The Ultimate Fantasy Series Ranking

Book page

Cover of The Riddle

The Riddle

core novel 2004 The Books of Pellinor

Record

First published2004
Original language EN
Work typenovel
Canon statuscore
Reader rating4.12 (22,359 ratings, collected 2026-09-05)
First-edition ISBN9780143008880
Internal chronology2

Synopsis

In the second novel of the Pellinor quartet, Maerad and her mentor Cadvan continue their journey across the Seven Kingdoms, searching Schools and remote realms for clues to her destiny and to the nature of the Treesong, an object or lore tied to the fate of the world. Their travels bring them into contact with Arkan, the Winterking, an ancient and powerful Elidhu allied with the Nameless One, whose interference in Maerad's path leads to her capture. Isolated from Cadvan, Maerad is forced to confront both external danger and a growing darkness within herself, straining her trust in her own powers and in the bond she shares with her mentor, even as the wider war against the Nameless One continues to gather force around them.

Where it sits

Notes

  • From the series record (The Books of Pellinor): Original Australian first editions, published by Penguin Books Australia; US editions from Candlewick Press retitled the first volume 'The Naming' and released each book roughly a year after its original Australian edition.

Neighbouring works

Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings, but they resolve to the exact same sequence for this book, so one combined line is shown instead of two identical ones.

  • Reading order, within the series The Books of Pellinor: position 2 of 4: previous The Gift (2002) · next The Crow (2008)

Sources

← The Books of Pellinor dossier · All universes

Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.