Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians
#3004.05 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 6 books Status Complete 2007–2022 Reading commitment Medium Brandon Sanderson Last reviewed 2026-08-13
Overview
A middle-grade comic-fantasy series narrated by Alcatraz Smedry, a boy who inherits the hereditary Smedry Talent of breaking things on purpose. Raised in foster care with no knowledge of his real family, thirteen-year-old Alcatraz discovers a secret war against the Evil Librarians, a shadowy cabal that controls most of the real world's information and suppresses magical "Silimatic" technology, including his own Talent, hidden in the Free Kingdoms across the globe; he is pulled into a mission to recover a mysterious bag of sand from the librarians alongside other members of his eccentric, talent-bearing family. Brandon Sanderson's series, begun in 2007, blends genuine danger and mystery with a heavily comic tone, giving each Smedry an outlandish inherited "Talent," from speaking utter nonsense to making rude noises at inopportune moments, played for laughs even as the plot's stakes escalate.
Comic fantasy · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (6 works) counts toward ranking
Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians Brandon Sanderson
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians | 2007 | 1 | core | 3.92 (37,356 ratings) |
 | Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones | 2008 | 2 | core | 4.14 (19,435 ratings) |
 | Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia | 2009 | 3 | core | 4.13 (16,090 ratings) |
 | Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens | 2010 | 4 | core | 4.13 (14,026 ratings) |
 | The Dark Talent | 2016 | 5 | core | 4.12 (10,164 ratings) |
A middle-grade comic-fantasy series about a boy who can deliberately break things, opposing a secret cabal of librarians who suppress fantastical 'Silimatic' technology hidden across the real world. Books 1-5 solely authored by Brandon Sanderson (already known for the Cosmere and the Wheel of Time). No true connection to either of those universes -- a wholly separate, standalone continuity.
Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians (book 6) Brandon Sanderson, Janci Patterson
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians | 2022 | 6 | core | 4.09 (6,208 ratings) |
Book 6, a narrator switch to Bastille, was co-authored by Janci Patterson -- per Brandon Sanderson's own site, he 'had some trouble getting Bastille's voice right' and brought in Patterson as co-author. This is tracked as a secondary co-author on that one book, the same way this project already handles Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon's Valdemar co-authorship; the series as a whole is still credited to Sanderson as the flagship author.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians? Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians's Core Canon is 6 books.
- What is the reading order for Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians? Publication order, starting with Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians finished? Complete (2007–2022).
- How much reading does Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 6 Core Canon books).
- How is Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians ranked? #300 in this site's official ranking, based on 103,279 reader ratings across 6 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #300?
Ranked #300 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.05 across 6 core books.
- Backed by 103k reader ratings.
- Less than 0.01 behind #299, The Coldfire Trilogy (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 6 books · Complete · 103k ratings · Ranks #300 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length comic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (6 Core Canon books)
- Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians (2007)
- Alcatraz Versus the Scrivener's Bones (2008)
- Alcatraz Versus the Knights of Crystallia (2009)
- Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens (2010)
- The Dark Talent (2016)
- Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians (2022)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- No major awards found; see Research notes for the regional children's-choice reader awards this series has been nominated for.
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Official resources
- Wikipedia: Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians
- Brandon Sanderson: Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians series page
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.05 across 103,279 ratings on 6 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians admitted; Core Canon = all 6 novels accepted 2026-08-13
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians Tier 2
- Brandon Sanderson: Alcatraz vs. the Evil Librarians series page Tier 1
Last reviewed: 2026-08-13
Rule: Core Canon = all 6 novels: books 1–5 (2007–2016) solely by Brandon Sanderson (already known for the Cosmere and the Wheel of Time, but a wholly separate, standalone continuity from either); book 6, Bastille vs. the Evil Librarians (2022), a narrator switch to Bastille, co-authored by Janci Patterson, tracked as a secondary co-author on that one book, the same way this canon already handles Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon's Valdemar co-authorship -- the series as a whole is still credited to Sanderson.