Fablehaven
#544.28 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 11 books Status Ongoing 2006–present Reading commitment High Brandon Mull Last reviewed 2026-10-06
Overview
Brandon Mull's Fablehaven is a hidden preserve for magical creatures, one of a worldwide network of sanctuaries that keep fairies, satyrs, dragons and demons out of the ordinary world and under the care of caretakers bound by old treaties. In the five Fablehaven novels (2006-2010), siblings Kendra and Seth Sorenson discover that their grandfather is Fablehaven's caretaker and are drawn into the race between the Knights of the Dawn and the Society of the Evening Star for the five artefacts that unlock the demon prison Zzyzx. In the five Dragonwatch novels (2017-2021), set in the same world, the dragons rise under their king Celebrant, and the siblings, made co-caretakers of the dragon sanctuary Wyrmroost, must revive the ancient order of Dragonwatch to hold the line. Ten novels, one world; a separate world from Mull's Beyonders.
Portal fantasy, Urban fantasy · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (11 works) counts toward ranking
Fablehaven Brandon Mull
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Fablehaven | 2006 | 1 | core | 4.14 (182,109 ratings) |
 | Rise of the Evening Star | 2007 | 2 | core | 4.19 (136,720 ratings) |
 | Grip of the Shadow Plague | 2008 | 3 | core | 4.31 (100,960 ratings) |
 | Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary | 2009 | 4 | core | 4.39 (97,125 ratings) |
 | Keys to the Demon Prison | 2010 | 5 | core | 4.46 (90,724 ratings) |
Brandon Mull's bestselling middle-grade series: siblings Kendra and Seth Sorenson discover that their grandfather is caretaker of Fablehaven, a hidden preserve for magical creatures, and are drawn into the race between the Knights of the Dawn and the Society of the Evening Star for the five artefacts that unlock the demon prison Zzyzx.
Dragonwatch Brandon Mull
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Dragonwatch | 2017 | 1 | core | 4.34 (21,498 ratings) |
 | Wrath of the Dragon King | 2018 | 2 | core | 4.40 (13,498 ratings) |
 | Master of the Phantom Isle | 2019 | 3 | core | 4.41 (11,562 ratings) |
 | Champion of the Titan Games | 2020 | 4 | core | 4.46 (9,510 ratings) |
 | Return of the Dragon Slayers | 2021 | 5 | core | 4.57 (8,056 ratings) |
The sequel series, set in the same world: Celebrant, King of the Dragons, leads an uprising against the dragon sanctuaries, and Kendra and Seth, appointed co-caretakers of Wyrmroost, must revive the ancient order of Dragonwatch to stop him.
Tales of Newel and Doren Brandon Mull
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Gorgon's Fury | 2025 | 1 | core | 4.00 (1,267 ratings) |
Spin-off series set in Fablehaven itself, starring the comic satyrs Newel and Doren; aimed at slightly younger readers than the main sequence. One volume published so far.
Library / Expanded (1 work)
Legend of the Dragon Slayer (2021) companion · 4.22 (1,005 ratings); Illustrated 53-page origin story of Dragonwatch (Shadow Mountain, May 2021, illustrated by Brandon Dorman), published between the fourth and fifth Dragonwatch books: Konrad the cobbler's son of the kingdom of Selona becomes the first Dragon Slayer. Expanded: a short illustrated companion, not a novel.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Fablehaven? Fablehaven's Core Canon is 11 books, plus 1 more in the wider Library/Expanded material.
- What is the reading order for Fablehaven? Publication order, starting with Fablehaven. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Fablehaven finished? Ongoing (2006–present).
- How much reading does Fablehaven take? High reading commitment (estimated from 11 Core Canon books · ~4,970 pages).
- How is Fablehaven ranked? #54 in this site's official ranking, based on 673,029 reader ratings across 11 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #54?
Ranked #54 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.28 across 11 core books.
- Backed by 673k reader ratings.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 4.00 to 4.57.
- 0.01 behind #53, Zamonia.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Top-tier rated · 11 books · Ongoing · 673k ratings · Ranks #54 overall
Good choice if you want a long-running portal fantasy universe that's still ongoing, with new books still coming.
Reading order
Publication order (11 Core Canon books)
- Fablehaven (2006)
- Rise of the Evening Star (2007)
- Grip of the Shadow Plague (2008)
- Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary (2009)
- Keys to the Demon Prison (2010)
- Dragonwatch (2017)
- Wrath of the Dragon King (2018)
- Master of the Phantom Isle (2019)
- Champion of the Titan Games (2020)
- Return of the Dragon Slayers (2021)
- The Gorgon's Fury (2025)
Documented internal/story order
- Fablehaven (2006)
- Dragonwatch (2017)
- The Gorgon's Fury (2025)
- Rise of the Evening Star (2007)
- Wrath of the Dragon King (2018)
- Grip of the Shadow Plague (2008)
- Master of the Phantom Isle (2019)
- Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary (2009)
- Champion of the Titan Games (2020)
- Keys to the Demon Prison (2010)
- Return of the Dragon Slayers (2021)
Awards (verified)
- No award could be confirmed for the series.
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Suggestions computed from what Fablehaven and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- Skulduggery Pleasant Urban fantasy / Comic fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.35
- Greenwild Portal fantasy · Ongoing · Medium commitment · 4.20
- The Chronicles of Narnia Portal fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.14
- Harry Potter Portal fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.52
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.28 across 673,029 ratings on 11 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: Fablehaven (Brandon Mull) accepted 2026-10-05
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia Tier 2
- Penguin Random House (Dragonwatch series page) Tier 1
Last reviewed: 2026-10-06
Rule: Core Canon = the Fablehaven series (5 novels, 2006-2010), the Dragonwatch series (5 novels, 2017-2021) and Tales of Newel and Doren (1 novel so far, 2025-, in progress), in their own orders. Expanded = Legend of the Dragon Slayer (2021), the illustrated origin story of Dragonwatch. The Caretaker's Guide to Fablehaven is not catalogued.