The Ultimate Fantasy Series Ranking

Research dossier

Harry Potter

#24.52 in the official ranking · full ranking

Books 7 books Status Complete 1997–2007 Reading commitment High J.K. Rowling Last reviewed 2026-08-05

Overview

Harry Potter is J.K. Rowling's seven-novel series (Bloomsbury UK, 1997–2007; Scholastic in the United States) following a young wizard's education at Hogwarts and his conflict with Lord Voldemort, a dark wizard who seeks immortality. Beginning with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997) and ending with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007), each novel covers one school year as Harry and his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger grow up, the tone darkening from children's adventure toward a broader fantasy conflict. It is the best-selling book series in history: more than 600 million copies in 80+ languages. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire won the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2001, and earlier volumes took three Nestlé Smarties Book Prizes (1997–1999) and the Whitbread children's book award (1999). Warner Bros. adapted the novels into eight films (2001–2011), and a stage play, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, opened in 2016. The novel series is complete; later additions (a stage-play script, published screenplays, charity companions, digital writings) are supplementary, not novels.

Portal fantasy · For Middle grade

Core Canon: Reading Order (7 works) counts toward ranking

Harry Potter J.K. Rowling

WorkYearCanonRating
Cover of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's StoneHarry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone; US title: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Scholastic, 1998).1997core4.47 (11,802,817 ratings)
Cover of Harry Potter and the Chamber of SecretsHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets1998core4.43 (4,667,292 ratings)
Cover of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of AzkabanHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban1999core4.58 (5,036,498 ratings)
Cover of Harry Potter and the Goblet of FireHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire2000core4.57 (4,343,819 ratings)
Cover of Harry Potter and the Order of the PhoenixHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix2003core4.50 (3,921,095 ratings)
Cover of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood PrinceHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince2005core4.58 (3,772,079 ratings)
Cover of Harry Potter and the Deathly HallowsHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows2007core4.62 (4,230,012 ratings)

Seven novels, 1997-2007 (Bloomsbury UK).

Library: companions & non-canon (7 works) context only

Pottermore / Wizarding World digital writings: noted, not registered.

Quick answers

Why is it ranked #2?

Ranked #2 in the official ranking.

How the ranking works →

Why explore this universe?

Top-tier rated · 7 books · Complete · 37.8M ratings · Ranks #2 overall

Good choice if you want a long-running portal fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.

Reading order

Publication order (7 Core Canon books)

  1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997)
  2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998)
  3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999)
  4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000)
  5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003)
  6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005)
  7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007)

Awards (verified)

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Suggestions computed from what Harry Potter 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 4.52 across 37,773,612 ratings on 7 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.

How do we know this?

Admission: Harry Potter Core Canon accepted 2026-08-05

Sources: (see source tier definitions)

Last reviewed: 2026-08-06

Rule: Book 1 is 'Sorcerer's Stone' in the US (Scholastic, 1998).

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