The Dragon Waiting
Books 1 book Status Complete 1983 Reading commitment Low John M. Ford Last reviewed 2026-09-04
Overview
The Dragon Waiting is a single standalone alternate-history fantasy novel by John M. Ford, subtitled A Masque of History, set in a 15th-century Europe where the Byzantine Empire endures, the Medici scheme in Florence, and vampirism and sorcery move openly through the courts that lead to the Wars of the Roses. It won the 1984 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel.
Historical fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
- The Dragon Waiting (1983) core; Standalone alternate-history fantasy novel.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Dragon Waiting? The Dragon Waiting's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is The Dragon Waiting finished? Complete (1983).
- How much reading does The Dragon Waiting take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book).
Why this rank?
Not yet ranked: awaiting reader-rating data collection. None of its Core Canon books has a recorded reader rating yet. See the Rankings page for which universes are currently ranked.
Why explore this universe?
1 book · Complete
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment historical fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what The Dragon Waiting and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The Reformatory Dark fantasy / Historical fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.43
- A Song for Arbonne Historical fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.25
- Between Two Fires Dark fantasy / Historical fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.18
- Under Heaven Historical fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.17
Official resources
Research details
How do we know this?
Admission: Admit The Dragon Waiting (John M. Ford) accepted 2026-09-04
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-09-04
Rule: Core Canon = the single novel The Dragon Waiting (1983); no series or Expanded material exists. Admitted as a genre-boundary alternate-history fantasy on the precedent already set by Tooth and Claw, Under Heaven and the Majipoor Cycle.