One for the Morning Glory
#5304.06 adjusted 3.98 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Unfinished 1996 Reading commitment Low John Barnes Last reviewed 2026-11-01
Overview
One for the Morning Glory is a fantasy novel by John Barnes, published by Tor Books in April 1996. It is set in the Kingdom of Underhill and written as a fairy tale whose characters know they are in one, in a humorous tone compared to The Princess Bride. Prince Amatus drinks too much of the Wine of the Gods and half his body vanishes. His father, King Boniface, has the four people blamed executed and hires replacements, and a year and a day later four strangers arrive to become the prince's Companions. The story follows Amatus into adulthood, kingship and love. Barnes planned it as the middle book of a three-book set he called a tricycle, but the other two books have not been published.
Comic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
One for the Morning Glory John Barnes
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | One for the Morning Glory; Planned as the second book of a three-book set; the other two were not published. | 1996 | 1 | core | 4.06 (527 ratings) |
A standalone comic fairy-tale fantasy about Prince Amatus of Underhill.
Quick answers
- How many books are in One for the Morning Glory? One for the Morning Glory's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is One for the Morning Glory finished? Unfinished (1996).
- How much reading does One for the Morning Glory take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book).
- How is One for the Morning Glory ranked? #530 in this site's official ranking, based on 527 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #530?
Ranked #530 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.06 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (527 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #529, The Leaving Room (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 1 book · Unfinished · 527 ratings · Ranks #530 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment comic fantasy universe.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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- The Band Sword & sorcery / Comic fantasy · Ongoing · Low commitment · 4.23
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.06 across 527 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: 27 universes from the candidate register; 3 candidates ruled out accepted 2026-11-01
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia, One for the Morning Glory Tier 2
- Publishers Weekly review Tier 2
- Gord Sellar review Tier 2
- Wikipedia, John Barnes (author) Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-11-01
Rule: Core Canon = One for the Morning Glory (1996).