Thongor
#11353.43 adjusted 3.65 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 6 books Status Unfinished 1965–1970 Reading commitment Medium Lin Carter Last reviewed 2026-11-02
Overview
Thongor is a sword-and-sorcery series by American writer Lin Carter, published as paperbacks from 1965 to 1970. It is set in ancient Lemuria, a prehistoric continent where humans struggle against reptilian rulers descended from dinosaurs and against wizards and serpent men. Thongor of Valkarth, a barbarian adventurer, rises from wanderer to emperor of Patanga, married to Sumia. Six novels follow his campaigns against the Dragon Kings, the Druids of Yamath, the Magicians of Zaar and the pirates of Tarakus. Later books by other writers continue the character; Carter's own six novels form the core. The first two were revised for reissue in 1969 and 1970.
Sword & sorcery · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (6 works) counts toward ranking
Thongor Lin Carter
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Wizard of Lemuria; Published by Ace Books in 1965; revised and expanded as Thongor and the Wizard of Lemuria (Berkley, 1969), the version used in later reprints. The rating shown is for the revised edition. | 1965 | 1 | core | 3.48 (505 ratings) | |
| Thongor of Lemuria; Published by Ace Books in 1966; revised and reissued as Thongor and the Dragon City (Berkley, 1970), the version used in later reprints. The rating shown is for the revised edition. | 1966 | 2 | core | 3.38 (244 ratings) | |
| Thongor Against the Gods; First published by Paperback Library in November 1967. | 1967 | 3 | core | 3.43 (198 ratings) | |
| Thongor in the City of Magicians; First published by Paperback Library in April 1968. | 1968 | 4 | core | 3.38 (137 ratings) | |
| Thongor at the End of Time; First published by Paperback Library in October 1968. | 1968 | 5 | core | 3.35 (133 ratings) | |
| Thongor Fights the Pirates of Tarakus; First published by Berkley Medallion in July 1970. | 1970 | 6 | core | 3.47 (108 ratings) |
Six sword-and-sorcery novels following the barbarian Thongor of Valkarth in prehistoric Lemuria.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Thongor? Thongor's Core Canon is 6 books.
- What is the reading order for Thongor? Publication order, starting with The Wizard of Lemuria. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Thongor finished? Unfinished (1965–1970).
- How much reading does Thongor take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 6 Core Canon books).
- How is Thongor ranked? #1135 in this site's official ranking, based on 1,325 reader ratings across 6 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #1135?
Ranked #1135 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.43 across 6 core books.
- A smaller readership (1,325 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Remarkably consistent across the whole series: all 6 rated core books rate within 0.13 of each other.
- 0.17 behind #1134, Cities of the Weft.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Modestly rated · 6 books · Unfinished · 1k ratings · Ranks #1135 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length sword-and-sorcery universe.
Reading order
Publication order (6 Core Canon books)
- The Wizard of Lemuria (1965)
- Thongor of Lemuria (1966)
- Thongor Against the Gods (1967)
- Thongor at the End of Time (1968)
- Thongor in the City of Magicians (1968)
- Thongor Fights the Pirates of Tarakus (1970)
Documented internal/story order
- The Wizard of Lemuria (1965)
- Thongor of Lemuria (1966)
- Thongor Against the Gods (1967)
- Thongor in the City of Magicians (1968)
- Thongor at the End of Time (1968)
- Thongor Fights the Pirates of Tarakus (1970)
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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Suggestions computed from what Thongor and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- Wars of Vis Sword & sorcery / Mythic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 3.51
- Aeons' Gate Sword & sorcery / Dark fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 3.44
- Brak the Barbarian Sword & sorcery · Unfinished · Medium commitment · 3.35
- Capitale du Sud Epic fantasy / Sword & sorcery · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.28
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.43 across 1,325 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: Canon Extension: 28 universes; 3 candidates ruled out accepted 2026-11-02
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: Thongor Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Lin Carter Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-11-02
Rule: Core Canon = the six Thongor novels by Lin Carter, from The Wizard of Lemuria (1965) to Thongor Fights the Pirates of Tarakus (1970); later collections and the 2023 posthumous novel by Robert M. Price are excluded.