Wars of Vis
#6463.51 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Complete 1976–1988 Reading commitment Medium Tanith Lee Last reviewed 2026-08-27
Overview
Wars of Vis is a sword-and-planet fantasy trilogy set on the world of Vis, following the rise and reign of a golden-eyed emperor of prophecy and the political and supernatural upheavals that follow. Published between 1976 and 1988, it is a separate universe from Tanith Lee's other admitted work in this database, Tales from the Flat Earth.
Sword & sorcery, Mythic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
The Wars of Vis Tanith Lee
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Storm Lord | 1976 | 1 | core | 3.45 (486 ratings) |
 | Anackire | 1983 | 2 | core | 3.54 (317 ratings) |
 | The White Serpent | 1988 | 3 | core | 3.60 (185 ratings) |
Completed sword-and-planet fantasy trilogy, a separate universe from Tanith Lee's already-admitted Tales from the Flat Earth.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Wars of Vis? Wars of Vis's Core Canon is 3 books.
- What is the reading order for Wars of Vis? Publication order, starting with The Storm Lord. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Wars of Vis finished? Complete (1976–1988).
- How much reading does Wars of Vis take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books · ~350 pages).
- How is Wars of Vis ranked? #646 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 988 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #646?
Ranked #646 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 3.51 across 3 core books.
- A smaller readership (988 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Remarkably consistent across the whole series: all 3 rated core books rate within 0.15 of each other.
- 0.02 behind #645, Dominion of the Fallen.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Modestly rated · 3 books · Complete · 988 ratings · Ranks #646 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length sword-and-sorcery universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- The Storm Lord (1976)
- Anackire (1983)
- The White Serpent (1988)
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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Suggestions computed from what Wars of Vis and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- Dark Sun: The Prism Pentad Sword & sorcery / Epic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 3.65
- The Atlan Saga Epic fantasy / Sword & sorcery · Complete · Medium commitment · 3.60
- The Ayesha Series Mythic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 3.59
- Aeons' Gate Sword & sorcery / Dark fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 3.44
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.51 across 988 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: Wars of Vis admitted; Core Canon = the trilogy accepted 2026-08-27
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Reader-rating platform: The Wars of Vis series listing Tier 3
- Black Gate: The Novels of Tanith Lee -- The Wars of Vis Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-08-27
Rule: Core Canon is all three novels of the trilogy.