The Darksword Trilogy
#6023.67 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Complete 1987–1988 Reading commitment Low Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman Last reviewed 2026-08-29
Overview
The Darksword Trilogy is a fantasy trilogy by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, set in a world where nearly everyone can work magic and machines are treated as a forbidden, forgotten art. It follows a young man born without magical ability in a society built entirely around it.
Epic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
The Darksword Trilogy Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Forging the Darksword | 1987 | 1 | core | 3.69 (10,463 ratings) |
 | Doom of the Darksword | 1988 | 2 | core | 3.69 (7,479 ratings) |
 | Triumph of the Darksword | 1988 | 3 | core | 3.61 (6,088 ratings) |
A separate world from Weis & Hickman's Dragonlance and Death Gate Cycle, already admitted to this canon; set in a world where magic is common and technology is treated as forbidden sorcery.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Darksword Trilogy? The Darksword Trilogy's Core Canon is 3 books.
- What is the reading order for The Darksword Trilogy? Publication order, starting with Forging the Darksword. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Darksword Trilogy finished? Complete (1987–1988).
- How much reading does The Darksword Trilogy take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books · ~1,124 pages).
- How is The Darksword Trilogy ranked? #602 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 24,030 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #602?
Ranked #602 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 3.67 across 3 core books.
- A smaller readership (24,030 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Remarkably consistent across the whole series: all 3 rated core books rate within 0.08 of each other.
- Less than 0.01 behind #601, Armed in Her Fashion (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Modestly rated · 3 books · Complete · 24k ratings · Ranks #602 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment epic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- Forging the Darksword (1987)
- Doom of the Darksword (1988)
- Triumph of the Darksword (1988)
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.
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what The Darksword Trilogy and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The Chronicles of Castellane Epic fantasy · Ongoing · Low commitment · 3.82
- Eternal Sky Epic fantasy / Historical fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.80
- The Serpent Gates Portal fantasy / Epic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.79
- Witch King Epic fantasy / Dark fantasy · Ongoing · Low commitment · 3.76
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.67 across 24,030 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 Darksword Trilogy accepted 2026-08-29
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: Darksword Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-08-30
Rule: A single, complete trilogy: Forging the Darksword, Doom of the Darksword, and Triumph of the Darksword.