The Poison Wars
#6363.83 adjusted 3.86 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 2 books Status Complete 2018–2020 Reading commitment Low Sam Hawke Last reviewed 2026-08-25
Overview
The Poison Wars is a two-book series by Sam Hawke, comprising City of Lies (2018) and Hollow Empire (2020). Jovan is a poison taster sworn to protect his city's Chancellor, who is also his closest friend, trained since childhood in antidotes and secrecy alongside his sister Kalina, who has her own quieter skills the family has kept hidden. When the Chancellor is poisoned regardless of Jovan's vigilance, the two siblings must untangle a conspiracy that reaches into the city's own ruling council, in a series built on court intrigue, chronic illness and disability as lived realities rather than plot obstacles, and hard political trade-offs rather than large-scale magic or open warfare. City of Lies, Hawke's debut novel, won the 2018 Aurealis Award for Best Fantasy Novel and the 2019 Ditmar Award for Best Novel, and was praised by reviewers for its worldbuilding, sibling dynamic, and disability representation.
Epic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (2 works) counts toward ranking
The Poison Wars Sam Hawke
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | City of Lies | 2018 | 1 | core | 3.77 (2,863 ratings) |
 | Hollow Empire | 2020 | 2 | core | 4.08 (701 ratings) |
Complete duology, 2018-2020.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Poison Wars? The Poison Wars's Core Canon is 2 books.
- What is the reading order for The Poison Wars? Publication order, starting with City of Lies. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Poison Wars finished? Complete (2018–2020).
- How much reading does The Poison Wars take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 2 Core Canon books).
- How is The Poison Wars ranked? #636 in this site's official ranking, based on 3,564 reader ratings across 2 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #636?
Ranked #636 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.83 across 2 core books.
- A smaller readership (3,564 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- 0.02 behind #635, Rose of the Prophet.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 2 books · Complete · 4k ratings · Ranks #636 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment epic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (2 Core Canon books)
- City of Lies (2018)
- Hollow Empire (2020)
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 3.83 across 3,564 ratings on 2 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Admit The Poison Wars (Sam Hawke) accepted 2026-08-25
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- City of Lies Wikipedia entry Tier 2
- Poison War series bibliography (specialised series-tracking site) Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-08-26
Rule: Core Canon covers both novels of this complete duology, City of Lies (2018) and Hollow Empire (2020).