Avaryan Rising
#5383.80 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 6 books Status Complete 1986–2002 Reading commitment Medium Judith Tarr Last reviewed 2026-09-05
Overview
A six-novel epic fantasy sequence set in the sun-god-descended empire of Avaryan, published in two three-book story arcs between 1986 and 2002 and later reprinted as the omnibus collections Avaryan Rising and Avaryan Resplendent.
Epic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (6 works) counts toward ranking
Avaryan Rising Judith Tarr
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Hall of the Mountain King | 1986 | 1 | core | 3.79 (340 ratings) |
 | The Lady of Han-Gilen | 1987 | 2 | core | 3.85 (240 ratings) |
| A Fall of Princes | 1988 | 3 | core | 3.77 (246 ratings) | |
| Arrows of the Sun | 1993 | 4 | core | 3.77 (190 ratings) | |
| Spear of Heaven | 1994 | 5 | core | 3.73 (114 ratings) | |
| Tides of Darkness | 2002 | 6 | core | 3.93 (112 ratings) |
Six-book epic fantasy sequence set in the sun-god-descended empire of Avaryan, published as two story arcs (later reprinted in the omnibus collections Avaryan Rising, collecting the first three novels, and Avaryan Resplendent, collecting the final three). A separate universe from Tarr's The Hound and the Falcon, already in the canon.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Avaryan Rising? Avaryan Rising's Core Canon is 6 books.
- What is the reading order for Avaryan Rising? Publication order, starting with The Hall of the Mountain King. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Avaryan Rising finished? Complete (1986–2002).
- How much reading does Avaryan Rising take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 6 Core Canon books · ~1,758 pages).
- How is Avaryan Rising ranked? #538 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 1,242 reader ratings across 6 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #538?
Ranked #538 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 3.80 across 6 core books.
- A smaller readership (1,242 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #537, Eternal Sky (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 6 books · Complete · 1k ratings · Ranks #538 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length epic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (6 Core Canon books)
- The Hall of the Mountain King (1986)
- The Lady of Han-Gilen (1987)
- A Fall of Princes (1988)
- Arrows of the Sun (1993)
- Spear of Heaven (1994)
- Tides of Darkness (2002)
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 awards found for this universe.
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what Avaryan Rising and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The Library Trilogy Portal fantasy / Epic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 3.93
- Magic of the Lost Grimdark / Epic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 3.92
- Shadowmarch Epic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 3.91
- Their Bright Ascendency Epic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 3.90
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.80 across 1,242 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: Avaryan Rising admitted; Core Canon is all six novels of the sequence accepted 2026-09-05
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-09-05
Rule: Core Canon is all six novels of the sequence. A separate, unrelated universe from Judith Tarr's The Hound and the Falcon, already in the canon; no expanded material exists beyond the two omnibus repackagings, which are not separately catalogued.