Malazan
#664.27 in the official ranking · 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, opening with Gardens of the Moon and the Malazan Empire's campaign to conquer the city of Darujhistan on the continent of Genabackis. The series deliberately avoids the genre's traditional good-versus-evil framing, following dozens of factions -- soldiers, gods, and undead among them -- through overlapping wars, uprisings and metaphysical conflicts across multiple continents. It is known for dense, non-linear structure and a "trust the reader" approach that withholds exposition; Gardens of the Moon itself drew World Fantasy and Locus Award nominations for best first novel. The universe remains in progress on both authors' sides and has been translated into more than a dozen languages.
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 (144,461 ratings) |
 | Deadhouse Gates | 2000 | core | 4.28 (88,120 ratings) |
 | Memories of Ice | 2001 | core | 4.48 (70,256 ratings) |
 | House of Chains | 2002 | core | 4.34 (57,970 ratings) |
 | Midnight Tides | 2004 | core | 4.43 (50,317 ratings) |
 | The Bonehunters | 2006 | core | 4.50 (47,648 ratings) |
 | Reaper's Gale | 2007 | core | 4.40 (41,622 ratings) |
 | Toll the Hounds | 2008 | core | 4.38 (39,681 ratings) |
 | Dust of Dreams | 2009 | core | 4.30 (34,841 ratings) |
 | The Crippled God | 2011 | core | 4.53 (35,532 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 (16,213 ratings) |
 | Return of the Crimson Guard | 2008 | core | 4.03 (13,576 ratings) |
 | Stonewielder | 2010 | core | 4.08 (10,645 ratings) |
 | Orb Sceptre Throne | 2012 | core | 4.18 (8,523 ratings) |
 | Blood and Bone; UK 2012; some markets list 2013 (US). | 2012 | core | 4.03 (6,667 ratings) |
 | Assail | 2014 | core | 4.19 (5,551 ratings) |
Six novels, 2004-2014.
Path to Ascendancy Ian C. Esslemont
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Dancer's Lament | 2016 | core | 4.35 (6,712 ratings) |
 | Deadhouse Landing | 2017 | core | 4.47 (5,562 ratings) |
 | Kellanved's Reach; Year inferred from 2019 review citations, lightly verified. | 2019 | core | 4.22 (4,605 ratings) |
 | Forge of the High Mage; UK Bantam 2023; US Tor 2024. Previously titled The Jhistal. | 2023 | core | 4.33 (2,408 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 (10,348 ratings) |
 | Fall of Light | 2016 | core | 4.19 (4,675 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 (5,651 ratings) |
 | No Life Forsaken; Released October 2025. | 2025 | core | 4.47 (2,019 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? #66 in this site's official ranking, based on 713,603 reader ratings across 24 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #66?
Ranked #66 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.27 across 24 core books.
- Backed by 714k reader ratings.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 3.81 to 4.59.
- 0.01 behind #65, The Covenant of Steel.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Top-tier rated · 24 books · Ongoing · 714k ratings · Ranks #66 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).
You might also like
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.
- Riyria / Legends of the First Empire Sword & sorcery / Epic fantasy · Ongoing · High commitment · 4.33
- First Law World Grimdark · Complete · High commitment · 4.33
- 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 713,603 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
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardens_of_the_Moon
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.