The Obernewtyn Chronicles
#2684.07 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 7 books Status Complete 1987–2015 Reading commitment High Isobelle Carmody Last reviewed 2026-10-09
Overview
Isobelle Carmody's seven-book saga (1987-2015), begun when she was at school and finished twenty-eight years after its first volume, is one of the defining works of Australian young-adult fiction. Generations after the Great White, the holocaust that ended the Beforetime, the Land is ruled by a Council and the fanatical Herder Faction, who burn Misfits born with mutations or strange powers. Elspeth Gordie, secretly a telepath who can also speak with animals, is sent to the remote mountain compound of Obernewtyn, which becomes the refuge of a secret Misfit community; across the series she leads its guilds into rebellion against the Council and follows the signs of a Beforetime seer toward the weaponmachines she alone must destroy. Post-apocalyptic, prophetic and psychic, it sits on the boundary between fantasy and science fiction.
Epic fantasy, Dark fantasy · For YA
Core Canon: Reading Order (7 works) counts toward ranking
The Obernewtyn Chronicles Isobelle Carmody
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Obernewtyn | 1987 | 1 | core | 3.96 (12,538 ratings) |
 | The Farseekers | 1990 | 2 | core | 4.14 (7,927 ratings) |
 | Ashling | 1995 | 3 | core | 4.18 (6,796 ratings) |
 | The Keeping Place | 1999 | 4 | core | 4.10 (5,792 ratings) |
 | The Stone Key | 2008 | 5 | core | 4.19 (4,574 ratings) |
 | The Sending | 2011 | 6 | core | 4.11 (3,383 ratings) |
 | The Red Queen | 2015 | 7 | core | 3.75 (2,404 ratings) |
Isobelle Carmody's seven-book young-adult saga (1987-2015) of Elspeth Gordie, a telepathic Misfit in the post-apocalyptic Land, and the secret community of Misfits at the mountain compound of Obernewtyn. Registered in its Australian seven-volume form; North American and UK editions split The Stone Key (adding Wavesong) and The Sending (adding The Waking Dragon).
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Obernewtyn Chronicles? The Obernewtyn Chronicles's Core Canon is 7 books.
- What is the reading order for The Obernewtyn Chronicles? Publication order, starting with Obernewtyn. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Obernewtyn Chronicles finished? Complete (1987–2015).
- How much reading does The Obernewtyn Chronicles take? High reading commitment (estimated from 7 Core Canon books · ~1,936 pages).
- How is The Obernewtyn Chronicles ranked? #268 in this site's official ranking, based on 43,414 reader ratings across 7 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #268?
Ranked #268 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.07 across 7 core books.
- A smaller readership (43,414 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 3.75 to 4.19.
- Less than 0.01 behind #267, Nettle & Bone (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 7 books · Complete · 43k ratings · Ranks #268 overall
Good choice if you want a long-running epic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (7 Core Canon books)
- Obernewtyn (1987)
- The Farseekers (1990)
- Ashling (1995)
- The Keeping Place (1999)
- The Stone Key (2008)
- The Sending (2011)
- The Red Queen (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)
- Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year (Older Readers), 1988: nominated: Obernewtyn; Shortlisted.
- Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year (Older Readers), 1991: honor: The Farseekers; Honour book.
- Aurealis Award (Best Young Adult Novel), 1995: nominated: Ashling; Shortlisted (presented 1996).
- Aurealis Award (Best Young Adult Novel), 2008: nominated: The Stone Key; Shortlisted.
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Suggestions computed from what The Obernewtyn Chronicles and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- A Saga das Pedras Mágicas Epic fantasy / Romantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.15
- Throne of Glass Romantasy / Epic fantasy · Complete · High commitment · 4.43
- The Old Kingdom Dark fantasy · Ongoing · Medium commitment · 4.20
- The Grishaverse Romantasy / Epic fantasy · Ongoing · High commitment · 4.17
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 4.07 across 43,414 ratings on 7 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 Obernewtyn Chronicles (Isobelle Carmody) accepted 2026-10-09
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-10-09
Rule: Core Canon = the seven Obernewtyn Chronicles in their Australian form, Obernewtyn (1987) to The Red Queen (2015). The US/UK split volumes Wavesong and The Waking Dragon are parts of The Stone Key and The Sending, not separate works.