The Light Maze
#6334.00 adjusted 3.95 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Unfinished 1971 Reading commitment Low Joan North Last reviewed 2026-11-02
Overview
The Light Maze is a standalone fantasy novel by the British children's author Joan North, published in the United States by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in 1971 and in the UK in 1972. Kit Elton, a young woman, stays with her godmother in the English countryside, where her missing godfather's papers point to the Light Maze, a realm reached through the Lightstone. With Harriet and Barney she follows his trail while another seeker misuses the stone. North's other novels are separate stories, and no sequel exists.
Portal fantasy · For YA
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
The Light Maze Joan North
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Light Maze; Published in the US in 1971 and in the UK in 1972. | 1971 | 1 | core | 4.00 (25 ratings) |
A standalone contemporary fantasy about a realm reached through a legendary stone.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Light Maze? The Light Maze's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is The Light Maze finished? Unfinished (1971).
- How much reading does The Light Maze take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book).
- How is The Light Maze ranked? #633 in this site's official ranking, based on 25 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #633?
Ranked #633 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.00 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (25 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #632, The Dalemark Quartet (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 1 book · Unfinished · 25 ratings · Ranks #633 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment portal fantasy universe.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- Mythopoeic Award, 1972: nominated: The Light Maze
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Suggestions computed from what The Light Maze and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- Magids Portal fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.02
- The Freedom Maze Historical fantasy / Portal fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.87
- Magic Moon Portal fantasy / Fairy-tale retelling · Complete · Low commitment · 3.85
- Abarat Portal fantasy / Dark fantasy · Ongoing · Medium commitment · 4.14
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.00 across 25 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: 31 universes; 3 candidates ruled out; open items closed accepted 2026-11-02
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: Joan North Tier 2
- Murray Ewing, Mewsings review Tier 2
- Worlds Without End Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
Rule: Core Canon = The Light Maze (1971).