The Darksword Trilogy
#7933.67 adjusted 3.69 for sample size in the official ranking · 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 Joram, a young man born without any magical ability in a society built entirely around it, who is prophesied to bring about the world's destruction, a paradox that shapes both how he is treated by others and the choices he makes about his own fate. The trilogy comprises Forging the Darksword (1987), Doom of the Darksword (1988), and Triumph of the Darksword (1988), and balances Weis and Hickman's collaborative approach to worldbuilding, familiar from their Dragonlance novels, with a more introspective focus on Joram's isolation and what it means to be powerless in a civilization built entirely around a gift he lacks.
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 | 3.70 (10,492 ratings) |
 | Doom of the Darksword | 1988 | 2 | core | 3.69 (7,484 ratings) |
 | Triumph of the Darksword | 1988 | 3 | core | 3.61 (6,092 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? #793 in this site's official ranking, based on 24,068 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #793?
Ranked #793 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.67 across 3 core books.
- A smaller readership (24,068 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Remarkably consistent across the whole series: all 3 rated core books rate within 0.09 of each other.
- 0.01 behind #792, Doll Bones.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Modestly rated · 3 books · Complete · 24k ratings · Ranks #793 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.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.67 across 24,068 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.