The Long Price Quartet
#4653.88 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 4 books Status Complete 2006–2009 Reading commitment Medium Daniel Abraham Last reviewed 2026-08-11
Overview
A completed quartet of secondary-world fantasy novels by Daniel Abraham: A Shadow in Summer (2006), A Betrayal in Winter (2007), An Autumn War (2008), and The Price of Spring (2009), all published by Tor Books. Set in a world where poets bind captured ideas into physical beings called andat, the quartet follows its central characters across roughly 30 years as the political order built on that magic collapses.
Epic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (4 works) counts toward ranking
The Long Price Quartet Daniel Abraham
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | A Shadow in Summer | 2006 | 1 | core | 3.64 (13,852 ratings) |
 | A Betrayal in Winter | 2007 | 2 | core | 3.92 (7,931 ratings) |
 | An Autumn War | 2008 | 3 | core | 4.07 (7,643 ratings) |
 | The Price of Spring | 2009 | 4 | core | 4.13 (6,535 ratings) |
Core Canon = all 4 novels of the completed quartet (Tor Books, 2006-2009). No companion/Expanded Canon material found. Later 2-in-1 omnibus editions (Shadow and Betrayal; Seasons of War) repackage the same 4 texts, not new works, per this project's standing edition-vs-work distinction.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Long Price Quartet? The Long Price Quartet's Core Canon is 4 books.
- What is the reading order for The Long Price Quartet? Publication order, starting with A Shadow in Summer. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Long Price Quartet finished? Complete (2006–2009).
- How much reading does The Long Price Quartet take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 4 Core Canon books · ~1,374 pages).
- How is The Long Price Quartet ranked? #465 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 35,961 reader ratings across 4 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #465?
Ranked #465 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 3.88 across 4 core books.
- A smaller readership (35,961 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 3.64 to 4.13.
- Less than 0.01 behind #464, The Copper Cat (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 4 books · Complete · 36k ratings · Ranks #465 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)
- A Shadow in Summer (2006)
- A Betrayal in Winter (2007)
- An Autumn War (2008)
- The Price of Spring (2009)
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)
- Locus Award (Best First Novel (reader poll)), 2007: finalist: A Shadow in Summer; Locus reader poll placement: 6th place, First Novel category.
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel (reader poll)), 2008: finalist: A Betrayal in Winter; Locus reader poll placement: 12th place.
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel (reader poll)), 2009: finalist: An Autumn War; Locus reader poll placement: 6th place.
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel (reader poll)), 2010: finalist: The Price of Spring; Locus reader poll placement: 11th place.
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Suggestions computed from what The Long Price Quartet and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.88 across 35,961 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 Long Price Quartet admitted; Core Canon = all 4 novels of the completed quartet accepted 2026-08-11
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- FictionDB: The Long Price Quartet Tier 2
- sfadb: Daniel Abraham Tier 1
Last reviewed: 2026-08-11
Rule: Core Canon = all 4 novels of the completed quartet. No companion material was found; later 2-in-1 omnibus editions (Shadow and Betrayal; Seasons of War) repackage the same 4 texts rather than adding new ones.