Tales of Einarinn
#7203.76 adjusted 3.80 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 5 books Status Complete 1999–2002 Reading commitment Medium Juliet E. McKenna Last reviewed 2026-09-23
Overview
Tales of Einarinn is a secondary-world epic fantasy sequence and Juliet E. McKenna's debut work, comprising five novels published between 1999 and 2002. It follows Livak, a sharp-witted thief and gambler who plies her trade in the back streets of the Tormalin Empire, and Ryshad Tathel, a sworn swordsman in a noble house, whose paths cross when a stolen antique tankard turns out to hold clues to a lost, powerful magic. Their search draws in the wizards of the island city of Hadrumal and widens, across the second and third novels, into a hunt for the truth behind that vanished magic and the ambitions of a rival power, before the fourth and fifth turn to the rediscovery and defence of Kellarin, a colony descended from Einarinn's own lost past. McKenna built the series around characters with ordinary working lives and everyday stakes -- politics, trade, personal relationships -- alongside its magic and adventure, a deliberate counterpoint to more mythic-scale epic fantasy of the period.
Epic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (5 works) counts toward ranking
Tales of Einarinn Juliet E. McKenna
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Thief's Gamble | 1999 | 1 | core | 3.68 (1,947 ratings) |
 | The Swordsman's Oath | 1999 | 2 | core | 3.79 (904 ratings) |
 | The Gambler's Fortune | 2000 | 3 | core | 3.77 (677 ratings) |
 | The Warrior's Bond | 2001 | 4 | core | 3.86 (563 ratings) |
 | The Assassin's Edge | 2002 | 5 | core | 3.90 (493 ratings) |
Core Canon is all five novels of the original sequence. A related novella (Turns & Chances, 2004) and a short-story collection (A Few Further Tales of Einarinn, 2012) set in the same continuity exist but were not admitted in this pass.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Tales of Einarinn? Tales of Einarinn's Core Canon is 5 books.
- What is the reading order for Tales of Einarinn? Publication order, starting with The Thief's Gamble. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Tales of Einarinn finished? Complete (1999–2002).
- How much reading does Tales of Einarinn take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 5 Core Canon books).
- How is Tales of Einarinn ranked? #720 in this site's official ranking, based on 4,584 reader ratings across 5 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #720?
Ranked #720 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.76 across 5 core books.
- A smaller readership (4,584 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- 0.03 behind #719, Rose Daughter.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 5 books · Complete · 5k ratings · Ranks #720 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length epic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (5 Core Canon books)
- The Swordsman's Oath (1999)
- The Thief's Gamble (1999)
- The Gambler's Fortune (2000)
- The Warrior's Bond (2001)
- The Assassin's Edge (2002)
Documented internal/story order
- The Thief's Gamble (1999)
- The Swordsman's Oath (1999)
- The Gambler's Fortune (2000)
- The Warrior's Bond (2001)
- The Assassin's Edge (2002)
Awards (verified)
- Locus Award (Best First Novel), 2000: nominated: The Thief's Gamble
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.76 across 4,584 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: Tales of Einarinn admitted accepted 2026-09-23
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-09-23
Rule: Core Canon = all 5 novels of the original sequence (1999-2002). A related novella and a later short-story collection set in the same continuity exist but were not admitted in this pass. No Expanded Canon.