The Band
#774.23 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 2 books Status Ongoing 2017–present Reading commitment Low by Nicholas Eames Last reviewed 2026-08-26
Overview
A comic sword-and-sorcery series in which a retired band of monster-hunting mercenaries reunites for one last job, in a world where adventuring companies tour and headline like rock groups.
Sword & sorcery, Comic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (2 works) counts toward ranking
The Band Nicholas Eames
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Kings of the Wyld | 2017 | 1 | core | 4.26 (71,669 ratings) |
 | Bloody Rose | 2018 | 2 | core | 4.16 (26,114 ratings) |
The founding two novels of a comic sword-and-sorcery trilogy about a retired band of monster-hunting mercenaries; a third novel, Outlaw Empire, has been announced but not yet published, so it is not catalogued here per this project's standing rule against unpublished works.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Band? The Band's Core Canon is 2 books.
- What is the reading order for The Band? Publication order, starting with Kings of the Wyld. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Band finished? Ongoing (2017–present).
- How much reading does The Band take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 2 Core Canon books · ~1,014 pages).
- How is The Band ranked? #77 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 97,783 reader ratings across 2 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #77?
Ranked #77 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 4.23 across 2 core books.
- A smaller readership (97,783 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Remarkably consistent across the whole series: all 2 rated core books rate within 0.10 of each other.
- Less than 0.01 behind #76, Hamster Princess (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Highly rated · 2 books · Ongoing · 98k ratings · Ranks #77 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)
- Kings of the Wyld (2017)
- Bloody Rose (2018)
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 The Band and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- Zothique Sword & sorcery / Dark fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.22
- The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox Historical fantasy / Comic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.20
- The Blacktongue Thief Grimdark / Sword & sorcery · Ongoing · Low commitment · 4.19
- Kane Dark fantasy / Sword & sorcery · Complete · Low commitment · 4.10
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.23 across 97,783 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: The Band admitted; Core Canon = the two published novels accepted 2026-08-26
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia Tier 2
- Wikipedia Tier 2
- Reader community series index Tier 3
Last reviewed: 2026-08-26
Rule: Core Canon is the 2 published novels (2017-2018). A third novel has been announced but not yet published, so it is not catalogued here.