L'ultimo elfo
#3974.05 adjusted 4.04 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 8 books Status Complete 2004–2020 Reading commitment High Silvana De Mari Last reviewed 2026-10-30
Overview
Silvana De Mari, an Italian surgeon and writer, began the saga with L'ultimo elfo in 2004. It is set in a world of humans, elves, orcs and dwarves, struck by endless rain and war. Yorsh, the last elf, travels with two humans to find the last dragon and bring back the sun. Later volumes follow Yorsh and the orc and human peoples; they and the two prequels, Io mi chiamo Yorsh and Arduin il Rinnegato (set about 300 years earlier), concern Arduin, born an orc, who chooses to serve humans. Salani, Fanucci and Ares published the books. L'ultimo mago (2020) is described by its publisher as the final instalment.
Epic fantasy, Dark fantasy · For YA
Core Canon: Reading Order (8 works) counts toward ranking
L'ultimo elfo Silvana De Mari
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | L'ultimo elfo | 2004 | 1 | core | 4.03 (5,781 ratings) |
 | L'ultimo orco | 2005 | 2 | core | 4.25 (1,161 ratings) |
 | Gli ultimi incantesimi | 2008 | 3 | core | 4.05 (515 ratings) |
 | L'ultima profezia del mondo degli uomini | 2010 | 4 | core | 3.90 (314 ratings) |
 | Io mi chiamo Yorsh | 2011 | 5 | core | 3.65 (145 ratings) |
 | L'ultima profezia del mondo degli uomini. L'epilogo | 2012 | 6 | core | 3.48 (77 ratings) |
 | Arduin il Rinnegato | 2017 | 7 | core | 4.39 (46 ratings) |
 | L'ultimo mago | 2020 | 8 | core | 4.22 (9 ratings) |
Saga degli Ultimi: the cycle of novels around Yorsh, the last elf, and the orc lord Arduin, including two prequels.
Quick answers
- How many books are in L'ultimo elfo? L'ultimo elfo's Core Canon is 8 books.
- What is the reading order for L'ultimo elfo? Publication order, starting with L'ultimo elfo. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is L'ultimo elfo finished? Complete (2004–2020).
- How much reading does L'ultimo elfo take? High reading commitment (estimated from 8 Core Canon books).
- How is L'ultimo elfo ranked? #397 in this site's official ranking, based on 8,048 reader ratings across 8 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #397?
Ranked #397 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.05 across 8 core books.
- A smaller readership (8,048 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 3.48 to 4.39.
- Less than 0.01 behind #396, Where the Dark Stands Still (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 8 books · Complete · 8k ratings · Ranks #397 overall
Good choice if you want a long-running epic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (8 Core Canon books)
- L'ultimo elfo (2004)
- L'ultimo orco (2005)
- Gli ultimi incantesimi (2008)
- L'ultima profezia del mondo degli uomini (2010)
- Io mi chiamo Yorsh (2011)
- L'ultima profezia del mondo degli uomini. L'epilogo (2012)
- Arduin il Rinnegato (2017)
- L'ultimo mago (2020)
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)
- Premio Andersen, 2004: won: L'ultimo elfo
- Premio Bancarellino, 2005: won: L'ultimo elfo
- Prix Sorcières (Romans ados), 2009: won: L'ultimo orco; Shared with Be Safe by Xavier-Laurent Petit; awarded to the French edition, Le Dernier Orc.
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what L'ultimo elfo and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- A Saga das Pedras Mágicas Epic fantasy / Romantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.15
- The Obernewtyn Chronicles Epic fantasy / Dark fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.07
- Throne of Glass Romantasy / Epic fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.43
- The Old Kingdom Dark fantasy · Ongoing · Medium commitment · 4.20
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.05 across 8,048 ratings on 8 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: Night Huntress, Kitty Norville, Das Geheimnis von Askir, Die uralte Metropole, Le Bâtard de Kosigan, Erdwelt, L'ultimo elfo and Fireborn accepted 2026-10-30
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- English Wikipedia: Silvana De Mari Tier 2
- Italian Wikipedia: Silvana De Mari Tier 2
- English Wikipedia: The Last Dragon (novel) Tier 2
- Edizioni Ares author page Tier 2
- Edizioni Ares: Arduin il Rinnegato announcement Tier 2
- Edizioni Ares: L'ultimo mago article Tier 2
- La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana review of Arduin il Rinnegato Tier 2
- Macrolibrarsi: L'ultimo mago Tier 2
- Macrolibrarsi: Io mi chiamo Yorsh Tier 2
- Libreria Coletti: Gli ultimi incantesimi Tier 2
- Open Library: L'ultimo orco (2005) Tier 2
- DBLit UFSC: L'ultimo elfo Tier 2
- University of Bologna library catalogue: Io mi chiamo Yorsh Tier 2
- Libraccio: Arduin il rinnegato Tier 2
- Rising Shadow: The Last Elf Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-10-30
Rule: Core Canon = the eight novels of the Saga degli Ultimi, from L'ultimo elfo (2004) to L'ultimo mago (2020), including the two prequels. Excluded are the Hania novels (a world link to this saga is not confirmed), non-fantasy and short-story works.