Downside Ghosts
#5183.99 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 5 books Status Unfinished 2010–2012 Reading commitment Medium Stacia Kane Last reviewed 2026-11-06
Overview
Downside Ghosts, also called the Chess Putnam series, is an urban fantasy series by Stacia Kane, published by Del Rey from 2010. It is set in a dark world where the dead rose and killed millions about twenty-four years earlier, and the Church of Real Truth took power afterwards. Most ghosts are banished to an underground prison. The narrator, Chess Putnam, is a tattooed witch and ghost debunker who works for the Church, is secretly addicted to drugs and owes money to a drug lord, which draws her into dangerous jobs involving black magic. Five novels appeared between 2010 and 2012, followed by the novella-length Wrong Ways Down in 2013. A further book has been listed as untitled with no release date.
Urban fantasy, Dark fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (5 works) counts toward ranking
Downside Ghosts Stacia Kane
| Cover | Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Unholy Ghosts; Del Rey paperback, June 2010 | 2010 | 1 | core | 3.66 (16,832 ratings) |
 | Unholy Magic; Del Rey paperback, July 2010 | 2010 | 2 | core | 4.07 (10,537 ratings) |
 | City of Ghosts; Del Rey paperback, August 2010 | 2010 | 3 | core | 4.22 (9,448 ratings) |
 | Sacrificial Magic; Del Rey paperback, March 2012 | 2012 | 4 | core | 4.21 (6,779 ratings) |
 | Chasing Magic; Del Rey paperback, June 2012 | 2012 | 5 | core | 4.20 (5,680 ratings) |
Chess Putnam, a witch and ghost debunker, takes dangerous jobs in a Church-ruled world where the dead rose.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Downside Ghosts? Downside Ghosts's Core Canon is 5 books.
- What is the reading order for Downside Ghosts? Publication order, starting with Unholy Ghosts. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Downside Ghosts finished? Unfinished (2010–2012).
- How much reading does Downside Ghosts take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 5 Core Canon books).
- How is Downside Ghosts ranked? #518 in this site's official ranking, based on 49,276 reader ratings across 5 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #518?
Ranked #518 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.99 across 5 core books.
- A smaller readership (49,276 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 3.66 to 4.22.
- Less than 0.01 behind #517, Temeraire (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 5 books · Unfinished · 49k ratings · Ranks #518 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length urban fantasy universe.
Reading order
Publication order (5 Core Canon books)
- City of Ghosts (2010)
- Unholy Ghosts (2010)
- Unholy Magic (2010)
- Chasing Magic (2012)
- Sacrificial Magic (2012)
Documented internal/story order
- Unholy Ghosts (2010)
- Unholy Magic (2010)
- City of Ghosts (2010)
- Sacrificial Magic (2012)
- Chasing Magic (2012)
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.99 across 49,276 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: 14 universes from the candidate register (Devil's Isle to El dimoni abans de nosaltres); 3 candidates ruled out accepted 2026-11-06
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Black Gate Tier 2
- Urban Fantasy Wiki Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-11-06
Rule: Core Canon = Unholy Ghosts (2010), Unholy Magic (2010), City of Ghosts (2010), Sacrificial Magic (2012), Chasing Magic (2012). (Wrong Ways Down, 2013, and short stories are not core)