Victor LaValle Reading Order
11 series · 162 books
Victor LaValle is an American author known for blending horror and fantasy into psychologically complex narratives that explore race, identity, and the supernatural. His work spans novels like The Changeling and Big Machine alongside acclaimed short fiction, earning him a 2016 Shirley Jackson Award for the novella The Ballad of Black Tom. LaValle has become a significant voice in contemporary horror, contributing to major anthologies and expanding the genre's boundaries through both original fiction and collaborations with established horror properties.
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Anthologies Series
Ongoing15 books (2005–2025)
Victor LaValle has edited fourteen anthologies spanning fantasy and horror from 2005 to 2025, with the series remaining ongoing. These collections should be read in publication order, beginning with Scoot Over, Skinny: The Fat Nonfiction Anthology and continuing through recent entries like Why I Love Horror. The series includes diverse themed collections such as The Darker Mask, Mothership, and xo Orpheus alongside special issues of Weird Tales and various genre-focused volumes featuring contributions from multiple writers.
Start with Scoot Over, Skinny: The Fat Nonfiction Anthology, the first of 14 books in the Anthologies series.
Start this series with Scoot Over, Skinny: The Fat Nonfiction Anthology
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Black Stars Series
Likely Complete6 books (2021–2021)
Black Stars is a six-book fantasy and horror anthology series edited by Victor LaValle, published in 2021 and appearing to be complete. The collection features stories by notable speculative fiction authors including Nisi Shawl, Nalo Hopkinson, Nnedi Okorafor, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and C.T. Rwizi, with each entry functioning as a standalone contribution. Readers should approach these books in publication order, beginning with 2043...(A Merman I Should Turn to Be).
Start with 2043...(A Merman I Should Turn to Be)(By: Nisi Shawl), the first of 6 books in the Black Stars series.
Start this series with 2043...(A Merman I Should Turn to Be)(By: Nisi Shawl)
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Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Bestiary Series
Complete4 books (2014–2014)
Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Bestiary is a four-book horror fantasy series published in 2014 that expands on Clive Barker's Hellraiser universe. The series was created through collaborations among multiple writers, beginning with Victor LaValle and Ben Meares on the first installment, followed by subsequent volumes by different creative teams. These books should be read in publication order and form a complete series with no additional entries planned.
Start with Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Bestiary #1(With: Ben Meares), the first of 4 books in the Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Bestiary series.
Start this series with Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Bestiary #1(With: Ben Meares)
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Eve Series
Likely Complete6 books (2021–2022)
Victor LaValle's Eve is a six-book fantasy and horror series published between 2021 and 2022. The complete series should be read in publication order, beginning with Eve #1 and continuing through the five sequels that follow. The series appears to be finished, providing readers with a full narrative arc across all six installments.
Start with Eve #1, the first of 6 books in the Eve series.
Start this series with Eve #1
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Gothic Fantasy Series
Ongoing95 books (1667–2026)
This 91-book Gothic Fantasy series by Victor LaValle spans from 1667 to 2026 and remains ongoing. The collection should be read in publication order, beginning with classic works like Paradise Lost and progressing through curated anthologies of ghost stories, horror, science fiction, and speculative fiction from both canonical authors and contemporary writers. The series blends traditional gothic literature with modern genre fiction across fantasy, horror, and related categories.
Start with Paradise Lost & Other Poems(By: John Milton), the first of 91 books in the Gothic Fantasy series.
Start this series with Paradise Lost & Other Poems(By: John Milton)
Buy Book 1 🇺🇸🎧 Listen free on Audible| # | Title |
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| 4 |  Chilling Ghost Short Stories(By: Charles Dickens,Arthur Conan Doyle,Edgar Allan Poe,Robert Louis Stevenson,Wilkie Collins,Nikolai Gogol,J. Sheridan Le Fanu,E. Nesbit,Henry James,W.W. Jacobs,Oscar Wilde,Washington Irving,Edith Wharton,M.R. James,James Dorr,E.F. Benson,Mary E. Wilkins Freeman,Amanda C. Davis,Robert W. Chambers,Kurt Bachard,Raymond Little,Brian Rappatta,Tim Foley,Vonnie Winslow Crist,Michael Penkas,Jonathan Balog,Donna Cuttress,Luke Murphy,Annette Siketa,Philip Brian Hall,Rhiannon Rasmussen,Jeff Parsons,M.Regan,Zach Chapman,Lesa Pascavis Smith,Trevor Boelter,Laura Bulbeck,Dale Townshend,Cathy Smith) |
| 5 |  Chilling Horror Short Stories(By: Charles Dickens,Arthur Conan Doyle,Bram Stoker,Edgar Allan Poe,Robert Louis Stevenson,Elizabeth Gaskell,J. Sheridan Le Fanu,Guy de Maupassant,Thomas Hardy,Ambrose Bierce,H.P. Lovecraft,Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley,Nathaniel Hawthorne,Edith Wharton,D.H. Lawrence,Lucy Taylor,William Hope Hodgson,A. Merritt,John Buchan,F. Marion Crawford,Robert E. Howard,C.L. Moore,Frank Long,Robert W. Chambers,Rebecca J. Allred,Frank Roger,Gwendolyn Kiste,Elise Forier Edie,Michael Paul Gonzalez,D.J. Tyrer,William R.D. Wood,Kristopher Triana,James Lecky,Glen Damien Campbell,Justin Coates,John H. Dromey,Andrew J. Wilson,Bill Kte'pi,Ed Grabianowski,Gillian Whitaker,Nick Wells,Laura Bulbeck,Dale Townshend,Michael Bondies,David A Elsensohn,Eric Esser,John Neruda,Frances Bodlam,Josie Mitchell) |
| 6 |  Science Fiction Short Stories(By: David Tallerman,Rachael K. Jones,Sarah Hans,Brian Trent,Adrian Ludens,Keyan Bowes,Beth Cato,Andy Sawyer,Zach Shephard,Alexis A. Hunter,M. Darusha Wehm,Edward Ahern,Patrick Tumblety,Donald Jacob Uitvlugt,Kate O'Connor,Conor Powers-Smith,Stewart C. Baker,MikeMorgan,Nemma Wollenfang,Jacob M. Lambert,Laura Bulbeck,Rob Hartzell) |
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| 8 |  Dystopia Utopia Short Stories(By: Rudyard Kipling,Jack London,Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley,Fyodor Dostoevsky,Kim Antieau,Voltaire,William Morris,Claude Lalumière,Robert W. Chambers,Samuel Butler,Gerri Leen,Konstantine Paradias,M. Darusha Wehm,Thomas More,Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain,Edward Bellamy,Carolyn Charron,Jeremy Szal,J.M. Templet,Steve Carr,Richard Jefferies,Michelle Kaseler,Andrew J. Wilson,Nidhi Singh,Jeff Parsons,Sarah Lyn Eaton,Megan Dorei,Dave Golder,Kelsey Shannahan,Russ Thorne) |
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| 21 |  Alien Invasion Short Stories(By: H.G. Wells,H.P. Lovecraft,Jonathan Swift,A. Merritt,Voltaire,Claude Lalumière,Rich Larson,Rachael K. Jones,George Allan England,Patrick Parrinder,Austin Hall,William R.D. Wood,John Walters,Bo Balder,Maria Haskins,Garrett P. Serviss,Sunil Patel,Jennifer Rachel Baumer,Laura Pearlman,Robert Potter,Tim Pieraccini,Angus McIntyre,Suo Hefu,George Chesney,Stephen G. Parks,Eric Reitan,S.A. Westerley) |
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| 31 |  Robots & Artificial Intelligence Short Stories(By: George Cotronis,Rich Larson,Rachael K. Jones,Bruce Golden,Holly Lyn Walrath,Monte Lin,Eleanor R. Wood,David Sklar,Nemma Wollenfang,Deborah Davitt,Trixie Nisbet,Luke Dormehl,Roan Clay,Jeff Deck,Christopher Geeson,Rob Hartzell,Nathaniel Hosford,Chloie Piveral,Claire Sorrenson,Sara Uckelman) |
| 32 |  American Gothic Short Stories(By: Ramsey Campbell,Lucy A. Snyder,Lina Rather,Sean Logan,Wendy Nikel,Christi Nogle,Lynette Mejía,Madison McSweeney,Russell James,M.Regan,Monika Elbert,Terri Bruce,Maxx Fidalgo,Joshua Hiles,Clayton Kroh,Joe Nazare,Rebecca Ring,Mike Robinson,Valerie B. Williams,Nemma Wollenfang) |
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| 34 |  Cosy Crime Short Stories(By: Arthur Conan Doyle,E.E. King,G.K. Chesterton,R. Austin Freeman,Arnold Bennett,Edgar Wallace,Arthur Morrison,Martin Edwards,Ernest Bramah,Maurice Leblanc,Amanda C. Davis,Stephanie Bedwell-Grime,Emmuska Orczy,Israel Zangwill,Anna Katharine Green,Catherine Louisa Pirkis,Flame Tree Studio,Andrew Forrester,Nancy Sweetland,Jeffrey B. Burton,Louise Taylor,Annette Siketa,Philip Brian Hall,Tom Mead,C.B. Channell,Michael Martin Garrett,Trixie Nisbet,Joshua Boyce,Sarah Holly Bryant,Gregory Von Dare,B. David Spicer,Elise Warner,Anton Chekhov) |
| 35 |  Haunted House Short Stories(By: Edgar Allan Poe,O. Henry,Elizabeth Gaskell,J. Sheridan Le Fanu,Guy de Maupassant,E. Nesbit,Rudyard Kipling,Ramsey Campbell,Ambrose Bierce,W.W. Jacobs,H.P. Lovecraft,Mark Twain,Edith Wharton,Mary Elizabeth Braddon,Charlotte Perkins Gilman,M.R. James,Charlotte Eliza Riddell,E.F. Benson,William Hope Hodgson,Mary E. Wilkins Freeman,Edward Bulwer-Lytton,John Everson,Arthur Quiller-Couch,Rhoda Broughton,Bernard Capes,Gwendolyn Kiste,Hugh Walpole,Ralph Adams Cram,Mikal Trimm,Mrs. Oliphant,Zach Shephard,B.M. Croker,Shannon Fay,Morgan Sylvia,Kurt Newton,Tom English,Adele Gardner,Rebecca Buchanan,Rebecca Janicker,H.B. Diaz,Marina Favila,Bill Kte'pi,M.Regan) |
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| 38 |  Urban Crime Short Stories(By: Ramsey Campbell,Josh Pachter,Judi Calhoun,David Tallerman,Rich Larson,Meg Elison,Dan Micklethwaite,Thana Niveau,Michael Penncavage,T.J. Berg,Chris Wheatley,Alexandra Renwick,Leo X. Robertson,K.W. Roberts,Rachel Watts,Jennifer Quail,Trixie Nisbet,Christopher P. Semtner,C.L. McDaniel,Salinda Tyson) |
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| 49 | Witches, Wizards, Seers & Healers Myths & Tales(By: Abbie Farwell Brown,Andrew Lang,Jacob Grimm,Wilhelm Grimm,Joseph Jacobs,Yei Theodora Ozaki,Douglas Hyde,Thomas Malory,Jeremiah Curtin,Henry Rowe Schoolcraft,Lewis Spence,Algernon Bertram Freeman-Mitford,James Mooney,Charles Godfrey Leland,Florence Holbrook,E.A. Wallis Budge,Richard Wilhelm,F. Hadland Davis,Norman Hinsdale Pitman,Yi Ryuk,Charles Montgomery Skinner,Edmund Leamy,Sophia Morrison,William Elliot Griffis,James Scarth Gale,Elphinstone Dayrell,Alice Werner,M.I. Ogumefu,William Butler Yeats,Diane Purkiss,George W. Bateman,Elsie Finnimore Buckley,Margaret Compton,Jonathan Ceredig Davies,George Douglas,Alice Elizabeth Dracott,George Grey,Francis Hindes Groome,H.A. Guerber,Eleanor Hull,W.F. Kirby,Ignác Kúnos,Minnie Martin,Frederick H. Martens,W.R.S. Ralston,A.G. Seklemian,Chauncy Hugh Stigand,J.R. Walker,E.T.C. Werner,William Drake Westervelt,Lady Wilde,Albert Henry Wratislaw) |
| 50 | Witches, Wizards, Seers & Healers Myths & Tales(By: Abbie Farwell Brown,Andrew Lang,Jacob Grimm,Wilhelm Grimm,Joseph Jacobs,Yei Theodora Ozaki,Douglas Hyde,Thomas Malory,Jeremiah Curtin,Henry Rowe Schoolcraft,Lewis Spence,James Mooney,Charles Godfrey Leland,Florence Holbrook,E.A. Wallis Budge,Richard Wilhelm,F. Hadland Davis,Norman Hinsdale Pitman,Yi Ryuk,Charles Montgomery Skinner,Edmund Leamy,Sophia Morrison,William Elliot Griffis,James Scarth Gale,Elphinstone Dayrell,Alice Werner,M.I. Ogumefu,William Butler Yeats,Diane Purkiss,George W. Bateman,Elsie Finnimore Buckley,Margaret Compton,Jonathan Ceredig Davies,George Douglas,Alice Elizabeth Dracott,George Grey,Francis Hindes Groome,H.A. Guerber,Eleanor Hull,W.F. Kirby,Ignác Kúnos,Minnie Martin,Frederick H. Martens,W.R.S. Ralston,A.G. Seklemian,Chauncy Hugh Stigand,J.R. Walker,E.T.C. Werner,William Drake Westervelt,Lady Wilde,Albert Henry Wratislaw) |
| 51 | Black Sci-Fi Short Stories(By: K. Tempest Bradford,Russell Nichols,Wole Talabi,W.E.B. Du Bois,Tara Campbell,Walidah Imarisha,James Beamon,Martin R. Delany,Sandra M. Grayson,Patty Nicole Johnson,Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins,Temi Oh,Michelle F. Goddard,Tia Ross,Harambee K. Grey-Sun,Sutton E. Griggs,Emmalia Harrington,Edward Johnson,Megan Pindling,Sylvie Soul,Lyle Stiles) |
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Marvel's Voices Series
Ongoing18 books (2020–2024)
Marvel's Voices is an ongoing anthology series that began in 2020 and has published 18 books through 2024, with more titles to come. The series features diverse creative teams exploring various themes including Indigenous perspectives, community, identity, legacy, and pride within the Marvel Universe. Each installment focuses on different characters and stories, with some themes receiving multiple volumes throughout the series. Reading these books in publication order provides the intended experience of how the series has evolved since its debut with Indigenous Voices.
Start with Indigenous Voices(By: Rebecca Roanhorse,Darcie Little Badger,Jeffrey Veregge), the first of 18 books in the Marvel's Voices series.
Start this series with Indigenous Voices(By: Rebecca Roanhorse,Darcie Little Badger,Jeffrey Veregge)
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Sabretooth (2022) Series
Ongoing2 books (2022–2024)
Victor LaValle's Sabretooth series is an ongoing fantasy-horror franchise that currently contains two books published between 2022 and 2024. The series should be read in publication order, beginning with Sabretooth: The Adversary followed by Sabretooth & The Exiles. More installments are planned for this expanding saga.
Start with Sabretooth: The Adversary and read in order.
Start this series with Sabretooth: The Adversary
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Short Stories/Novellas Series
Complete4 books (2012–2019)
Victor LaValle's collection of four short stories and novellas spans from 2012 to 2019 and should be read in publication order beginning with Lucretia and the Kroons. The complete series comprises Lucretia and the Kroons, Ancient History, The Ballad of Black Tom, and Up from Slavery, blending fantasy and horror elements throughout. These standalone entries showcase LaValle's range across both genres within a compact format.
Start with Lucretia and the Kroons, the first of 4 books in the Short Stories/Novellas series.
Start this series with Lucretia and the Kroons
Buy Book 1 🇺🇸🎧 Listen free on Audible
Short Story Collections Series
Complete1 book (1999–1999)
Standalone Novels Series
Likely Complete5 books (2002–2023)
Victor LaValle's five standalone novels span from 2002 to 2023 and should be read in publication order: The Ecstatic, Big Machine, The Devil in Silver, The Changeling, and Lone Women. Each book operates as an independent story rather than a continuous narrative, making them accessible as individual reads while allowing readers to follow LaValle's evolution as a writer across two decades. The series appears to be complete, showcasing the author's work in fantasy and horror genres.
Start with The Ecstatic, the first of 5 books in the Standalone Novels series.
Start this series with The Ecstatic
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Victor LaValle's Destroyer Series
Complete6 books (2017–2017)
Victor LaValle's Destroyer is a complete fantasy horror series comprising six books published beginning in 2017. The books should be read in publication order, starting with Destroyer #1 and continuing through Destroyer #6. All six installments were released during the initial publication period, making this a finished series for readers seeking a complete narrative arc.
Start with Destroyer #1, the first of 6 books in the Victor LaValle's Destroyer series.
Start this series with Destroyer #1
Buy Book 1 🇺🇸🎧 Listen free on AudibleFrequently Asked Questions
- How many books has Victor LaValle written?
- Victor LaValle has written 162 books across 11 series. Their published works span from 1667 to 2026.
- What is the first book in each Victor LaValle series?
- Here are the first books in Victor LaValle's series: Anthologies: Scoot Over, Skinny: The Fat Nonfiction Anthology; Black Stars: 2043...(A Merman I Should Turn to Be)(By: Nisi Shawl); Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Bestiary: Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Bestiary #1(With: Ben Meares); Eve: Eve #1; Gothic Fantasy: Paradise Lost & Other Poems(By: John Milton).
- What order should I read Victor LaValle's books?
- We recommend reading Victor LaValle's series in publication order. Each series can be read independently.
- Is Victor LaValle still writing new books?
- Yes, Victor LaValle has 4 ongoing series: Anthologies, Gothic Fantasy, Marvel's Voices, Sabretooth (2022).