Circle of Magic (Emelan)
#2014.12 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 11 books Status Ongoing 1997–present Reading commitment High Tamora Pierce Last reviewed 2026-08-07
Overview
Tamora Pierce's second major fantasy universe (Scholastic, 1997-present) is a wholly separate world from her own Tortall: the world of Emelan, where magic is worked through everyday crafts (weaving, smithing, cooking, plant-lore) rather than swordplay and knighthood. Four orphaned, dangerously unstable child mages, Sandry, Tris, Daja, and Briar, are gathered by the mage Niklaren Goldeye at Winding Circle temple and taught to master their gifts together, each specializing in a different craft-based power such as thread, weather, smithing and fire, or plants. The saga follows them across three sub-series spanning childhood to early adulthood: the original Circle of Magic quartet (1997-1999), the Circle Opens quartet, set four years later with each protagonist now a teacher in turn, and the open-ended Circle Reforged sequence, including the standalones The Will of the Empress and Battle Magic. The series has drawn favorable notice from Booklist, Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal, and NPR included it among its "Top 100 Teen Books."
Epic fantasy · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (11 works) counts toward ranking
Circle of Magic Tamora Pierce
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Sandry's Book | 1997 | 1 | core | 4.03 (45,430 ratings) |
 | Tris's Book | 1998 | 2 | core | 4.12 (34,424 ratings) |
 | Daja's Book | 1998 | 3 | core | 4.13 (31,871 ratings) |
 | Briar's Book | 1999 | 4 | core | 4.20 (32,349 ratings) |
Also published under alternate US titles (The Magic in the Weaving, etc.) in later reissues; original titles used here per the author's own bibliography.
The Circle Opens Tamora Pierce
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Magic Steps | 2000 | 5 | core | 4.05 (24,861 ratings) |
 | Street Magic | 2001 | 6 | core | 4.18 (24,965 ratings) |
 | Cold Fire | 2002 | 7 | core | 4.11 (22,880 ratings) |
 | Shatterglass | 2003 | 8 | core | 4.22 (23,907 ratings) |
Second Emelan quartet, set 4 years after The Circle of Magic; each volume follows one of the same four protagonists as a teacher.
The Circle Reforged Tamora Pierce
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Will of the Empress | 2005 | 9 | core | 4.21 (22,287 ratings) |
 | Melting Stones | 2007 | 10 | core | 3.87 (13,113 ratings) |
 | Battle Magic | 2013 | 11 | core | 4.11 (8,825 ratings) |
Open sequence -- a 4th book (following Trisana Chandler at Lightsbridge under an assumed name) is pending per the author's own series page, with no title or date announced as of 2026-08-07; isn't counted here yet.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Circle of Magic (Emelan)? Circle of Magic (Emelan)'s Core Canon is 11 books.
- What is the reading order for Circle of Magic (Emelan)? Publication order, starting with Sandry's Book. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Circle of Magic (Emelan) finished? Ongoing (1997–present).
- How much reading does Circle of Magic (Emelan) take? High reading commitment (estimated from 11 Core Canon books · ~3,267 pages).
- How is Circle of Magic (Emelan) ranked? #201 in this site's official ranking, based on 284,912 reader ratings across 11 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #201?
Ranked #201 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.12 across 11 core books.
- Backed by 285k reader ratings.
- Less than 0.01 behind #200, Dragaera (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Highly rated · 11 books · Ongoing · 285k ratings · Ranks #201 overall
Good choice if you want a long-running epic fantasy universe that's still ongoing, with new books still coming.
Reading order
Publication order (11 Core Canon books)
- Sandry's Book (1997)
- Daja's Book (1998)
- Tris's Book (1998)
- Briar's Book (1999)
- Magic Steps (2000)
- Street Magic (2001)
- Cold Fire (2002)
- Shatterglass (2003)
- The Will of the Empress (2005)
- Melting Stones (2007)
- Battle Magic (2013)
Documented internal/story order
- Sandry's Book (1997)
- Tris's Book (1998)
- Daja's Book (1998)
- Briar's Book (1999)
- Magic Steps (2000)
- Street Magic (2001)
- Cold Fire (2002)
- Shatterglass (2003)
- The Will of the Empress (2005)
- Melting Stones (2007)
- Battle Magic (2013)
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
Related universes
- Same author Tortall: Both by Tamora Pierce. Circle of Magic (Emelan) is confirmed an entirely separate world from Tortall, sharing no characters, geography, or history.
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what Circle of Magic (Emelan) and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- Deltora Quest Epic fantasy · Ongoing · High commitment · 4.01
- The Edge Chronicles Epic fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.18
- Redwall Epic fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.09
- Ranger's Apprentice Epic fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.30
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.12 across 284,912 ratings on 11 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Circle of Magic (Emelan) admitted; Core Canon = all 11 published novels across 3 sub-series as one continuous saga accepted 2026-08-07
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Related universes: see the Related universes section above.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-07
Rule: Core = all 11 published novels across all 3 sub-series (Circle of Magic, The Circle Opens, The Circle Reforged), treated as one continuous saga since the same four protagonists carry the story across all of them, the multi-arc-as-one-Core pattern (also applied to Kushiel's Legacy, Tortall, and The Grishaverse). In progress: a 4th Circle Reforged volume is pending per the author's own site, no title/date announced.