Mary Robinette Kowal Reading Order

49 books (2007–2026)

Mary Robinette Kowal's Anthologies series comprises 39 books published between 2007 and 2025, spanning fantasy, science fiction, young adult, and non-fiction genres. This ongoing collection should be read in publication order, beginning with Prime Codex and continuing through various anthologies and magazine compilations. The series includes contributions to prestigious collections such as The Mammoth Book of Steampunk, Hugo Award Showcase volumes, and multiple years of The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy, alongside magazine issues and curated anthologies like Robots: The Recent A.I.

Start with Prime Codex, the first of 39 books in the Anthologies series.

#	Title
1	Prime Codex 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Evil Robot Monkey 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Science Fiction: The Best of the Year, 2008 Edition 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	The Mammoth Book of Best New SF 22 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy, 2009 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	2020 Visions 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Asimov's Science Fiction, September 2010 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Realms 2 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	The Best of Talebones 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	The Book of Apex: Volume 2 of Apex Magazine 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	The Hugo Award Showcase: 2010 Volume 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Apex Magazine - October 2012 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Robots: The Recent A.I. 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	The Mammoth Book of Steampunk 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	The Year's Top Short SF Novels 2 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	The Book of Apex: Volume 4 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	Athena's Daughters, Vol. 1 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	Coming Soon Enough Six Tales of Technology's Future 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	Shadows Beneath 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
21	The Many Tortures of Anthony Cardno 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
22	Time Travel: Recent Trips 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
23	You're Not Alone 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
24	Unbound 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
25	Whitehall - Season One Volume One 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
26	Whitehall - Season One Volume Two 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
27	Futurescapes: Cities of Empowerment 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
28	Shimmer 2017: The Collected Stories 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
29	The Long List Anthology Volume 3 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
30	Robots vs. Fairies 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
31	The Long List Anthology Volume 4 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
32	The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction July/August 2018 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
33	Worlds Seen in Passing 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
34	The Best of Uncanny 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
35	Escape Pod 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
36	Shimmer: The Best Of 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
37	The Long List Anthology, Volume 6 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
38	Relics, Wrecks and Ruins 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
39	The Long List Anthology Volume 8 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
40	Life Beyond Us 2023Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
41	Uncanny Magazine Issue 50: January-February 2023 2023Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
42	Some Of The Best From Reactor: 2024 Edition 2024Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
43	Uncanny Magazine Issue 56: January/February 2024 2024Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
44	Lesbians In Space: Where No Man Has Gone Before 2025Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
45	Red Star Hustle & Apprehension 2025Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
46	The Long List Anthology Volume 9 2025Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
47	Uncanny Magazine Issue 62: January/February 2025 2025Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
48	Uncanny Magazine Issue 67: November/December 2025 2025Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
49	Tales from a Space Bar 2026Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

1 book (2022–2022)

#	Title
1	Molly on the Moon 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

5 books (2008–2016)

Clockwork Phoenix is a five-book anthology series edited by Mike Allen, featuring original science fiction and fantasy stories from a rotating cast of contributors. Published between 2008 and 2016, the series is now complete and should be read in publication order to follow the editor's evolving vision for each volume. Each installment collects standalone tales that explore themes of beauty, strangeness, and imaginative world-building across multiple genres and styles.

Start with Clockwork Phoenix(By: Tanith Lee,John C. Wright,Deborah Biancotti,Laird Barron,Mike Allen,Vandana Singh,Catherynne M. Valente,Cat Rambo,Cat Sparks,John Grant,Ekaterina Sedia,Leah Bobet,Erin Hoffman,Michael J. DeLuca,Jennifer Crow,C.S. MacCath,David Sandner,Marie Brennan,Joanna Galbraith), the first of 5 books in the Clockwork Phoenix series.

#	Title
1	Clockwork Phoenix(By: Tanith Lee,John C. Wright,Deborah Biancotti,Laird Barron,Mike Allen,Vandana Singh,Catherynne M. Valente,Cat Rambo,Cat Sparks,John Grant,Ekaterina Sedia,Leah Bobet,Erin Hoffman,Michael J. DeLuca,Jennifer Crow,C.S. MacCath,David Sandner,Marie Brennan,Joanna Galbraith) 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Clockwork Phoenix 2 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Clockwork Phoenix 3: New Tales of Beauty and Strangeness(By: Tanith Lee,John C. Wright,Gregory Frost,Michael M. Jones,Mike Allen,Cat Rambo,John Grant,Kenneth Schneyer,Shweta Narayan,C.S.E. Cooney,Gemma Files,Georgina Bruce,Marie Brennan,Nicole Kornher-Stace,Tori Truslow,S.J. Hirons) 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Clockwork Phoenix 4(By: Tanith Lee,Richard Parks,A.C. Wise,Mike Allen,Yves Meynard,Cat Rambo,Kenneth Schneyer,Gemma Files,Alisa Alering,Ian McHugh,Benjanun Sriduangkaew,Shira Lipkin,Barbara Krasnoff,Patricia Russo,Camille Alexa,Marie Brennan,Nicole Kornher-Stace,Yukimi Ogawa,Corinne Duyvis) 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Clockwork Phoenix 5(By: Alex Dally MacFarlane,A.C. Wise,Mike Allen,Keffy R.M. Kehrli,Rich Larson,Cassandra Khaw,C.S.E. Cooney,Carlos Hernandez,Benjanun Sriduangkaew,Sonya Taaffe,Beth Cato,Barbara Krasnoff,Patricia Russo,Gray Rinehart,Marie Brennan,Sam Fleming,Shveta Thakrar,Holly Heisey,Jason Kimble,Rachael L. Jones,Rob Cameron,Sunil Patel) 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

5 books (2010–2015)

The Glamourist Histories is a five-book fantasy series by Mary Robinette Kowal, published between 2010 and 2015 and now complete. Read the books in publication order, beginning with Shades of Milk and Honey and continuing through Glamour in Glass, Without a Summer, Valour and Vanity, and concluding with Of Noble Family. This series blends fantasy and historical fiction elements across its interconnected storylines.

Start with Shades of Milk and Honey, the first of 5 books in the Glamourist Histories series.

#	Title
1	Shades of Milk and Honey 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Glamour in Glass 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Without a Summer 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Valour and Vanity 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Of Noble Family 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

11 books (2012–2025)

The Lady Astronaut series by Mary Robinette Kowal comprises eleven science fiction novels and stories published between 2012 and 2025, with the series still ongoing. The books should be read in publication order, beginning with The Lady Astronaut of Mars and continuing through The Martian Contingency. This expanding collection blends science fiction with alternate history elements across a richly developed universe centered on space exploration and human achievement.

Start with The Lady Astronaut of Mars, the first of 11 books in the Lady Astronaut series.

#	Title
1	The Lady Astronaut of Mars 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	We Interrupt This Broadcast 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Rocket's Red 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	The Phobos Experience 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Amara's Giraffe 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	The Calculating Stars 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	The Fated Sky 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Articulated Restraint 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	The Relentless Moon 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	In the Moon's House 2024Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	The Martian Contingency 2025Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

9 books (2008–2025)

Mary Robinette Kowal has published eight short stories and novellas from 2008 to 2024 in this ongoing collection spanning fantasy, science fiction, and young adult genres. The series should be read in publication order, beginning with Evil Robot Monkey and continuing through The Millay Illusion, the most recent entry. These standalone stories showcase Kowal's range across speculative fiction, with each entry offering distinct narratives and worlds.

Start with Evil Robot Monkey, the first of 8 books in the Short Stories/Novellas series.

#	Title
1	Evil Robot Monkey 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	First Flight 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	For Want of a Nail 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Kiss Me Twice 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	A Fire in the Heavens 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Forest of Memory 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	The Escapement of Blackledge 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Marginalia 2024Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	The Millay Illusion(By: Sarah Pinsker) 2025Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (2009–2015)

Mary Robinette Kowal's short story collection series consists of two complete volumes published between 2009 and 2015. These collections spanning fantasy, science fiction, and young adult themes should be read in publication order, beginning with Scenting the Dark and Other Stories followed by Word Puppets. The series offers a comprehensive showcase of Kowal's shorter works across multiple genres.

Start with Scenting the Dark and Other Stories and read in order.

#	Title
1	Scenting the Dark and Other Stories 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Word Puppets 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (2016–2022)

Mary Robinette Kowal has written three standalone novels published between 2016 and 2022, each in different genres spanning fantasy, science fiction, and young adult fiction. The series appears to be complete and should be read in publication order: Ghost Talkers, The Original (co-written with Brandon Sanderson), and The Spare Man. Each novel stands independently, making them accessible as individual reads while forming a diverse body of work from this prolific author.

Start with Ghost Talkers and read in order.

#	Title
1	Ghost Talkers 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Original(With: Brandon Sanderson) 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Spare Man 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible