The Ultimate Fantasy Series Ranking

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J. V. Jones

1 universe Last reviewed 2026-10-24

Julie Victoria Jones was born in 1963 in Liverpool, England, and is an American/British author. As a young reader she was influenced by Tolkien, Lewis, and Le Guin. Before becoming a novelist she held varied jobs, working as a barmaid in a Liverpool pub, then joining a local record label at age twenty. After relocating to San Diego, California, she ran an export business, worked as a computer consultant and software developer, and served as marketing director for an interactive software company. Jones's publishing career began with The Baker's Boy (1995), a bestseller, followed by two sequels, A Man Betrayed (1996) and Master and Fool (1997), together forming The Book of Words trilogy, which established her as one of the biggest new names in fantasy. She subsequently published the standalone novel The Barbed Coil (1997) and developed the Sword of Shadows series, including A Cavern of Black Ice (1999), A Fortress of Grey Ice (2002), A Sword from Red Ice (2007), and Watcher of the Dead (2010), with further volumes, Endlords and A Sword Named Loss, announced as forthcoming. Jones is known for dense, richly atmospheric epic fantasy exploring politics, betrayal, and survival in harsh northern landscapes.

Universe(s)

The Book of Words

  • Core Canon books: 7
  • Current rank: #530 in the official ranking
  • Weighted average: 3.93
  • Award recognitions: None recorded

Books

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