Fire of Heaven
#11763.42 adjusted 3.55 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Complete 2004–2006 Reading commitment Medium Russell Kirkpatrick Last reviewed 2026-10-13
Overview
Fire of Heaven is a secondary-world epic fantasy trilogy by New Zealand author Russell Kirkpatrick, published between 2004 and 2006 as Across the Face of the World, In the Earth Abides the Flame, and The Right Hand of God. It follows Leith Maddesk, a young scholar from the remote farming village of Loulea, whose family is drawn from provincial obscurity into a continent-spanning war as an ancient, imprisoned enemy begins to stir beneath the world's surface. The trilogy is especially known for its unusually detailed invented geography: Kirkpatrick, a professional cartographer by training, mapped the world of Faltha with a level of topographic and climatic specificity uncommon even among map-heavy epic fantasy series, and used that geography directly to shape the plot's travel and logistics. The series follows the Maddesk family and their travelling companions across mountains, deserts, and hostile borders as the true nature of the ancient threat, and Leith's own place in stopping it, gradually comes into focus.
Epic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
Fire of Heaven Russell Kirkpatrick
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Across the Face of the World | 2004 | 1 | core | 3.26 (1,390 ratings) |
 | In the Earth Abides the Flame | 2005 | 2 | core | 3.57 (834 ratings) |
 | The Right Hand of God | 2006 | 3 | core | 3.55 (760 ratings) |
Core Canon = all three novels; complete trilogy, no companion material.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Fire of Heaven? Fire of Heaven's Core Canon is 3 books.
- What is the reading order for Fire of Heaven? Publication order, starting with Across the Face of the World. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Fire of Heaven finished? Complete (2004–2006).
- How much reading does Fire of Heaven take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books).
- How is Fire of Heaven ranked? #1176 in this site's official ranking, based on 2,984 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #1176?
Ranked #1176 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.42 across 3 core books.
- A smaller readership (2,984 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- 0.09 behind #1175, Magic or Madness.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Modestly rated · 3 books · Complete · 3k ratings · Ranks #1176 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length epic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- Across the Face of the World (2004)
- In the Earth Abides the Flame (2005)
- The Right Hand of God (2006)
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 independently verifiable award could be confirmed for this series.
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- Farlander (Heart of the World) Grimdark / Epic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 3.50
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.42 across 2,984 ratings on 3 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: Fire of Heaven (Russell Kirkpatrick) accepted 2026-09-14
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia Tier 2
- reader rating platform Tier 1
Last reviewed: 2026-09-14
Rule: Core Canon = all three novels; complete trilogy, no companion material.