The Divine Cities
#1144.20 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Complete 2014–2017 Reading commitment Medium Robert Jackson Bennett Last reviewed 2026-08-11
Overview
A completed trilogy of secondary-world fantasy/espionage novels by Robert Jackson Bennett: City of Stairs (2014), City of Blades (2016), and City of Miracles (2017), all published by Broadway Books. Set generations after a colonized empire's mortal population killed its own gods, the trilogy follows a succession of investigators from the formerly subjugated Saypuri nation as they confront the lingering, unpredictable aftershocks of divine power in the once-holy city of Bulikov and its former dominions.
Epic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
The Divine Cities Robert Jackson Bennett
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | City of Stairs | 2014 | 1 | core | 4.10 (41,920 ratings) |
 | City of Blades | 2016 | 2 | core | 4.21 (21,012 ratings) |
 | City of Miracles | 2017 | 3 | core | 4.42 (16,622 ratings) |
Core Canon = all 3 novels of the completed trilogy (Broadway Books, 2014-2017). No companion/Expanded Canon material found (no novellas, no short fiction set in this world) -- the trilogy is the complete work. First-edition dates per Wikipedia's own per-book articles, cross-checked against sfadb's Locus poll year attributions (each book's poll year is the year after its publication year, consistent with all three dates).
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Divine Cities? The Divine Cities's Core Canon is 3 books.
- What is the reading order for The Divine Cities? Publication order, starting with City of Stairs. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Divine Cities finished? Complete (2014–2017).
- How much reading does The Divine Cities take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books · ~1,387 pages).
- How is The Divine Cities ranked? #114 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 79,554 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #114?
Ranked #114 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 4.20 across 3 core books.
- A smaller readership (79,554 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #113, Forgotten Realms (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Highly rated · 3 books · Complete · 80k ratings · Ranks #114 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length epic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- City of Stairs (2014)
- City of Blades (2016)
- City of Miracles (2017)
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)
- World Fantasy Award (Novel), 2015: nominated: City of Stairs
- British Fantasy Award (Best Fantasy Novel (Robert Holdstock Award)), 2015: nominated: City of Stairs
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel (reader poll)), 2015: finalist: City of Stairs; Locus reader poll placement: 2nd place.
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel (reader poll)), 2017: finalist: City of Blades; Locus reader poll placement: 6th place.
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel (reader poll)), 2018: finalist: City of Miracles; Locus reader poll placement: 9th place.
- Hugo Award (Best Series), 2018: nominated: City of Miracles; Series-level nomination for The Divine Cities as a whole.
Related universes
- Same author The Founders Trilogy: Both by Robert Jackson Bennett. Deliberately distinct universes -- no shared setting, characters, or continuity.
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what The Divine Cities 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
- Ash and Sand Grimdark / Epic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.30
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.20 across 79,554 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: The Divine Cities admitted; Core Canon = all 3 novels of the completed trilogy accepted 2026-08-11
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Related universes: see the Related universes section above.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-11
Rule: Core Canon = all 3 novels of the completed trilogy. No companion novellas, short fiction, or other material set in this world was found; the trilogy is the complete work.