Snakewood
#7753.65 adjusted 3.75 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Complete 2016–2021 Reading commitment Medium Adrian Selby Last reviewed 2026-10-25
Overview
Adrian Selby's world of mercenaries, merchant guilds and fightbrews, the potions, plants and poisons its soldiers carry onto the battlefield, is the setting of three standalone Orbit novels. Snakewood (2016) follows Kailen's Twenty, a legendary mercenary company being hunted down years after its glory days; The Winter Road (2018), set at least a century earlier in a region Snakewood only mentions, follows ex-soldier Teyr Amondsen's attempt to build a road across the Circle; Brother Red (2021) follows Driwna Marghoster, a soldier of the merchant guild known as the Post. Booklist called Snakewood an impressive fantasy debut.
Grimdark, Epic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
Snakewood Adrian Selby
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Snakewood | 2016 | 1 | core | 3.49 (1,129 ratings) |
Adrian Selby's first standalone novel in this world.
The Winter Road Adrian Selby
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Winter Road | 2018 | 1 | core | 3.78 (844 ratings) |
A standalone set at least a century before Snakewood.
Brother Red Adrian Selby
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Brother Red | 2021 | 1 | core | 3.92 (295 ratings) |
A standalone centred on the merchant guild known as the Post.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Snakewood? Snakewood's Core Canon is 3 books.
- What is the reading order for Snakewood? Publication order, starting with Snakewood. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Snakewood finished? Complete (2016–2021).
- How much reading does Snakewood take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books).
- How is Snakewood ranked? #775 in this site's official ranking, based on 2,268 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #775?
Ranked #775 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.65 across 3 core books.
- A smaller readership (2,268 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 3.49 to 3.92.
- Less than 0.01 behind #774, David Mogo, Godhunter (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Modestly rated · 3 books · Complete · 2k ratings · Ranks #775 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length grimdark fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- Snakewood (2016)
- The Winter Road (2018)
- Brother Red (2021)
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)
- No awards found for this universe.
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Suggestions computed from what Snakewood and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- Moontide and Magic Rise Historical fantasy / Epic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 3.74
- The Beklan Empire Epic fantasy / Historical fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 3.70
- The Powder Mage Epic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.30
- Book of the Ancestor / Book of the Ice Grimdark · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.21
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.65 across 2,268 ratings on 3 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: Adrian Selby's world (Snakewood), Where the Dark Stands Still (Poranek), The Village Beyond the Mist (Kashiwaba) accepted 2026-10-25
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- The Fantasy Hive: review of The Winter Road (shared world with Snakewood; Brother Red as third loosely connected book) Tier 2
- Grimdark Magazine: review of The Winter Road (set before Snakewood) Tier 2
- Orbit Books: The Winter Road (publisher page, review excerpts) Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-10-25
Rule: Core Canon = Snakewood (2016), The Winter Road (2018) and Brother Red (2021), three standalone novels set in one world.