Deltora Quest
#3264.01 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 8 books Status Ongoing 2000–present Reading commitment High Emily Rodda Last reviewed 2026-08-21
Overview
A children's fantasy world built around the kingdom of Deltora, whose protective Belt of Deltora has been stripped of its seven gems by an invading Shadow Lord. A young boy, Lief, and his companions set out to recover the gems and free the kingdom.
Epic fantasy · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (8 works) counts toward ranking
Deltora Quest Emily Rodda
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Forests of Silence | 2000 | 1 | core | 3.95 (18,073 ratings) |
 | The Lake of Tears | 2000 | 2 | core | 3.98 (11,186 ratings) |
 | City of the Rats | 2000 | 3 | core | 3.97 (11,828 ratings) |
 | The Shifting Sands | 2000 | 4 | core | 3.99 (10,176 ratings) |
 | Dread Mountain | 2001 | 5 | core | 4.02 (10,537 ratings) |
 | The Maze of the Beast | 2001 | 6 | core | 4.00 (10,128 ratings) |
 | The Valley of the Lost | 2001 | 7 | core | 4.09 (10,330 ratings) |
 | Return to Del | 2001 | 8 | core | 4.15 (10,161 ratings) |
Founding 8-book quest saga; the original Deltora Quest.
Library / Expanded (7 works)
Deltora Shadowlands Emily Rodda
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Cavern of the Fear | 2001 | 9 | N/A | |
 | The Isle of Illusion | 2002 | 10 | N/A | |
 | The Shadowlands | 2002 | 11 | N/A |
Direct sequel trilogy set immediately after Deltora Quest, same continuity.
Dragons of Deltora Emily Rodda
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Dragon's Nest | 2003 | 12 | N/A | |
 | Shadowgate | 2003 | 13 | N/A | |
 | Isle of the Dead | 2004 | 14 | N/A | |
 | The Sister of the South | 2004 | 15 | N/A |
Third Deltora sub-series, same world/continuity as the original quest.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Deltora Quest? Deltora Quest's Core Canon is 8 books, plus 7 more in the wider Library/Expanded material.
- What is the reading order for Deltora Quest? Publication order, starting with The Forests of Silence. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Deltora Quest finished? Ongoing (2000–present).
- How much reading does Deltora Quest take? High reading commitment (estimated from 8 Core Canon books · ~1,117 pages).
- How is Deltora Quest ranked? #326 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 92,419 reader ratings across 8 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #326?
Ranked #326 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 4.01 across 8 core books.
- A smaller readership (92,419 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #325, Septimus Heap (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 8 books · Ongoing · 92k ratings · Ranks #326 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 (8 Core Canon books)
- City of the Rats (2000)
- The Forests of Silence (2000)
- The Lake of Tears (2000)
- The Shifting Sands (2000)
- Dread Mountain (2001)
- Return to Del (2001)
- The Maze of the Beast (2001)
- The Valley of the Lost (2001)
Documented internal/story order
- The Forests of Silence (2000)
- The Lake of Tears (2000)
- City of the Rats (2000)
- The Shifting Sands (2000)
- Dread Mountain (2001)
- The Maze of the Beast (2001)
- The Valley of the Lost (2001)
- Return to Del (2001)
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.01 across 92,419 ratings on 8 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Deltora Quest admitted accepted 2026-08-21
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-08-21
Rule: Core Canon is the founding 8-book Deltora Quest saga (2000-2001). Deltora Shadowlands and Dragons of Deltora, direct same-continuity sequel trilogies, are Expanded Canon. Later spin-off sequences set in the same world were not researched this pass.