Farlander (Heart of the World)
#8153.50 adjusted 3.62 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 4 books Status Complete 2010–2017 Reading commitment Medium Col Buchanan Last reviewed 2026-09-22
Overview
Farlander (Heart of the World) is a complete four-book dark/epic fantasy quartet by Northern Irish author Col Buchanan, new to this canon. Set in a war-torn secondary world, it follows the fortress city-state of Bar-Khos and the Mercian Free Ports as they resist the expanding Holy Empire of Mann, opening with an aging assassin of the Roshun order, sworn to a strict code of vendetta, and his reluctant young apprentice, and widening across later books to a reality-altering Dreamer and a crippled political organiser working to hold the Free Ports together as the siege of Bar-Khos reaches its climax.
Grimdark, Epic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (4 works) counts toward ranking
Heart of the World Col Buchanan
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Farlander | 2010 | 1 | core | 3.41 (1,964 ratings) |
 | Stands a Shadow | 2011 | 2 | core | 3.72 (522 ratings) |
 | The Black Dream | 2015 | 3 | core | 3.74 (125 ratings) |
 | Fierce Gods | 2017 | 4 | core | 3.83 (58 ratings) |
The main sequence: Ash the Roshun assassin and Nico's story across the siege of Bar-Khos, from Farlander (2010) to the series' confirmed final novel, Fierce Gods (2017).
Quick answers
- How many books are in Farlander (Heart of the World)? Farlander (Heart of the World)'s Core Canon is 4 books.
- What is the reading order for Farlander (Heart of the World)? Publication order, starting with Farlander. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Farlander (Heart of the World) finished? Complete (2010–2017).
- How much reading does Farlander (Heart of the World) take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 4 Core Canon books · ~1,776 pages).
- How is Farlander (Heart of the World) ranked? #815 in this site's official ranking, based on 2,669 reader ratings across 4 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #815?
Ranked #815 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.50 across 4 core books.
- A smaller readership (2,669 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 3.41 to 3.83.
- 0.09 behind #814, The Sundering.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Modestly rated · 4 books · Complete · 3k ratings · Ranks #815 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length grimdark fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (4 Core Canon books)
- Farlander (2010)
- Stands a Shadow (2011)
- The Black Dream (2015)
- Fierce Gods (2017)
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)
- No awards found for this universe.
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- The Atlan Saga Epic fantasy / Sword & sorcery · Complete · Medium commitment · 3.60
- Empires of Dust Grimdark · Complete · Medium commitment · 3.57
- The Soldier Son Trilogy Epic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 3.54
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.50 across 2,669 ratings on 4 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Farlander / Heart of the World admitted accepted 2026-09-22
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: Col Buchanan Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Farlander Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Stands a Shadow Tier 2
- Col Buchanan's own site Tier 1
- Google Books: The Black Dream Tier 2
- Pan Macmillan: Farlander Tier 1
- Pan Macmillan: Stands a Shadow Tier 1
- Pan Macmillan: The Black Dream Tier 1
- Pan Macmillan: Fierce Gods Tier 1
Last reviewed: 2026-09-22
Rule: Core Canon is the complete four-book main sequence: Farlander (2010), Stands a Shadow (2011), The Black Dream (2015), and Fierce Gods (2017), all published by Tor (Pan Macmillan). The publisher's own listing confirms Fierce Gods as the series' fourth and final novel.