The Minotaur Trilogy
#5963.70 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Complete 1966–1977 Reading commitment Medium Thomas Burnett Swann Last reviewed 2026-09-05
Overview
The Minotaur Trilogy is a completed mythological fantasy trilogy set in the Bronze Age eastern Mediterranean, following minotaurs, centaurs, dryads and other mythical creatures whose world is slowly being displaced by the rising tide of humankind. The opening volume, Day of the Minotaur, follows a young minotaur and a satyr sheltering a human princess in a hidden island refuge; the trilogy's later volumes continue the mythical peoples' story across succeeding generations as their world contracts further.
Day of the Minotaur was serialized in Fantastic magazine in 1964-1965 before its 1966 book publication, and was a finalist for the 1967 Hugo Award for Best Novel. The trilogy is entirely separate from Swann's other, unrelated Mellonia sequence, which includes the novel Green Phoenix.
Mythic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
The Minotaur Trilogy Thomas Burnett Swann
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Day of the Minotaur | 1966 | 1 | core | N/A |
 | The Forest of Forever | 1971 | 2 | core | N/A |
 | Cry Silver Bells | 1977 | 3 | core | 3.70 (81 ratings) |
Day of the Minotaur first appeared serialized in Fantastic magazine (September/October 1964-January/February 1965) before its 1966 book publication; the print-edition-first rule applies and the book year is used here.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Minotaur Trilogy? The Minotaur Trilogy's Core Canon is 3 books.
- What is the reading order for The Minotaur Trilogy? Publication order, starting with Day of the Minotaur. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Minotaur Trilogy finished? Complete (1966–1977).
- How much reading does The Minotaur Trilogy take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books · ~192 pages).
- How is The Minotaur Trilogy ranked? #596 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 81 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #596?
Ranked #596 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 3.70 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (81 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #595, The Worm Ouroboros (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
2 Core Canon books here don't have a recorded rating yet and aren't counted above: “Day of the Minotaur” (awaiting ordinary reader-rating data collection. It will be folded back into this universe's ranking once its rating is recorded.); “The Forest of Forever” (awaiting ordinary reader-rating data collection. It will be folded back into this universe's ranking once its rating is recorded.).
Why explore this universe?
Modestly rated · 3 books · Complete · 81 ratings · Ranks #596 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length mythic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- Day of the Minotaur (1966)
- The Forest of Forever (1971)
- Cry Silver Bells (1977)
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)
- Hugo Award (Best Novel), 1967: finalist: Day of the Minotaur; Day of the Minotaur
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.70 across 81 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. 2 additional Core Canon books haven't been rated yet, so they aren't counted here. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: The Minotaur Trilogy (Thomas Burnett Swann) accepted 2026-09-05
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Science Fiction Encyclopedia: Swann, Thomas Burnett Tier 2
- ISFDB: Thomas Burnett Swann Tier 2
- The Hugo Awards - 1967 Tier 1
Last reviewed: 2026-09-05
Rule: Core Canon = all three novels of the completed trilogy; no companion or expanded material has been identified.