The Ultimate Fantasy Series Ranking

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The Braided Path

#5463.90 adjusted 3.92 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking

Books 3 books Status Complete 2004–2005 Reading commitment Medium Chris Wooding Last reviewed 2026-09-11

Overview

The Braided Path is a complete three-book secondary-world epic fantasy trilogy by Chris Wooding (2004-2005), published by Gollancz. Set in the feudal-Japan-inflected Near World, it follows the fall of a matriarchal empire and the weaving-based magic wielded by its Weavers, an order of sorcerers whose power comes at the cost of their own sanity, imposing rigid, superstition-driven restrictions on the wider society in exchange. The Weavers of Saramyr, The Skein of Lament and The Ascendancy Veil follow the empire's ruling family and a small band of rebels as internal betrayal, foreign threat and the Weavers' own corrupting bargain converge to bring the old order down. It was Wooding's first adult fantasy work, distinguished from his prolific YA output, and its East-Asian-inflected setting was relatively uncommon in mid-2000s British epic fantasy, most of which still leaned heavily on medieval-European models.

Epic fantasy · For Adult

Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking

The Braided Path Chris Wooding

WorkYearInternal chron.CanonRating
Cover of The Weavers of SaramyrThe Weavers of Saramyr20041core3.79 (1,369 ratings)
Cover of The Skein of LamentThe Skein of Lament20042core3.97 (869 ratings)
Cover of The Ascendancy VeilThe Ascendancy Veil20053core4.03 (739 ratings)

Complete Gollancz-published secondary-world epic fantasy trilogy (2004-2005) set in the feudal-Japan-inflected Near World, with a weaving-based magic system practiced by the titular Weavers. Wooding's first adult fantasy work, distinguished from his prolific YA output.

Quick answers

Why is it ranked #546?

Ranked #546 in the official ranking.

How the ranking works →

Why explore this universe?

Rated · 3 books · Complete · 3k ratings · Ranks #546 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 (3 Core Canon books)

  1. The Skein of Lament (2004)
  2. The Weavers of Saramyr (2004)
  3. The Ascendancy Veil (2005)

Documented internal/story order

  1. The Weavers of Saramyr (2004)
  2. The Skein of Lament (2004)
  3. The Ascendancy Veil (2005)

Awards (verified)

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Suggestions computed from what The Braided Path and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.

Official resources

Research details

Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.90 across 2,977 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: Admit The Braided Path (Chris Wooding) accepted 2026-09-11

Sources: (see source tier definitions)

Last reviewed: 2026-09-11

Rule: Core Canon is the complete three-book sequence: The Weavers of Saramyr (2004), The Skein of Lament (2004), and The Ascendancy Veil (2005), all published by Gollancz.

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