The Ultimate Fantasy Series Ranking

Research dossier

Die Trolle

#9933.70 adjusted 3.80 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking

Books 5 books Status Unfinished 2006–2013 Reading commitment Medium Christoph Hardebusch Last reviewed 2026-10-30

Overview

Christoph Hardebusch’s debut, Die Trolle (2006), launched a German epic fantasy about an uneasy alliance of humans and trolls, published by Heyne after its bestsellers Die Orks and Die Elfen. The human characters Sten, Vicinia and Flores stand at the centre of a war between peoples, while the trolls, among them the powerful and unpredictable Pard, become ever more important as the series goes on. The trilogy (2006 to 2008) was followed by Der Krieg der Trolle (2012) and Die dunkle Horde (2013). Die Trolle won the 2007 Deutscher Phantastik Preis for best German-language debut. Its success let Hardebusch become a full-time writer.

Epic fantasy · For Adult

Core Canon: Reading Order (5 works) counts toward ranking

Die Trolle Christoph Hardebusch

WorkYearInternal chron.CanonRating
Cover of Die TrolleDie Trolle20061core3.64 (662 ratings)
Cover of Die Schlacht der TrolleDie Schlacht der Trolle20072core3.71 (299 ratings)
Cover of Der Zorn der TrolleDer Zorn der Trolle20083core3.75 (212 ratings)
Cover of Der Krieg der TrolleDer Krieg der Trolle20124core3.89 (112 ratings)
Cover of Die dunkle HordeDie dunkle Horde; Published by Heyne in December 2013 as a Trolle novel; listed by the author among the Trolle books.2013N/AcoreN/A

Trilogy and a fourth novel, Heyne, 2006 to 2012.

Quick answers

Why is it ranked #993?

Ranked #993 in the official ranking.

One Core Canon book here doesn't have a recorded rating yet and isn't counted above: “Die dunkle Horde” (awaiting ordinary reader-rating data collection. It will be folded back into this universe's ranking once its rating is recorded.).

How the ranking works →

Why explore this universe?

Modestly rated · 5 books · Unfinished · 1k ratings · Ranks #993 overall

Good choice if you want a moderate-length epic fantasy universe.

Reading order

Publication order (5 Core Canon books)

  1. Die Trolle (2006)
  2. Die Schlacht der Trolle (2007)
  3. Der Zorn der Trolle (2008)
  4. Der Krieg der Trolle (2012)
  5. Die dunkle Horde (2013)

Documented internal/story order: 4 of 5 Core Canon books

  1. Die Trolle (2006)
  2. Die Schlacht der Trolle (2007)
  3. Der Zorn der Trolle (2008)
  4. Der Krieg der Trolle (2012)

Internal chronology is documented for 4 of 5 Core Canon books; the remaining 1 are not yet mapped onto the same ordinal scale.

Awards (verified)

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Suggestions computed from what Die Trolle and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.

Official resources

Research details

Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.70 across 1,285 ratings on 4 Core Canon books. 1 additional Core Canon book hasn't been rated yet, so it isn't counted here. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.

How do we know this?

Admission: Canon Extension: Die Trolle (Christoph Hardebusch, 4 books) accepted 2026-10-30

Sources: (see source tier definitions)

Last reviewed: 2026-10-30

Rule: Core Canon = the five Trolle novels: Die Trolle (2006), Die Schlacht der Trolle (2007), Der Zorn der Trolle (2008), Der Krieg der Trolle (2012) and Die dunkle Horde (2013).

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