Tad Williams Reading Order

18 books (1988–2019)

Tad Williams's anthology contributions span three decades of collaborative fantasy and science fiction collections, with 18 stories published across various anthologies between 1988 and 2019. This complete series should be read in publication order, beginning with his appearance in Weird Tales #292 in Fall 1988 and concluding with entries in 2019. The collection includes contributions to prestigious anthologies such as Songs of the Dying Earth, Warriors, The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities, and multiple DAW anniversary volumes, showcasing Williams's work alongside fellow fantasy and science fiction authors.

Start with Weird Tales #292: Fall 1988, the first of 18 books in the Anthologies series.

#	Title
1	Weird Tales #292: Fall 1988 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Weird Tales #296: Spring 1990 1990Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Anthology of Fantasy and the Supernatural 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Immortal Unicorn 1995Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	DAW 30th Anniversary Science Fiction 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	DAW 30th Anniversary Science Fiction and Fantasy Anthologies 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Stars: Original Stories Based on the Songs of Janis Ian 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	The Wood Boy / The Burning Man 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Songs of the Dying Earth: Stories in Honour of Jack Vance 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Twilight Zone: 19 Original Stories on the 50th Anniversary 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Warriors 1 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	The Thackery T. Lambshead Cabinet of Curiosities 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Eighth Annual Collection 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	Lightspeed Magazine, December 2012 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	Oz Reimagined 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	Dead Man's Hand 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	Multiverse 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	Unfettered III: New Tales By Masters of Fantasy 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

4 books (2012–2014)

The Bobby Dollar series is a four-book fantasy adventure sequence by Tad Williams, published between 2012 and 2014 and now complete. These books should be read in publication order, beginning with The Dirty Streets of Heaven and concluding with Sleeping Late on Judgement Day. The series combines action and adventure elements throughout its interconnected narrative arc.

Start with The Dirty Streets of Heaven, the first of 4 books in the Bobby Dollar series.

#	Title
1	The Dirty Streets of Heaven 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Happy Hour in Hell 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlepig 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Sleeping Late on Judgement Day 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (1998–1999)

The Legends series is a three-book anthology collection of fantasy and science fiction stories published between 1998 and 1999, now complete. Each volume features original novellas from prominent authors in the genres, including Neil Gaiman, George R.R. Martin, Stephen King, Terry Pratchett, and Robert Jordan, among others. Read these books in publication order beginning with Legends II: Dragon, Sword, and King, followed by the original Legends volume, and concluding with Legends 3.

Start with Legends II: Dragon, Sword, and King(By: Diana Gabaldon,George R.R. Martin,Orson Scott Card,Terry Brooks,Robert Silverberg,Neil Gaiman,Elizabeth Haydon) and read in order.

#	Title
1	Legends II: Dragon, Sword, and King(By: Diana Gabaldon,George R.R. Martin,Orson Scott Card,Terry Brooks,Robert Silverberg,Neil Gaiman,Elizabeth Haydon) 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Legends(By: Stephen King,Anne McCaffrey,Robert Silverberg) 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Legends 3(With: Terry Pratchett,Robert Jordan,Robert Silverberg,Ursula K. Le Guin) 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

4 books (1988–1993)

Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn is a four-book epic fantasy series by Tad Williams published between 1988 and 1993. The complete series should be read in publication order, beginning with The Dragonbone Chair and continuing through Stone of Farewell, To Green Angel Tower, and To Green Angel Tower Part 2. This action-driven fantasy saga combines intricate worldbuilding with sweeping narrative scope across its installments.

Start with The Dragonbone Chair, the first of 4 books in the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series.

#	Title
1	The Dragonbone Chair 1988Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Stone of Farewell 1990Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	To Green Angel Tower 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	To Green Angel Tower, Part 2 1993Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

2 books (2009–2011)

Tad Williams' Ordinary Farm Adventures is a two-book fantasy series following publication order. The first installment, The Dragons of Ordinary Farm, arrived in 2009, with its sequel, The Secrets of Ordinary Farm, completing the series in 2011. This finished series should be read sequentially to experience the full narrative arc.

Start with The Dragons of Ordinary Farm and read in order.

#	Title
1	The Dragons of Ordinary Farm 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Secrets of Ordinary Farm 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

1 book (2026–2026)

4 books (1996–2001)

Tad Williams' Otherland is a four-book science fiction series that should be read in publication order, beginning with City of Golden Shadow. The series was completed between 1996 and 2001, with subsequent installments titled River of Blue Fire, Mountain of Black Glass, and Sea of Silver Light. This epic fantasy-adventure saga follows a diverse group of characters navigating a vast virtual reality network filled with simulated worlds and dangerous mysteries that blur the line between digital and physical reality.

Start with City of Golden Shadow, the first of 4 books in the Otherland series.

#	Title
1	City of Golden Shadow 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	River of Blue Fire 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Mountain of Black Glass 1999Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Sea of Silver Light 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

15 books (2013–2013)

Oz Reimagined is a 15-book anthology series edited by Tad Williams, published in 2013 as a complete collection. Each entry is a standalone story by a different author, including contributions from Jeffrey Ford, Kat Howard, Orson Scott Card, and other fantasy writers, so books can be enjoyed in any order, though publication order is recommended. The series offers diverse reimaginings of the Land of Oz across multiple genres and styles.

Start with A Meeting in Oz(By: Jeffrey Ford), the first of 15 books in the Oz Reimagined series.

4 books (2004–2010)

Tad Williams' Shadowmarch series spans four complete fantasy novels published between 2004 and 2010, following a sprawling narrative of epic proportions across a richly imagined world. The books should be read in publication order, beginning with Shadowmarch and continuing through Shadowplay, Shadowheart, and concluding with Shadowrise. This action-packed fantasy epic blends intricate world-building with complex characters caught in conflicts that span kingdoms and supernatural forces. The series was completed in 2010, offering readers a fully resolved narrative arc.

Start with Shadowmarch, the first of 4 books in the Shadowmarch series.

#	Title
1	Shadowmarch 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Shadowplay 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Shadowheart 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Shadowrise 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (2006–2014)

Tad Williams has published three short story collections spanning from 2006 to 2014, with the series now complete. These fantasy and adventure collections should be read in publication order, beginning with Rite: Short Work, followed by A Stark and Wormy Knight, and concluding with The Very Best of Tad Williams.

Start with Rite: Short Work and read in order.

#	Title
1	Rite: Short Work 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	A Stark and Wormy Knight 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Very Best of Tad Williams 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

7 books (1985–2012)

Tad Williams' collection of seven standalone fantasy novels spans from 1985 to 2012, each telling a complete story independent of the others. These books should be read in publication order, beginning with Tailchaser's Song and concluding with Diary of a Dragon, though readers may approach any entry without prior experience with the series. The collection represents Williams' varied explorations within fantasy and action-adventure genres across nearly three decades, with the series now complete.

Start with Tailchaser's Song, the first of 7 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#	Title
1	Tailchaser's Song 1985Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Child of an Ancient City 1992Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Caliban's Hour 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Tad Williams' Mirror World 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The War of the Flowers 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	The Helmet of Fate(With: Steve Niles,Bill Willingham,Gail Simone,Steve Gerber) 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Diary of a Dragon 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

6 books (2017–2024)

The Last King of Osten Ard is an ongoing fantasy series comprising six books published between 2017 and 2024. This epic adventure should be read in publication order, beginning with The Heart of What Was Lost and continuing through The Witchwood Crown, Empire of Grass, Brothers of the Wind, Into the Narrowdark, and concluding with The Navigator's Children. The series blends action and adventure across its sprawling narrative, with new installments continuing to expand the world.

Start with The Heart of What Was Lost, the first of 6 books in the The Last King of Osten Ard series.

#	Title
1	The Heart of What Was Lost 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Witchwood Crown 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Empire of Grass 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Brothers of the Wind 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Into the Narrowdark 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	The Navigator's Children 2024Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible