The Tale of the Five
#6043.96 adjusted 3.96 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Ongoing 1979–present Reading commitment Medium Diane Duane Last reviewed 2026-11-02
Overview
The Tale of the Five, also called the Middle Kingdoms series, is a fantasy series by Diane Duane, begun in 1979 and separate from her Young Wizards books. In The Door into Fire, Herewiss, a young man who has the rare gift of the Flame of Power, sets out to free his exiled friend Freelorn, rightful heir to the throne of Arlen. With a fire elemental called Sunspark, he must choose between helping Freelorn regain his kingdom and following the path of his own power. The later books follow the struggle against the Shadow. Duane has said a fourth novel, The Door into Starlight, is planned, with a Tales of the Five miniseries bridging the gap.
Epic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
The Tale of the Five Diane Duane
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Door into Fire | 1979 | 1 | core | 3.84 (976 ratings) |
 | The Door into Shadow | 1984 | 2 | core | 4.03 (500 ratings) |
 | The Door into Sunset | 1992 | 3 | core | 4.18 (404 ratings) |
Fantasy of the Middle Kingdoms, centred on Herewiss, Freelorn and the struggle against the Shadow.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Tale of the Five? The Tale of the Five's Core Canon is 3 books.
- What is the reading order for The Tale of the Five? Publication order, starting with The Door into Fire. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Tale of the Five finished? Ongoing (1979–present).
- How much reading does The Tale of the Five take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books).
- How is The Tale of the Five ranked? #604 in this site's official ranking, based on 1,880 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #604?
Ranked #604 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.96 across 3 core books.
- A smaller readership (1,880 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- 0.01 behind #603, The Dark Lord's Daughter.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 3 books · Ongoing · 2k ratings · Ranks #604 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length epic fantasy universe that's still ongoing, with new books still coming.
Reading order
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- The Door into Fire (1979)
- The Door into Shadow (1984)
- The Door into Sunset (1992)
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.
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what The Tale of the Five and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The Draconis Memoria Epic fantasy / Grimdark · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.11
- The Elven Epic fantasy · Ongoing · Medium commitment · 4.11
- The Winnowing Flame Trilogy Epic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.11
- Wolfhound Epic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.11
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.96 across 1,880 ratings on 3 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: 28 universes; 3 candidates ruled out accepted 2026-11-02
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Diane Duane site Tier 2
- Rising Shadow Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Diane Duane Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
Rule: Core Canon = The Door into Fire (1979), The Door into Shadow (1984) and The Door into Sunset (1992). Excludes the Tales of the Five novellas, the omnibus The Sword and the Dragon and the short stories.