Bran Mak Morn
#4923.86 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 5 books Status Complete 1927–1932 Reading commitment Medium Robert E. Howard Last reviewed 2026-08-12
Overview
Robert E. Howard's last king of the Picts, resisting Roman conquest of ancient Caledonia -- from the same Weird Tales sword-and-sorcery era as Kull, Conan, and Solomon Kane.
Sword & sorcery, Historical fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (5 works) counts toward ranking
Bran Mak Morn (lifetime-published stories) Robert E. Howard
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Lost Race | 1927 | 1 | core | 3.29 (51 ratings) |
 | Kings of the Night | 1930 | 2 | core | 3.92 (79 ratings) |
 | The Children of the Night | 1931 | 3 | core | 2.85 (97 ratings) |
 | The Dark Man | 1931 | 4 | core | 3.89 (35 ratings) |
 | Worms of the Earth | 1932 | 5 | core | 4.09 (518 ratings) |
The 5 Bran Mak Morn stories Howard sold and saw published in his own lifetime (all Weird Tales, 1927-1932), per a dedicated Howard-scholarship bibliography (reh.world). 'The Lost Race' (Bran mentioned only as legend; the protagonist is a Gael, Cororuc) and 'The Children of the Night'/'The Dark Man' (in-story framing device narrators, not Bran himself) are included per that same scholarship source's own classification of the Bran Mak Morn cycle -- Worms of the Earth and Kings of the Night are the only 2 with Bran as the story's own on-page protagonist. 'Kings of the Night' (Weird Tales, November 1930) is a crossover: Kull of Atlantis (admitted separately this same run) is summoned via time-travel magic as a guest character to help Bran fight the Romans.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Bran Mak Morn? Bran Mak Morn's Core Canon is 5 books.
- What is the reading order for Bran Mak Morn? Publication order, starting with The Lost Race. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Bran Mak Morn finished? Complete (1927–1932).
- How much reading does Bran Mak Morn take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 5 Core Canon books · ~340 pages).
- How is Bran Mak Morn ranked? #492 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 780 reader ratings across 5 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #492?
Ranked #492 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 3.86 across 5 core books.
- A smaller readership (780 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 2.85 to 4.09.
- Less than 0.01 behind #491, The Kingston Cycle (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 5 books · Complete · 780 ratings · Ranks #492 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length sword-and-sorcery universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (5 Core Canon books)
- The Lost Race (1927)
- Kings of the Night (1930)
- The Children of the Night (1931)
- The Dark Man (1931)
- Worms of the Earth (1932)
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.
Related universes
- Crossover Kull of Atlantis: 'Kings of the Night' (Weird Tales, Nov. 1930) is a crossover: Kull of Atlantis is summoned via time-travel magic to fight alongside Bran Mak Morn against Rome. Registered under Bran Mak Morn's own Core Canon (he is the story's protagonist).
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.86 across 780 ratings on 5 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Bran Mak Morn admitted; Core Canon = the 5 Bran Mak Morn cycle stories published in Howard's lifetime (1927-1932) accepted 2026-08-12
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- The World of Robert E. Howard: Bran Mak Morn Tier 2
- Wikisource: Weird Tales, Volume 9, Issue 1 -- The Lost Race Tier 1
Related universes: see the Related universes section above.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-27
Rule: Core = the 5 Bran Mak Morn cycle stories Howard sold and saw published in his own lifetime (Weird Tales, 1927-1932): The Lost Race (1927), Kings of the Night (1930), The Children of the Night (1931), The Dark Man (1931), and Worms of the Earth (1932). Same textual-fidelity bright line as Conan/Solomon Kane/Kull.