Darkside
#6493.94 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 5 books Status Complete 2007–2010 Reading commitment Medium Tom Becker Last reviewed 2026-11-05
Overview
British author Tom Becker published the five Darkside novels between 2007 and 2010. They are set in a hidden part of London called Darkside, a dangerous place of monsters and criminals ruled by the descendants of Jack the Ripper. Teenager Jonathan Starling, nearly kidnapped by a bounty hunter, ends up there and is drawn into its dangers with the help of the servant Raquella. Later books follow him as he returns to Darkside to solve a murder, to rescue a friend and to search for his missing mother. The series is finished.
Dark fantasy, Urban fantasy · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (5 works) counts toward ranking
Darkside Tom Becker
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Darkside | 2007 | 1 | core | 3.81 (1,829 ratings) |
 | Lifeblood | 2007 | 2 | core | 4.00 (613 ratings) |
| Nighttrap | 2008 | 3 | core | 4.12 (293 ratings) | |
 | Timecurse | 2009 | 4 | core | 4.29 (208 ratings) |
| Blackjack | 2010 | 5 | core | 4.35 (186 ratings) |
Jonathan Starling is drawn into Darkside, the hidden London borough founded by Jack the Ripper's family.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Darkside? Darkside's Core Canon is 5 books.
- What is the reading order for Darkside? Publication order, starting with Darkside. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Darkside finished? Complete (2007–2010).
- How much reading does Darkside take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 5 Core Canon books).
- How is Darkside ranked? #649 in this site's official ranking, based on 3,129 reader ratings across 5 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #649?
Ranked #649 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.94 across 5 core books.
- A smaller readership (3,129 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 3.81 to 4.35.
- Less than 0.01 behind #648, The Spiderwick Chronicles (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 5 books · Complete · 3k ratings · Ranks #649 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length dark fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (5 Core Canon books)
- Darkside (2007)
- Lifeblood (2007)
- Nighttrap (2008)
- Timecurse (2009)
- Blackjack (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)
- Waterstone's Children's Book Prize, 2007: won: Darkside
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Suggestions computed from what Darkside and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- Serafina Historical fantasy / Dark fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.08
- Ash Mistry Chronicles Urban fantasy / Mythic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.00
- Savvy Urban fantasy · Unfinished · Medium commitment · 4.00
- Magic Shop Urban fantasy · Unfinished · Medium commitment · 3.95
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.94 across 3,129 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: Canon Extension: 22 universes from the candidate register; Cursed Bunny ruled out; open synopses for Anna Strong, Allie Beckstrom and Alex Craft accepted 2026-11-05
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-11-05
Rule: Core Canon = the five Darkside novels, Darkside (2007) to Blackjack (2010).