The Song of the Shattered Sands
#2804.07 adjusted 4.06 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 6 books Status Complete 2015–2021 Reading commitment Medium Bradley P. Beaulieu Last reviewed 2026-08-27
Overview
The Song of the Shattered Sands is a six-book epic fantasy series by Bradley P. Beaulieu, published between 2015 and 2021 and set chiefly in the desert city-state of Sharakhai in the Great Shangazi desert, where the immortal Kings have ruled for four hundred years since striking a dark bargain with the desert gods. Ceda, a pit fighter and street thief, becomes entangled with the rebel Moonless Host and works to bring the Kings down while uncovering the truth behind her mother's murder. The series draws on Middle Eastern and Arabian desert cultures rather than the medieval-European settings more common across epic fantasy, and is accompanied by several supplementary novellas and a 2016 prequel. A starred 2015 review for a national public radio outlet called the opening volume one of the genre's more satisfying entries, praising Beaulieu's ability to orchestrate a large-scale storyline.
Epic fantasy, Grimdark · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (6 works) counts toward ranking
The Song of the Shattered Sands Bradley P. Beaulieu
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Twelve Kings in Sharakhai | 2015 | 1 | core | 3.93 (7,736 ratings) |
 | With Blood Upon the Sand | 2017 | 2 | core | 4.17 (3,584 ratings) |
 | A Veil of Spears | 2018 | 3 | core | 4.21 (2,281 ratings) |
 | Beneath the Twisted Trees | 2019 | 4 | core | 4.17 (1,423 ratings) |
 | When Jackals Storm the Walls | 2020 | 5 | core | 4.15 (1,027 ratings) |
 | A Desert Torn Asunder | 2021 | 6 | core | 4.22 (848 ratings) |
Middle Eastern/desert-inspired epic fantasy set in the city-state of Sharakhai, ruled by twelve immortal Kings; the six-book main sequence (2015-2021) is Core Canon. The standalone prequel novella "Of Sand and Malice Made" is Expanded Canon.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Song of the Shattered Sands? The Song of the Shattered Sands's Core Canon is 6 books.
- What is the reading order for The Song of the Shattered Sands? Publication order, starting with Twelve Kings in Sharakhai. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Song of the Shattered Sands finished? Complete (2015–2021).
- How much reading does The Song of the Shattered Sands take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 6 Core Canon books · ~3,437 pages).
- How is The Song of the Shattered Sands ranked? #280 in this site's official ranking, based on 16,899 reader ratings across 6 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #280?
Ranked #280 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 4.07 across 6 core books.
- A smaller readership (16,899 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- 0.01 behind #279, Archer's Goon.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 6 books · Complete · 17k ratings · Ranks #280 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length epic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (6 Core Canon books)
- Twelve Kings in Sharakhai (2015)
- With Blood Upon the Sand (2017)
- A Veil of Spears (2018)
- Beneath the Twisted Trees (2019)
- When Jackals Storm the Walls (2020)
- A Desert Torn Asunder (2021)
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 4.07 across 16,899 ratings on 6 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: The Song of the Shattered Sands admitted; Core Canon = the six-book main sequence accepted 2026-08-27
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-08-27
Rule: Core Canon is the six-book main sequence (2015–2021). The standalone prequel novella “Of Sand and Malice Made” is Expanded Canon.