The Necessary Beggar
#6603.92 adjusted 3.93 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 2005 Reading commitment Low Susan Palwick Last reviewed 2026-11-02
Overview
Susan Palwick published The Necessary Beggar in 2005. It is a standalone novel in two settings: Lemabantunk, a magical city in another world, and a near-future United States. Darroti, accused of killing a holy beggar, is exiled through a magic gate, and his family follows him to a refugee camp in the Nevada desert. They struggle with language, prejudice and the loss of home, while ghosts and old magic follow them. His niece Zamatryna and her marriage to an American named Jerry play a central part in the family's search for citizenship. There are no sequels and the book is complete in itself.
Portal fantasy, Urban fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
The Necessary Beggar Susan Palwick
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Necessary Beggar | 2005 | 1 | core | 3.92 (606 ratings) |
A standalone novel about an exiled family from a magical city living in a refugee camp in near-future Nevada.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Necessary Beggar? The Necessary Beggar's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is The Necessary Beggar finished? Complete (2005).
- How much reading does The Necessary Beggar take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book).
- How is The Necessary Beggar ranked? #660 in this site's official ranking, based on 606 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #660?
Ranked #660 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.92 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (606 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #659, The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 1 book · Complete · 606 ratings · Ranks #660 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment portal fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- Alex Award, 2006: won: The Necessary Beggar
- Mythopoeic Award (Adult Literature), 2007: nominated: The Necessary Beggar
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what The Necessary Beggar and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- Light from Uncommon Stars Urban fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.02
- The Sixth World Urban fantasy / Dark fantasy · Ongoing · Low commitment · 4.02
- Flying in Place Urban fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.01
- The Morgaine Cycle Sword & sorcery / Portal fantasy · Unfinished · Low commitment · 3.99
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.92 across 606 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)
Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
Rule: Core Canon = The Necessary Beggar (2005).