Book of the Ancestor
#724.25 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Complete 2017–2019 Reading commitment Medium Mark Lawrence Last reviewed 2026-08-11
Overview
Mark Lawrence's Book of the Ancestor (Red Sister, 2017; Grey Sister, 2018; Holy Sister, 2019) follows Nona Grey through a convent that trains assassin-nuns, on Abeth, a dying world under a shrinking band of habitable sunlight. A 2nd, unrelated universe from Lawrence, explicitly flagged as a separate continuity at Broken Empire's own admission.
Grimdark · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
Book of the Ancestor Mark Lawrence
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Red Sister | 2017 | core | 4.16 (64,322 ratings) |
 | Grey Sister | 2018 | core | 4.35 (39,253 ratings) |
 | Holy Sister | 2019 | core | 4.30 (32,395 ratings) |
A completed trilogy set on Abeth, a different world from Lawrence's Broken Empire -- explicitly named as a separate continuity at Broken Empire's own admission, confirmed here rather than assumed. Red Sister was a 2018 David Gemmell Legend Award finalist for Best Fantasy Novel, independently corroborated via both Wikipedia and sfadb.com; no individual award record was found for Grey Sister or Holy Sister in either source.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Book of the Ancestor? Book of the Ancestor's Core Canon is 3 books.
- What is the reading order for Book of the Ancestor? Publication order, starting with Red Sister. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Book of the Ancestor finished? Complete (2017–2019).
- How much reading does Book of the Ancestor take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books).
- How is Book of the Ancestor ranked? #72 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 135,970 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #72?
Ranked #72 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 4.25 across 3 core books.
- Backed by 136k reader ratings.
- Less than 0.01 behind #71, When the Angels Left the Old Country (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Highly rated · 3 books · Complete · 136k ratings · Ranks #72 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length grimdark fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- Red Sister (2017)
- Grey Sister (2018)
- Holy Sister (2019)
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
Related universes
- Same author The Broken Empire: Both by Mark Lawrence, set in the same broad multiverse he has described in interviews, but Book of the Ancestor takes place on Abeth, a different world from Broken Empire's post-apocalyptic Earth, with no shared characters or plot -- explicitly scoped as a separate continuity at Broken Empire's own admission.
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Suggestions computed from what Book of the Ancestor and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
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- The Nevernight Chronicle Dark fantasy / Grimdark · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.29
- The Poppy War Grimdark / Epic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.22
- The Tide Child Trilogy Grimdark · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.21
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.25 across 135,970 ratings on 3 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Run 2: 3 admissions -- The Founders Trilogy, The Empyrean, Book of the Ancestor accepted 2026-08-11
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Related universes: see the Related universes section above.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-11
Rule: Core = the 3 completed novels (2017-2019). No Expanded Canon found.