The Vagrant Trilogy
#5593.78 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Complete 2015–2017 Reading commitment Medium Peter Newman Last reviewed 2026-08-27
Overview
The Vagrant Trilogy is Peter Newman's post-apocalyptic dark fantasy debut, following a mute swordsman known only as the Vagrant as he crosses a demon-ravaged Britain carrying a baby and a sacred blade toward a besieged city. The Vagrant won the 2016 David Gemmell Morningstar Award for Best Debut Novel.
Grimdark, Dark fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
The Vagrant Trilogy Peter Newman
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Vagrant | 2015 | 1 | core | 3.66 (9,008 ratings) |
 | The Malice | 2016 | 2 | core | 3.96 (2,500 ratings) |
 | The Seven | 2017 | 3 | core | 4.15 (1,692 ratings) |
Post-apocalyptic dark fantasy trilogy; winner of the 2016 Morningstar Award.
Library / Expanded (2 works)
The Vagrant Trilogy (companion works) Peter Newman
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Hammer and the Goat | 2017 | 4.09 (426 ratings) | |
 | The Vagrant and the City | 2018 | 4.04 (309 ratings) |
Companion works set in the same universe as The Vagrant Trilogy.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Vagrant Trilogy? The Vagrant Trilogy's Core Canon is 3 books, plus 2 more in the wider Library/Expanded material.
- What is the reading order for The Vagrant Trilogy? Publication order, starting with The Vagrant. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Vagrant Trilogy finished? Complete (2015–2017).
- How much reading does The Vagrant Trilogy take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books · ~1,316 pages).
- How is The Vagrant Trilogy ranked? #559 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 13,200 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #559?
Ranked #559 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 3.78 across 3 core books.
- A smaller readership (13,200 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 3.66 to 4.15.
- Less than 0.01 behind #558, Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 3 books · Complete · 13k ratings · Ranks #559 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length grimdark fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- The Vagrant (2015)
- The Malice (2016)
- The Seven (2017)
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)
- David Gemmell Awards (Morningstar Award (Best Debut Novel)), 2016: won: The Vagrant
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.78 across 13,200 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: Admit The Vagrant Trilogy accepted 2026-08-27
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Peter Newman official site -- The Vagrant Trilogy Tier 1
- Wikipedia -- Peter Newman (author) Tier 2
- David Gemmell Awards -- 2016 Morningstar Award winners Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-08-27
Rule: Core Canon is the original trilogy (The Vagrant, The Malice, The Seven). Two companion works set in the same universe, "The Hammer and the Goat" (short story) and "The Vagrant and the City" (novella), are Expanded Canon.