The Burning
#324.33 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 2 books Status Ongoing 2017–present Reading commitment Low Evan Winter Last reviewed 2026-08-11
Overview
An African-inspired epic fantasy trilogy centered on the caste-bound Omehi people, their dragon-mounted warfare, and a young man's fight to rise through a rigidly stratified society.
Epic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (2 works) counts toward ranking
The Burning Evan Winter
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | The Rage of Dragons | 2017 | core | 4.30 (49,997 ratings) |
![]() | The Fires of Vengeance | 2020 | core | 4.38 (23,583 ratings) |
New author record. An African-inspired epic fantasy trilogy (the Omehi people's caste-bound, dragon-mounted warfare); no Hugo/Nebula/World Fantasy/Locus/British Fantasy recognition was found for either published book, but TIME named The Rage of Dragons one of its '100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time' (2020) and it was longlisted for CBC's Canada Reads (2020) -- both noted here in prose as critical-reception signals, not registered as AWD rows (neither is a genre-fiction literary award). Core = the 2 published books only; the trilogy's concluding volume, The Lord of Demons, is announced for October 6, 2026 but not yet published as of the latest update -- isn't counted here yet. In progress.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Burning? The Burning's Core Canon is 2 books.
- What is the reading order for The Burning? Publication order, starting with The Rage of Dragons. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Burning finished? Ongoing (2017–present).
- How much reading does The Burning take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 2 Core Canon books).
- How is The Burning ranked? #32 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 73,580 reader ratings across 2 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #32?
Ranked #32 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 4.33 across 2 core books.
- A smaller readership (73,580 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Remarkably consistent across the whole series: all 2 rated core books rate within 0.08 of each other.
- Less than 0.01 behind #31, Lightbringer (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Top-tier rated · 2 books · Ongoing · 74k ratings · Ranks #32 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment epic fantasy universe that's still ongoing, with new books still coming.
Reading order
Publication order (2 Core Canon books)
- The Rage of Dragons (2017)
- The Fires of Vengeance (2020)
Awards (verified)
- No Hugo/Nebula/World Fantasy/Locus/British Fantasy award found. TIME's 2020 '100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time' listing for The Rage of Dragons is a critical-reception signal, not a genre fiction award, and is therefore not registered as an AWD row -- see Research notes.
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what The Burning and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The Hierarchy Epic fantasy · Ongoing · Low commitment · 4.49
- La Horde du Contrevent Epic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.42
- The Sword of Kaigen Epic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.42
- A Song of Ice and Fire Epic fantasy / Grimdark · Ongoing · High commitment · 4.41
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.33 across 73,580 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: Run 6: 3 admissions -- The Well at the World's End, The Dandelion Dynasty, The Burning accepted 2026-08-11
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: Evan Winter Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-08-11
Rule: Core = the 2 published books (2017, 2020); in progress. The Lord of Demons (book 3) is announced for October 6, 2026 but not yet published as of this admission -- not registered per Article 2.

