The Derkholm Series
#2124.11 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 2 books Status Complete 1998–2000 Reading commitment Low Diana Wynne Jones Last reviewed 2026-08-20
Overview
The Derkholm series is Diana Wynne Jones's completed two-book secondary-world fantasy duology: Dark Lord of Derkholm (1998) and its direct sequel Year of the Griffin (2000). It follows an overworked wizard, Derk, drafted to play the title role in a magical world's exploitative annual "Pilgrim Parties" package-tour trade, in which an interdimensional tourism company scripts elaborate quest itineraries for visiting adventurers, a satire of quest-fantasy tourism written as a companion piece to Jones's own nonfiction The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, before Derk and his seven unconventional children attempt to end the practice; the sequel follows his children's own attempts to build a life beyond that trade at a magic university. Dark Lord of Derkholm won the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature in 1999, recognizing the work that best exemplifies the spirit of the Inklings, one of several Mythopoeic recognitions across Jones's career.
Comic fantasy · For YA
Core Canon: Reading Order (2 works) counts toward ranking
The Derkholm Series Diana Wynne Jones
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Dark Lord of Derkholm | 1998 | 1 | core | 4.10 (18,276 ratings) |
 | Year of the Griffin | 2000 | 2 | core | 4.12 (9,780 ratings) |
A completed two-book secondary-world fantasy duology satirizing package-tour fantasy fiction (a direct companion piece to Jones's own nonfiction The Tough Guide to Fantasyland), distinct from her other admitted universes (Chrestomanci, the Dalemark Quartet, Howl's Moving Castle, the Magids duology, Fire and Hemlock).
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Derkholm Series? The Derkholm Series's Core Canon is 2 books.
- What is the reading order for The Derkholm Series? Publication order, starting with Dark Lord of Derkholm. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Derkholm Series finished? Complete (1998–2000).
- How much reading does The Derkholm Series take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 2 Core Canon books · ~404 pages).
- How is The Derkholm Series ranked? #212 in this site's official ranking, based on 28,056 reader ratings across 2 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #212?
Ranked #212 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.11 across 2 core books.
- A smaller readership (28,056 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Remarkably consistent across the whole series: all 2 rated core books rate within 0.02 of each other.
- Less than 0.01 behind #211, The Checquy Files (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Highly rated · 2 books · Complete · 28k ratings · Ranks #212 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment comic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (2 Core Canon books)
- Dark Lord of Derkholm (1998)
- Year of the Griffin (2000)
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 4.11 across 28,056 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 Derkholm Series admitted as its own universe (Diana Wynne Jones) accepted 2026-08-20
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-08-20
Rule: Core Canon is both novels of the completed duology, registered per this project's `duology` series-type convention for a genuine 2-book set with no further planned entries.