Crossroads
#5673.76 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Complete 2006–2010 Reading commitment Medium Kate Elliott Last reviewed 2026-09-05
Overview
Crossroads is a completed epic fantasy trilogy by Kate Elliott, set in the Hundred, a land governed by an ancient order of immortal Guardians. It follows the reeve Joss and the exiled couple Mai and Anji as a foreign invasion and the return of corrupted Guardians tear the Hundred's fragile peace apart.
Epic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
Crossroads Kate Elliott
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Spirit Gate | 2006 | 1 | core | 3.59 (4,060 ratings) |
 | Shadow Gate | 2008 | 2 | core | 3.88 (2,291 ratings) |
 | Traitors' Gate | 2010 | 3 | core | 3.99 (1,972 ratings) |
The founding trilogy of the Hundred, following reeve Joss and the exiled couple Mai and Anji as the Hundred's fragile order collapses under a foreign invasion and the return of immortal Guardians.
Library / Expanded (1 work)
- Black Wolves (2015) ; Set in the Hundred decades after the founding trilogy, with a new cast; originally planned as its own trilogy but released as a single standalone volume after the follow-up books were not published. Classified Expanded rather than Core: a separate later story arc in the same setting, not part of the founding trilogy's own continuous narrative.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Crossroads? Crossroads's Core Canon is 3 books, plus 1 more in the wider Library/Expanded material.
- What is the reading order for Crossroads? Publication order, starting with Spirit Gate. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Crossroads finished? Complete (2006–2010).
- How much reading does Crossroads take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books · ~1,574 pages).
- How is Crossroads ranked? #567 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 8,323 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #567?
Ranked #567 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 3.76 across 3 core books.
- A smaller readership (8,323 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 3.59 to 3.99.
- Less than 0.01 behind #566, Chronicles of the Wolf Queen (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Modestly rated · 3 books · Complete · 8k ratings · Ranks #567 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 (3 Core Canon books)
- Spirit Gate (2006)
- Shadow Gate (2008)
- Traitors' Gate (2010)
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.
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Suggestions computed from what Crossroads 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 Sharing Knife Romantasy / Epic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 3.89
- The Long Price Quartet Epic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 3.88
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.76 across 8,323 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: Crossroads admitted; Core Canon is the founding trilogy accepted 2026-09-05
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: Crossroads (book series) Tier 2
- Reactor (formerly Tor.com): Sleeps With Monsters on Kate Elliott's Crossroads Trilogy Tier 3
Last reviewed: 2026-09-05
Rule: Core Canon is the founding trilogy: Spirit Gate (2006), Shadow Gate (2008), and Traitors' Gate (2010). Black Wolves (2015), set generations later with a new cast and originally planned as its own trilogy before the follow-up books went unpublished, is Expanded Canon: a separate later story arc in the same setting, not part of the founding trilogy's own continuous narrative.