legion of Callisto 1972Buy 🇺🇸
2	Jandar of Callisto 1972Buy 🇺🇸
3	Sky Pirates of Callisto 1973Buy 🇺🇸
4	Mad Empress of Callisto 1974Buy 🇺🇸
5	Lankar of Callisto 1975Buy 🇺🇸
6	Mind Wizards of Callisto 1975Buy 🇺🇸
7	Ylana of Callisto 1977Buy 🇺🇸
8	Renegade of Callisto 1978Buy 🇺🇸

7 books (1978–2023)

Start with Conan the Swordsman(With: L. Sprague de Camp,Björn Nyberg), the first of 7 books in the Conan (Bantam) series.

#	Title
1	Conan the Swordsman(With: L. Sprague de Camp,Björn Nyberg) 1978Buy 🇺🇸
2	Conan the Liberator(With: L. Sprague de Camp) 1979Buy 🇺🇸
3	Conan: The Road of Kings(By: Karl Edward Wagner) 1979Buy 🇺🇸
4	The Sword of Skelos(By: Andrew J. Offutt) 1979Buy 🇺🇸
5	Conan and the Spider God(By: L. Sprague de Camp) 1980Buy 🇺🇸
6	Conan the Rebel(By: Poul Anderson) 1980Buy 🇺🇸
7	Conan the Barbarian: The Official Motion Picture Adaptation(By: L. Sprague de Camp) 2023Buy 🇺🇸

12 books (1966–1977)

Start with Conan the Adventurer(By: Robert E. Howard), the first of 12 books in the Conan (Lancer/Ace) series.

#	Title
1	Conan the Adventurer(By: Robert E. Howard) 1966Buy 🇺🇸
2	Conan the Conqueror(By: Robert E. Howard) 1967Buy 🇺🇸
3	Conan the Usurper(By: Robert E. Howard) 1967Buy 🇺🇸
4	Conan the Warrior(By: Robert E. Howard) 1967Buy 🇺🇸
5	Conan of the Isles(With: L. Sprague de Camp) 1968Buy 🇺🇸
6	Conan the Avenger(By: Robert E. Howard) 1968Buy 🇺🇸
7	Conan the Freebooter(By: Robert E. Howard) 1968Buy 🇺🇸
8	Conan the Wanderer 1968Buy 🇺🇸
9	Conan(By: Robert E. Howard) 1968Buy 🇺🇸
10	Conan of Cimmeria(With: Robert E. Howard) 1969Buy 🇺🇸
11	Conan the Buccaneer(With: L. Sprague de Camp) 1971Buy 🇺🇸
12	Conan of Aquilonia(With: L. Sprague de Camp) 1977Buy 🇺🇸

5 books (1979–1982)

Start with Journey to the Underground World, the first of 5 books in the Eric Carstairs of Zanthodon series.

#	Title
1	Journey to the Underground World 1979Buy 🇺🇸
2	Zanthodon 1980Buy 🇺🇸
3	Darya of the Bronze Age 1981Buy 🇺🇸
4	Hurok of the Stone Age 1981Buy 🇺🇸
5	Eric of Zanthodon 1982Buy 🇺🇸

7 books (1973–2023)

Start with Flashing Swords! #1, the first of 7 books in the Flashing Swords! series.

#	Title
1	Flashing Swords! #1 1973Buy 🇺🇸
2	Flashing Swords! #2 1974Buy 🇺🇸
3	Flashing Swords! #3 1976Buy 🇺🇸
4	Flashing Swords! #4 1977Buy 🇺🇸
5	Flashing Swords! #5 1981Buy 🇺🇸
6	Flashing Swords! #6(By: Robert M. Price) 2020Buy 🇺🇸
7	Flashing Swords #7(By: Robert M. Price) 2023Buy 🇺🇸

3 books (1966–1971)

Start with The Man Without a Planet and read in order.

1 book (1973–1973)

#	Title
1	Great Short Novels of Adult Fantasy #2 1973Buy 🇺🇸

5 books (1972–1976)

Start with Under the Green Star, the first of 5 books in the Green Star series.

#	Title
1	Under the Green Star 1972Buy 🇺🇸
2	When the Green Star Calls 1973Buy 🇺🇸
3	By the Light of the Green Star 1974Buy 🇺🇸
4	As the Green Star Rises 1975Buy 🇺🇸
5	In the Green Star's Glow 1976Buy 🇺🇸

3 books (1967–1969)

Start with Destination and read in order.

2 books (1967–1972)

Start with The Thing in the Crypt(With: L. Sprague de Camp) and read in order.

3 books (1969–1973)

Start with Tolkien and read in order.

#	Title
1	Tolkien 1969Buy 🇺🇸
2	Lovecraft 1972Buy 🇺🇸
3	Imaginary Worlds 1973Buy 🇺🇸

1 book (1975–1975)

1 book (1967–1967)

2 books (1969–1980)

Start with Beyond the Gates of Dream and read in order.

#	Title
1	Beyond the Gates of Dream 1969Buy 🇺🇸
2	Lost Worlds 1980Buy 🇺🇸

9 books (1966–1985)

Start with The Star Magicians, the first of 9 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#	Title
1	The Star Magicians 1966Buy 🇺🇸
2	The Flame of Iridar 1967Buy 🇺🇸
3	Tower at the Edge of Time 1968Buy 🇺🇸
4	Lost World of Time 1969Buy 🇺🇸
5	Tower of the Medusa 1969Buy 🇺🇸
6	The Black Star 1973Buy 🇺🇸
7	Time War 1974Buy 🇺🇸
8	Tara of the Twilight 1979Buy 🇺🇸
9	Found Wanting 1985Buy 🇺🇸

4 books (1982–1988)

Start with Dragonrouge, the first of 4 books in the Terra Magica series.

#	Title
1	Dragonrouge 1982Buy 🇺🇸
2	Kesrick 1982Buy 🇺🇸
3	Mandricardo 1987Buy 🇺🇸
4	Callipygia 1988Buy 🇺🇸

3 books (1971–1984)

Start with The Quest of Kadji and read in order.

#	Title
1	The Quest of Kadji 1971Buy 🇺🇸
2	The Wizard of Zao 1978Buy 🇺🇸
3	Kellory the Warlock 1984Buy 🇺🇸

4 books (1973–1984)

Start with The Man Who Loved Mars, the first of 4 books in the The Mysteries of Mars series.

#	Title
1	The Man Who Loved Mars 1973Buy 🇺🇸
2	The Valley Where Time Stood Still 1974Buy 🇺🇸
3	The City Outside the World 1977Buy 🇺🇸
4	Down to a Sunless Sea 1984Buy 🇺🇸

8 books (1965–2016)

Start with Thongor and The Wizard of Lemuria, the first of 8 books in the Thongor series.

#	Title
1	Thongor and The Wizard of Lemuria 1965Buy 🇺🇸
2	Thongor of Lemuria / Thongor and the Dragon City 1966Buy 🇺🇸
3	Thongor Against the Gods 1967Buy 🇺🇸
4	Thongor at the End of Time 1968Buy 🇺🇸
5	Thongor in the City of Magicians 1968Buy 🇺🇸
6	Thongor Fights the Pirates of Tarakus 1970Buy 🇺🇸
7	Young Thongor 2012Buy 🇺🇸
8	The Sword of Thongor(By: Robert M. Price) 2016Buy 🇺🇸

4 books (1981–1983)

Start with Weird Tales 1, the first of 4 books in the Weird Tales series.

#	Title
1	Weird Tales 1 1981Buy 🇺🇸
2	Weird Tales 2(By: Robert Bloch,Tanith Lee,H.P. Lovecraft,Robert E. Howard) 1981Buy 🇺🇸
3	Weird Tales 3(By: Robert Bloch,Tanith Lee,Robert E. Howard,Evangeline Walton) 1981Buy 🇺🇸
4	Weird Tales 4(By: Ray Bradbury,Robert E. Howard) 1983Buy 🇺🇸

6 books (1974–1979)

Start with The Warrior of World's End, the first of 6 books in the World's End series.

#	Title
1	The Warrior of World's End 1974Buy 🇺🇸
2	The Enchantress of World's End 1975Buy 🇺🇸
3	The Immortal of World's End 1976Buy 🇺🇸
4	The Barbarian of World's End 1977Buy 🇺🇸
5	The Pirate of World's End 1978Buy 🇺🇸
6	Giant of World's End 1979Buy 🇺🇸

5 books (1975–1987)

Start with Invisible Death, the first of 5 books in the Zarkon - Lord of the Unknown series.

#	Title
1	Invisible Death 1975Buy 🇺🇸
2	The Nemesis of Evil 1975Buy 🇺🇸
3	The Volcano Ogre 1976Buy 🇺🇸
4	The Earth-Shaker 1982Buy 🇺🇸
5	Horror Wears Blue 1987Buy 🇺🇸