Cal Leandros
#5923.96 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 12 books Status Unfinished 2006–2015 Reading commitment High Rob Thurman Last reviewed 2026-10-30
Overview
Rob Thurman’s New York urban fantasy (2006 to 2015) follows Caliban “Cal” Leandros, who is half human and half monster, and his brother Niko as they work the city’s supernatural underworld alongside the trickster Robin Goodfellow. The ten novels mix horror, sardonic humour and the loyalty between the brothers. The two Trickster novels, about Trixa Iktomi, a bar owner and information broker in Las Vegas, are set in the same world. The planned eleventh Cal Leandros book, Everwar, was cancelled.
Urban fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (12 works) counts toward ranking
Cal Leandros Rob Thurman
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Nightlife | 2006 | 1 | core | 3.65 (13,421 ratings) |
 | Moonshine | 2007 | 2 | core | 3.99 (6,845 ratings) |
 | Madhouse | 2008 | 3 | core | 4.05 (5,947 ratings) |
 | Deathwish | 2009 | 4 | core | 4.10 (6,058 ratings) |
 | Roadkill | 2010 | 5 | core | 4.09 (4,842 ratings) |
 | Blackout | 2011 | 6 | core | 4.15 (4,433 ratings) |
 | Doubletake | 2012 | 7 | core | 4.15 (3,392 ratings) |
 | Slashback | 2013 | 8 | core | 4.20 (2,702 ratings) |
 | Downfall | 2014 | 9 | core | 4.15 (1,800 ratings) |
 | Nevermore | 2015 | 10 | core | 3.87 (1,190 ratings) |
Ten novels, Roc, 2006 to 2015; an eleventh was cancelled.
Trickster Rob Thurman
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Trick of the Light | 2009 | 1 | core | 3.81 (3,315 ratings) |
 | The Grimrose Path | 2010 | 2 | core | 4.00 (1,777 ratings) |
Two novels set in the same world, Roc, 2009 to 2010.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Cal Leandros? Cal Leandros's Core Canon is 12 books.
- What is the reading order for Cal Leandros? Publication order, starting with Nightlife. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Cal Leandros finished? Unfinished (2006–2015).
- How much reading does Cal Leandros take? High reading commitment (estimated from 12 Core Canon books).
- How is Cal Leandros ranked? #592 in this site's official ranking, based on 55,722 reader ratings across 12 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #592?
Ranked #592 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.96 across 12 core books.
- A smaller readership (55,722 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 3.65 to 4.20.
- 0.06 behind #591, The Heroic Legend of Arslan (Arslan Senki).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 12 books · Unfinished · 56k ratings · Ranks #592 overall
Good choice if you want a long-running urban fantasy universe.
Reading order
Publication order (12 Core Canon books)
- Nightlife (2006)
- Moonshine (2007)
- Madhouse (2008)
- Deathwish (2009)
- Trick of the Light (2009)
- Roadkill (2010)
- The Grimrose Path (2010)
- Blackout (2011)
- Doubletake (2012)
- Slashback (2013)
- Downfall (2014)
- Nevermore (2015)
Documented internal/story order
- Nightlife (2006)
- Trick of the Light (2009)
- Moonshine (2007)
- The Grimrose Path (2010)
- Madhouse (2008)
- Deathwish (2009)
- Roadkill (2010)
- Blackout (2011)
- Doubletake (2012)
- Slashback (2013)
- Downfall (2014)
- Nevermore (2015)
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.96 across 55,722 ratings on 12 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: Cal Leandros (Rob Thurman, 12 books, with the Trickster novels) accepted 2026-10-30
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: Cal Leandros series Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Trickster series Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Rob Thurman Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-10-30
Rule: Core Canon = the ten Cal Leandros novels, Nightlife (2006) to Nevermore (2015), and the two Trickster novels set in the same world, Trick of the Light (2009) and The Grimrose Path (2010). Short fiction and the cancelled Everwar are not included; the author’s Korsak Brothers books are a separate world.