The Cinder Spires
#984.21 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 2 books Status Ongoing 2015–present Reading commitment Medium Jim Butcher Last reviewed 2026-08-12
Overview
Jim Butcher's steampunk series: humanity survives in colossal Spires above a poisonous surface, armed with airships and crystal-powered weapons -- distinct from Butcher's Codex Alera and The Dresden Files. In the opening novel, The Aeronaut's Windlass (2015), Captain Grimm, a dishonored naval officer turned privateer, is drawn into a covert mission for the ruler of Spire Albion after his airship is damaged, a mission that escalates as supernatural forces begin to threaten every Spire's inhabitants. The Spires themselves are ancient, near-indestructible towers that shelter humanity from a lethal, mist-shrouded surface world of bizarre creatures, while crystal-powered airships -- rather than steam engines -- carry trade, war and diplomacy between them. Reviewers praised the novel as a colorful, high-energy blend of non-traditional steampunk and epic fantasy, singling out its worldbuilding and characters, including the sardonic cat companion Rowl, as evidence that Butcher could build a compelling new setting independent of his earlier, better-known series.
Epic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (2 works) counts toward ranking
The Cinder Spires Jim Butcher
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Aeronaut's Windlass | 2015 | 1 | core | 4.18 (50,370 ratings) |
 | The Olympian Affair | 2023 | 2 | core | 4.36 (11,129 ratings) |
Steampunk series, distinct from Butcher's Codex Alera and The Dresden Files. No further volume announced with a firm date.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Cinder Spires? The Cinder Spires's Core Canon is 2 books.
- What is the reading order for The Cinder Spires? Publication order, starting with The Aeronaut's Windlass. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Cinder Spires finished? Ongoing (2015–present).
- How much reading does The Cinder Spires take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 2 Core Canon books · ~1,254 pages).
- How is The Cinder Spires ranked? #98 in this site's official ranking, based on 61,499 reader ratings across 2 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #98?
Ranked #98 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.21 across 2 core books.
- A smaller readership (61,499 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #97, Blood and Ash (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 · 61k ratings · Ranks #98 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length epic fantasy universe that's still ongoing, with new books still coming.
Reading order
Publication order (2 Core Canon books)
- The Aeronaut's Windlass (2015)
- The Olympian Affair (2023)
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)
- Hugo Award (Best Novel), 2016: nominated: The Aeronaut's Windlass
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Suggestions computed from what The Cinder Spires and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The Bound and the Broken Epic fantasy · Ongoing · Medium commitment · 4.33
- Lightbringer Epic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.33
- The Bloodsworn Saga Epic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.33
- The Rigante Epic fantasy / Historical fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.31
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.21 across 61,499 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 Cinder Spires admitted; Core Canon = 2 novels published to date, in progress accepted 2026-08-12
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-08-12
Rule: Core = the 2 novels published to date (2015, 2023); admitted in progress per Article 2.