Tale of the Kin
#3674.02 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 2 books Status Ongoing 2011–present Reading commitment Low Douglas Hulick Last reviewed 2026-10-24
Overview
Douglas Hulick's Tale of the Kin novels are first-person underworld fantasies set in Ildrecca, the capital of a Renaissance-like empire, among the Kin, its criminal underworld of thieves, assassins and other shady professionals, with their own cant and etiquette. Drothe is a Nose, an informant in the pay of one of the city's crime lords, who smuggles relics on the side; the first book follows his rise from Nose to Gray Prince, one of the underworld's godfathers, and the second takes him beyond Ildrecca to deal with what that advancement has cost. Brent Weeks called the first an unalloyed pleasure.
Sword & sorcery, Dark fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (2 works) counts toward ranking
Tale of the Kin Douglas Hulick
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Among Thieves | 2011 | 1 | core | 3.94 (12,617 ratings) |
 | Sworn in Steel | 2014 | 2 | core | 4.21 (5,303 ratings) |
Drothe and the Kin of Ildrecca.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Tale of the Kin? Tale of the Kin's Core Canon is 2 books.
- What is the reading order for Tale of the Kin? Publication order, starting with Among Thieves. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Tale of the Kin finished? Ongoing (2011–present).
- How much reading does Tale of the Kin take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 2 Core Canon books).
- How is Tale of the Kin ranked? #367 in this site's official ranking, based on 17,920 reader ratings across 2 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #367?
Ranked #367 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.02 across 2 core books.
- A smaller readership (17,920 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #366, The Wars of Light and Shadow (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 2 books · Ongoing · 18k ratings · Ranks #367 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment sword-and-sorcery universe that's still ongoing, with new books still coming.
Reading order
Publication order (2 Core Canon books)
- Among Thieves (2011)
- Sworn in Steel (2014)
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)
- Kitschies (Golden Tentacle (Debut Novel)), 2011: finalist: Among Thieves
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what Tale of the Kin and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- Kane Dark fantasy / Sword & sorcery · Complete · Low commitment · 4.10
- Wraeththu Dark fantasy / Mythic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.07
- Saint Death's Daughter Dark fantasy / Epic fantasy · Ongoing · Low commitment · 4.06
- Sianim Epic fantasy / Sword & sorcery · Complete · Low commitment · 4.03
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.02 across 17,920 ratings on 2 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: Tale of the Kin (Douglas Hulick) accepted 2026-10-24
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Rating platform work page (Among Thieves, rating with title) Tier 2
- Reader list on the rating platform (ratings with titles) Tier 2
- Penguin Random House (series page) Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-10-24
Rule: Core Canon = Among Thieves (2011) and Sworn in Steel (2014); the announced third book joins as Core when published.