Malazan
#624.27 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 24 books Status Ongoing 1999–present Reading commitment High Steven Erikson · Ian C. Esslemont Last reviewed 2026-08-06
Overview
Malazan is a co-created world, credited to both authors: Steven Erikson and Ian Cameron Esslemont built it together from 1982 as a tabletop RPG setting (AD&D, then GURPS) and an unsold film script, then formally divided its periods and regions between their independent novel series. Erikson's completed ten-volume Malazan Book of the Fallen (1999–2011) forms the spine; the universe remains in progress on both authors' sides.
Epic fantasy, Grimdark · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (24 works) counts toward ranking
Malazan Book of the Fallen Steven Erikson
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Gardens of the Moon | 1999 | core | 3.94 (141,421 ratings) |
 | Deadhouse Gates | 2000 | core | 4.28 (87,082 ratings) |
 | Memories of Ice | 2001 | core | 4.48 (69,371 ratings) |
 | House of Chains | 2002 | core | 4.34 (57,242 ratings) |
 | Midnight Tides | 2004 | core | 4.43 (49,636 ratings) |
 | The Bonehunters | 2006 | core | 4.50 (47,060 ratings) |
 | Reaper's Gale | 2007 | core | 4.40 (41,039 ratings) |
 | Toll the Hounds | 2008 | core | 4.38 (39,219 ratings) |
 | Dust of Dreams | 2009 | core | 4.30 (34,614 ratings) |
 | The Crippled God | 2011 | core | 4.53 (35,096 ratings) |
Ten novels, 1999-2011.
Novels of the Malazan Empire Ian C. Esslemont
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Night of Knives; PS Publishing limited hardcover 2004; PS trade pb 2006; Bantam mass hardcover 2007. | 2004 | core | 3.81 (16,116 ratings) |
 | Return of the Crimson Guard | 2008 | core | 4.03 (13,512 ratings) |
 | Stonewielder | 2010 | core | 4.08 (10,595 ratings) |
 | Orb Sceptre Throne | 2012 | core | 4.18 (8,473 ratings) |
 | Blood and Bone; UK 2012; some markets list 2013 (US). | 2012 | core | 4.03 (6,624 ratings) |
 | Assail | 2014 | core | 4.19 (5,511 ratings) |
Six novels, 2004-2014.
Path to Ascendancy Ian C. Esslemont
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Dancer's Lament | 2016 | core | 4.36 (6,650 ratings) |
 | Deadhouse Landing | 2017 | core | 4.47 (5,522 ratings) |
 | Kellanved's Reach; Year inferred from 2019 review citations, lightly verified. | 2019 | core | 4.22 (4,567 ratings) |
 | Forge of the High Mage; UK Bantam 2023; US Tor 2024. Previously titled The Jhistal. | 2023 | core | 4.33 (2,362 ratings) |
Four published; book 5 (The Last Guardian) in progress.
The Kharkanas Trilogy Steven Erikson
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Forge of Darkness | 2012 | core | 4.15 (10,300 ratings) |
 | Fall of Light | 2016 | core | 4.19 (4,637 ratings) |
Two published; Walk in Shadow being written (as of Jan 2026).
Tales of Witness Steven Erikson
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The God is Not Willing | 2021 | core | 4.59 (5,561 ratings) |
 | No Life Forsaken; Released October 2025. | 2025 | core | 4.48 (1,918 ratings) |
Restructured July 2024 from trilogy to four books; Legacies of Betrayal slated Oct 2026.
Library: Expanded Canon (7 works)
Blood Follows (2002) ; Bauchelain and Korbal Broach novella.
The Healthy Dead (2004) ; Bauchelain and Korbal Broach novella.
The Lees of Laughter's End (2007) ; Bauchelain and Korbal Broach novella.
Crack'd Pot Trail (2009) ; Bauchelain and Korbal Broach novella.
The Wurms of Blearmouth (2012) ; Bauchelain and Korbal Broach novella.
The Fiends of Nightmaria (2016) ; Bauchelain and Korbal Broach novella.
Upon a Dark of Evil Overlords (2020) ; Bauchelain and Korbal Broach novella.
The seven Bauchelain & Korbal Broach novellas (2002–2020), plus two collected omnibus editions (years unverified; not yet registered).
Quick answers
- How many books are in Malazan? Malazan's Core Canon is 24 books, plus 7 more in the wider Library/Expanded material.
- What is the reading order for Malazan? Publication order, starting with Gardens of the Moon. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Malazan finished? Ongoing (1999–present).
- How much reading does Malazan take? High reading commitment (estimated from 24 Core Canon books · ~17,427 pages).
- How is Malazan ranked? #62 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 704,128 reader ratings across 24 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #62?
Ranked #62 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 4.27 across 24 core books.
- Backed by 704k reader ratings.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 3.81 to 4.59.
- Less than 0.01 behind #61, The Others (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Top-tier rated · 24 books · Ongoing · 704k ratings · Ranks #62 overall
Good choice if you want a long-running epic fantasy universe that's still ongoing, with new books still coming.
Reading order
Publication order (24 Core Canon books)
- Gardens of the Moon (1999)
- Deadhouse Gates (2000)
- Memories of Ice (2001)
- House of Chains (2002)
- Midnight Tides (2004)
- Night of Knives (2004)
- The Bonehunters (2006)
- Reaper's Gale (2007)
- Return of the Crimson Guard (2008)
- Toll the Hounds (2008)
- Dust of Dreams (2009)
- Stonewielder (2010)
- The Crippled God (2011)
- Blood and Bone (2012)
- Forge of Darkness (2012)
- Orb Sceptre Throne (2012)
- Assail (2014)
- Dancer's Lament (2016)
- Fall of Light (2016)
- Deadhouse Landing (2017)
- Kellanved's Reach (2019)
- The God is Not Willing (2021)
- Forge of the High Mage (2023)
- No Life Forsaken (2025)
Honours (verified)
- Erikson's Bantam UK contract (~£675,000) reported as among the largest ever paid for a fantasy series
- World Fantasy Award (Best Novel), 2000: nominated: Gardens of the Moon; Shortlisting confirmed; ceremony year lightly verified (publication 1999).
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Suggestions computed from what Malazan and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- First Law World Grimdark · Complete · High commitment · 4.33
- Legends of the First Empire Epic fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.32
- Realm of the Elderlings Epic fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.29
- World of the Five Gods Epic fantasy · Ongoing · High commitment · 4.22
Official resources
- Reactor: Esslemont interview on the co-creation
- The Wertzone: release tracking
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.27 across 704,128 ratings on 24 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Malazan Core Canon accepted 2026-08-05
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia (English) Tier 2
- The Wertzone Tier 3
- Reactor Tier 3
Last reviewed: 2026-08-06
Rule: Upcoming (not registered until published): Walk in Shadow (Kharkanas 3), Legacies of Betrayal (Witness 3, slated Oct 2026), The Last Guardian (PtA 5). Witness was restructured in 2024 from trilogy to four books.