The Pandava Quintet
#754.24 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 5 books Status Complete 2018–2022 Reading commitment Medium Roshani Chokshi Last reviewed 2026-09-05
Overview
The Pandava Quintet is a completed 5-book middle-grade mythological fantasy series following Aru Shah, a modern-day reincarnation of a hero from the Mahabharata who must team up with other reincarnated heroes to stop an ancient sleeping demon from waking. Published under the Rick Riordan Presents imprint.
The opening novel, Aru Shah and the End of Time, was a finalist for the 2018 Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction. Confirmed a separate, unrelated universe from Chokshi's already-admitted The Star-Touched Queen and The Gilded Wolves.
Mythic fantasy · For Middle grade
Core Canon: Reading Order (5 works) counts toward ranking
The Pandava Quintet Roshani Chokshi
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Aru Shah and the End of Time | 2018 | 1 | core | 4.08 (29,660 ratings) |
 | Aru Shah and the Song of Death | 2019 | 2 | core | 4.32 (11,756 ratings) |
 | Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes | 2020 | 3 | core | 4.38 (8,145 ratings) |
 | Aru Shah and the City of Gold | 2021 | 4 | core | 4.44 (6,459 ratings) |
 | Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality | 2022 | 5 | core | 4.51 (5,207 ratings) |
Completed 5-book series, Rick Riordan Presents / Disney-Hyperion.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Pandava Quintet? The Pandava Quintet's Core Canon is 5 books.
- What is the reading order for The Pandava Quintet? Publication order, starting with Aru Shah and the End of Time. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Pandava Quintet finished? Complete (2018–2022).
- How much reading does The Pandava Quintet take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 5 Core Canon books · ~355 pages).
- How is The Pandava Quintet ranked? #75 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 61,227 reader ratings across 5 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #75?
Ranked #75 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 4.24 across 5 core books.
- A smaller readership (61,227 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 4.08 to 4.51.
- Less than 0.01 behind #74, Vampire Academy (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Highly rated · 5 books · Complete · 61k ratings · Ranks #75 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length mythic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (5 Core Canon books)
- Aru Shah and the End of Time (2018)
- Aru Shah and the Song of Death (2019)
- Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes (2020)
- Aru Shah and the City of Gold (2021)
- Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality (2022)
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)
- Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction (Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction), 2018: nominated: Aru Shah and the End of Time
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what The Pandava Quintet and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard Mythic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.28
- Tristan Strong Mythic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.21
- The Kane Chronicles Mythic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.16
- Chronicles of Ancient Darkness Mythic fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.30
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.24 across 61,227 ratings on 5 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Admit The Pandava Quintet (Roshani Chokshi) accepted 2026-09-05
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: Pandava Quintet Tier 3
Last reviewed: 2026-09-05
Rule: Core Canon = all five novels of the completed series.