Zen Cho Reading Order

14 books (2010–2022)

Zen Cho's Anthologies series spans thirteen books published between 2010 and 2022, with contributions appearing in speculative fiction collections ranging from urban mythic and steampunk themes to cyberpunk and horror. The series should be read in publication order, beginning with Bloody Fabulous and concluding with Someone in Time. This collection of anthologies represents the author's work across diverse fantasy and speculative fiction genres and is likely complete.

Start with Bloody Fabulous, the first of 13 books in the Anthologies series.

#	Title
1	Bloody Fabulous 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Heiresses of Russ 2011: The Year's Best Lesbian Speculative Fiction 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Steam-Powered 2 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Aliens: Recent Encounters 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Alchemy Press Book of Urban Mythic 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	The End of the Road 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Cyberpunk: Malaysia 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	The Apex Book of World SF 4 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	The Future of Horror 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	An Alphabet of Embers 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, Volume Thirteen 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	It Gets Even Better: Stories of Queer Possibility 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	The Best of World SF, Volume 1 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	Someone in Time 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

1 book (2014–2014)

#	Title
1	Spirits Abroad 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

6 books (2011–2016)

The Heiresses of Russ is a complete fantasy series by Zen Cho comprising six books published annually from 2011 to 2016. Each book was released one per year, with titles corresponding to their publication year. Read the series in publication order, beginning with Heiresses of Russ 2011 and concluding with Heiresses of Russ 2016.

Start with Heiresses of Russ 2011, the first of 6 books in the Heiresses of Russ series.

2 books (2011–2018)

This complete two-book fantasy series by Zen Cho was published between 2011 and 2018. The collection consists of The Terracotta Bride followed by If at First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again, and should be read in publication order. These short stories and novellas showcase Cho's distinctive fantasy storytelling across a compact yet satisfying series arc.

Start with The Terracotta Bride and read in order.

3 books (2012–2019)

Zen Cho's Sorcerer Royal series consists of three fantasy novels published between 2012 and 2019. The complete series should be read in publication order, beginning with The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo, followed by Sorcerer to the Crown, and concluding with The True Queen. This standalone-friendly trilogy explores magical worlds through interconnected stories set in the same universe.

Start with The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo and read in order.

#	Title
1	The Perilous Life of Jade Yeo 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Sorcerer to the Crown 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The True Queen 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

4 books (2020–2025)

Zen Cho has published four fantasy standalone novels between 2020 and 2025, with the series still ongoing. Each book in this collection stands alone and can be read independently, though reading them in publication order—beginning with The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water—allows you to experience Cho's evolving storytelling across The Friend Zone Experiment and Behind Frenemy Lines.

Start with The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water, the first of 4 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#	Title
1	The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected in Water 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Black Water Sister 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Friend Zone Experiment 2024Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Behind Frenemy Lines 2025Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible