The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl
#6593.91 adjusted 3.94 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 2005 Reading commitment Low Tim Pratt Last reviewed 2026-11-02
Overview
The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl is a 2005 standalone novel by Tim Pratt, published by Bantam Spectra. It is set in Santa Cruz, California, where Marzi McCarty, an art school dropout, runs a coffee shop at night and draws a comic called The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl by day. A door in the shop's storage room opens onto a realm resembling an Old West, where a supernatural cowboy called the Outlaw is trapped. When Marzi lets him out, he takes a college student prisoner behind the door, and Marzi and her friend Lindsey follow. The book is a single novel, and Pratt's later series are set in separate worlds.
Urban fantasy, Mythic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl Tim Pratt
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl | 2005 | 1 | core | 3.91 (344 ratings) |
A standalone fantasy novel set in Santa Cruz about a comic artist and a door to a western-style realm.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl? The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl finished? Complete (2005).
- How much reading does The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book).
- How is The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl ranked? #659 in this site's official ranking, based on 344 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #659?
Ranked #659 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.91 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (344 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- 0.03 behind #658, City of Ghosts.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 1 book · Complete · 344 ratings · Ranks #659 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
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- Mythopoeic Award, 2006: finalist: The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl
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Suggestions computed from what The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
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- Celestial Kingdom Mythic fantasy / Romantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.03
- Light from Uncommon Stars Urban fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.02
- The Bell at Sealey Head Mythic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.02
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.91 across 344 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)
- Wikipedia Tier 2
- Strange Horizons review Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Tim Pratt Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
Rule: Core Canon = The Strange Adventures of Rangergirl (2005).