The Merlin Trilogy
#1464.16 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 4 books Status Complete 1970–1983 Reading commitment Medium Mary Stewart Last reviewed 2026-10-16
Overview
A retelling of the Arthurian legend from Merlin's own point of view, following him from a clairvoyant childhood through his role shaping Arthur's rise to power and reign. The first three novels (The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, The Last Enchantment) are narrated by Merlin himself; a fourth novel, The Wicked Day, completes the story from Mordred's perspective. First published between 1970 and 1983, the sequence became an internationally bestselling and influential entry in modern Arthurian fiction.
Historical fantasy, Mythic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (4 works) counts toward ranking
The Merlin Trilogy Mary Stewart
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Crystal Cave | 1970 | 1 | core | 4.13 (48,970 ratings) |
 | The Hollow Hills | 1973 | 2 | core | 4.25 (23,358 ratings) |
 | The Last Enchantment | 1979 | 3 | core | 4.18 (16,927 ratings) |
 | The Wicked Day | 1983 | 4 | core | 4.10 (12,114 ratings) |
Widely known by the title "trilogy" for its first three, Merlin-narrated novels (The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, The Last Enchantment); The Wicked Day is a fourth novel in the same continuity, retelling the same events from Mordred's point of view, and is registered here as Core Canon alongside the original three rather than left out, since it completes the same single continuous story. A later, more loosely connected novel, The Prince and the Pilgrim (1995), is set in the same world but is not part of Merlin's own narrative and is left out of this admission.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Merlin Trilogy? The Merlin Trilogy's Core Canon is 4 books.
- What is the reading order for The Merlin Trilogy? Publication order, starting with The Crystal Cave. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Merlin Trilogy finished? Complete (1970–1983).
- How much reading does The Merlin Trilogy take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 4 Core Canon books).
- How is The Merlin Trilogy ranked? #146 in this site's official ranking, based on 101,369 reader ratings across 4 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #146?
Ranked #146 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.16 across 4 core books.
- Backed by 101k reader ratings.
- 0.02 behind #145, The Condor Trilogy.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Highly rated · 4 books · Complete · 101k ratings · Ranks #146 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length historical fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (4 Core Canon books)
- The Crystal Cave (1970)
- The Hollow Hills (1973)
- The Last Enchantment (1979)
- The Wicked Day (1983)
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 awards found for this universe.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.16 across 101,369 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 Merlin Trilogy admitted accepted 2026-09-21
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: Mary Stewart's Merlin Trilogy Tier 2
- Wikipedia: The Crystal Cave Tier 2
- TIME: The 100 Best Fantasy Books of All Time Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-09-21
Rule: Core Canon is the four Merlin/Mordred-narrated novels (1970-1983); a later, more loosely connected novel set in the same world is not part of Merlin's own story and is left out.