Westria
#9123.62 adjusted 3.84 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 8 books Status Ongoing 1982–present Reading commitment High Diana L. Paxson Last reviewed 2026-11-01
Overview
Diana L. Paxson's Chronicles of Westria, published from 1982 to 2006, are set in an alternate future California. A Cataclysm destroyed human civilization, and the Powers of Nature reclaimed the land; the kingdom of Westria's rulers must hold four Jewels of Power, tied to earth, water, air and fire. The first two books follow King Jehan, Queen Faris and the traitor Caolin. Later books follow Faris's son Julian as he recovers the Jewels, and The Golden Hills of Westria follows Julian's son Johan. The author's site lists a further novel as forthcoming.
Epic fantasy, Mythic fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (8 works) counts toward ranking
Westria Diana L. Paxson
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Lady of Light; Originally published as a paperback in 1982; later combined with Lady of Darkness as The Mistress of the Jewels. | 1982 | 1 | core | 3.14 (70 ratings) |
 | Lady of Darkness | 1983 | 2 | core | 3.37 (35 ratings) |
 | Silverhair the Wanderer; The ISBN is for the Tor paperback; the date of the first printing was not shown. | 1986 | 3 | core | 3.70 (60 ratings) |
 | The Earthstone | 1987 | 4 | core | 3.72 (50 ratings) |
 | The Sea Star | 1988 | 5 | core | 3.74 (46 ratings) |
 | The Wind Crystal | 1990 | 6 | core | 3.83 (53 ratings) |
 | The Jewel of Fire; Reissued in 1995; the rating platform shows 1995 for the edition it lists. | 1992 | 7 | core | 3.87 (55 ratings) |
 | The Golden Hills of Westria | 2006 | 8 | core | 3.62 (68 ratings) |
Rulers of a post-Cataclysm California kingdom must recover four Jewels of Power.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Westria? Westria's Core Canon is 8 books.
- What is the reading order for Westria? Publication order, starting with Lady of Light. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Westria finished? Ongoing (1982–present).
- How much reading does Westria take? High reading commitment (estimated from 8 Core Canon books).
- How is Westria ranked? #912 in this site's official ranking, based on 437 reader ratings across 8 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #912?
Ranked #912 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.62 across 8 core books.
- A smaller readership (437 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 3.14 to 3.87.
- 0.14 behind #911, By These Ten Bones.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Modestly rated · 8 books · Ongoing · 437 ratings · Ranks #912 overall
Good choice if you want a long-running epic fantasy universe that's still ongoing, with new books still coming.
Reading order
Publication order (8 Core Canon books)
- Lady of Light (1982)
- Lady of Darkness (1983)
- Silverhair the Wanderer (1986)
- The Earthstone (1987)
- The Sea Star (1988)
- The Wind Crystal (1990)
- The Jewel of Fire (1992)
- The Golden Hills of Westria (2006)
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 Westria 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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- Kencyrath Epic fantasy / Sword & sorcery · Ongoing · High commitment · 4.28
- The Drenai Saga Epic fantasy / Sword & sorcery · Complete · High commitment · 4.27
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.62 across 437 ratings on 8 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: 27 universes from the candidate register; 3 candidates ruled out accepted 2026-11-01
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-11-01
Rule: Core Canon = the eight Westria novels, from Lady of Light (1982) to The Golden Hills of Westria (2006); the omnibus The Mistress of the Jewels and the Westria short stories are excluded.