The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone
#7343.78 adjusted 3.79 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 4 books Status Complete 2003–2008 Reading commitment Medium Greg Keyes Last reviewed 2026-09-23
Overview
The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone is a completed epic fantasy quartet (2003–2008) by American author Greg Keyes, set chiefly in the kingdom of Crotheny. An ancient curse begins to stir as a legendary figure known as the Briar King awakens deep in a forest long thought merely dangerous rather than truly cursed, just as the royal court is destabilised from within by murder and conspiracy. Across the four books a wide, converging cast carries the story forward: Anne Dare, a princess whose latent power and claim to the throne draw pursuers from every side; a forest knight and a young monk each investigating, from different directions, what the awakened Briar King truly is; a knight sworn to protect the royal family; and a court composer pulled into both musical ambition and dangerous political intrigue. The final volume brings Anne, now crowned queen, into open war against both the Church and the rival northern nation of Hansa as her own magic comes fully, and dangerously, into its own.
Epic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (4 works) counts toward ranking
The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone Greg Keyes
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Briar King | 2003 | 1 | core | 3.75 (11,468 ratings) |
 | The Charnel Prince | 2004 | 2 | core | 3.83 (6,763 ratings) |
 | The Blood Knight | 2006 | 3 | core | 3.83 (5,027 ratings) |
 | The Born Queen | 2008 | 4 | core | 3.72 (3,995 ratings) |
Core Canon is all four novels.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone? The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone's Core Canon is 4 books.
- What is the reading order for The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone? Publication order, starting with The Briar King. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone finished? Complete (2003–2008).
- How much reading does The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 4 Core Canon books · ~2,023 pages).
- How is The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone ranked? #734 in this site's official ranking, based on 27,253 reader ratings across 4 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #734?
Ranked #734 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.78 across 4 core books.
- A smaller readership (27,253 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Remarkably consistent across the whole series: all 4 rated core books rate within 0.11 of each other.
- Less than 0.01 behind #733, Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 4 books · Complete · 27k ratings · Ranks #734 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 (4 Core Canon books)
- The Briar King (2003)
- The Charnel Prince (2004)
- The Blood Knight (2006)
- The Born Queen (2008)
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 award nomination could be confirmed for this series despite a targeted search.
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- The Braided Path Epic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 3.90
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.78 across 27,253 ratings on 4 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 Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone admitted accepted 2026-09-23
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: The Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone Tier 2
- Greg Keyes' official site: Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone Tier 1
Last reviewed: 2026-09-23
Rule: Core Canon is all four novels of the completed quartet.