The Mither Mages
#7573.75 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Complete 2011–2015 Reading commitment Low Orson Scott Card Last reviewed 2026-10-04
Overview
Orson Scott Card's contemporary fantasy trilogy (2011-2015) imagines the gods of human mythology as the Families of Westil, mages exiled to Earth thirteen centuries ago when the trickster Loki closed the Great Gates between the worlds, their powers dwindling ever since. Danny North, raised in the North family's Virginia compound as the one child with no magic, discovers he is a gatemage, the talent the Families have sworn to kill on sight because a reopened Great Gate would restore one Family's full power over all the others. The Lost Gate follows his flight and his discovery of the gift; The Gate Thief the consequences of the power he wins; Gatefather the price of the gate he finally opens. A separate world from Card's Alvin Maker and Hart's Hope.
Urban fantasy, Portal fantasy · For YA
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
The Mither Mages Orson Scott Card
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Lost Gate | 2011 | 1 | core | 3.82 (30,090 ratings) |
 | The Gate Thief | 2013 | 2 | core | 3.78 (17,173 ratings) |
 | Gatefather | 2015 | 3 | core | 3.48 (8,913 ratings) |
Orson Scott Card's contemporary fantasy of the Families of Westil, mages exiled to Earth and remembered by humans as the old gods, their powers dwindling since Loki closed the Great Gates thirteen centuries ago, and of Danny North, the gatemage who can reopen them.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Mither Mages? The Mither Mages's Core Canon is 3 books.
- What is the reading order for The Mither Mages? Publication order, starting with The Lost Gate. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Mither Mages finished? Complete (2011–2015).
- How much reading does The Mither Mages take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books · ~1,152 pages).
- How is The Mither Mages ranked? #757 in this site's official ranking, based on 56,176 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #757?
Ranked #757 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.75 across 3 core books.
- A smaller readership (56,176 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #756, Trilogia Nocturnus (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 3 books · Complete · 56k ratings · Ranks #757 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment urban fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- The Lost Gate (2011)
- The Gate Thief (2013)
- Gatefather (2015)
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 could be confirmed for the trilogy.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.75 across 56,176 ratings on 3 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon extension: The Mither Mages (Orson Scott Card) accepted 2026-10-04
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-10-04
Rule: Core Canon = The Lost Gate (2011), The Gate Thief (2013) and Gatefather (2015), complete trilogy. The prequel novelette Stonefather (2008) is not catalogued.