The Craft Sequence
#2764.04 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 9 books Status Ongoing 2012–present Reading commitment High Max Gladstone Last reviewed 2026-08-20
Overview
A secondary-world fantasy setting where necromancy, contract law, and high finance are the same discipline: gods die, their power is inherited or litigated, and Craftsmen and Craftswomen bind magic with the tools of corporate law. Nine novels published 2012–2025 in two overlapping runs: an original six-book run in which each novel is independently standalone within the same shared world, and a three-book continuation, marketed as The Craft Wars, that moves forward in time from book to book.
Epic fantasy, Urban fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (9 works) counts toward ranking
The Craft Sequence Max Gladstone
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Three Parts Dead | 2012 | core | 3.97 (15,632 ratings) |
 | Two Serpents Rise | 2013 | core | 3.89 (7,248 ratings) |
 | Full Fathom Five | 2014 | core | 4.12 (5,160 ratings) |
 | Last First Snow | 2015 | core | 4.01 (4,113 ratings) |
 | Four Roads Cross | 2016 | core | 4.34 (3,212 ratings) |
 | The Ruin of Angels | 2017 | core | 4.28 (2,480 ratings) |
 | Dead Country | 2023 | core | 4.11 (1,512 ratings) |
 | Wicked Problems | 2024 | core | 4.24 (721 ratings) |
 | Dead Hand Rule | 2025 | core | 4.31 (347 ratings) |
The first six novels are each independently standalone within one shared world rather than a single strict reading order (the author's own note); the final three, marketed as 'The Craft Wars', form a direct continuation that does run forward in time book to book. All nine are treated as one Core Canon sequence per this project's usual practice for a single author's continuous secondary-world project.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Craft Sequence? The Craft Sequence's Core Canon is 9 books.
- What is the reading order for The Craft Sequence? Publication order, starting with Three Parts Dead. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Craft Sequence finished? Ongoing (2012–present).
- How much reading does The Craft Sequence take? High reading commitment (estimated from 9 Core Canon books · ~3,256 pages).
- How is The Craft Sequence ranked? #276 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 40,425 reader ratings across 9 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #276?
Ranked #276 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 4.04 across 9 core books.
- A smaller readership (40,425 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 3.89 to 4.34.
- 0.01 behind #275, The Broken Empire.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 9 books · Ongoing · 40k ratings · Ranks #276 overall
Good choice if you want a long-running epic fantasy universe that's still ongoing, with new books still coming.
Reading order
Publication order (9 Core Canon books)
- Three Parts Dead (2012)
- Two Serpents Rise (2013)
- Full Fathom Five (2014)
- Last First Snow (2015)
- Four Roads Cross (2016)
- The Ruin of Angels (2017)
- Dead Country (2023)
- Wicked Problems (2024)
- Dead Hand Rule (2025)
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.04 across 40,425 ratings on 9 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 Craft Sequence (Max Gladstone) admitted; Core Canon = all 9 novels accepted 2026-08-20
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Encyclopedic overview: The Craft Sequence Tier 2
- Author's own series page: The Craft Sequence Tier 1
- Reading-order listing: Craft Sequence Tier 3
Last reviewed: 2026-08-20
Rule: Core Canon is the complete nine-novel bibliography: Three Parts Dead (2012), Two Serpents Rise (2013), Full Fathom Five (2014), Last First Snow (2015), Four Roads Cross (2016), The Ruin of Angels (2017), Dead Country (2023), Wicked Problems (2024), and Dead Hand Rule (2025), all by Max Gladstone. Two choice-based interactive-fiction games set in the same world (Choice of the Deathless; Deathless: The City's Thirst) are a different medium and are out of scope, the same reasoning already applied to licensed comics tie-ins elsewhere in this project.