Wizard of the Pigeons
#7053.72 adjusted 3.81 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 1986 Reading commitment Low Megan Lindholm Last reviewed 2026-08-15
Overview
In present-day Seattle, a homeless Vietnam veteran with unrecognized magical power tends to the city's pigeons and its forgotten people, until a confrontation with a malevolent force called Mir forces him to reclaim both his past and his power. Published under the Megan Lindholm name, one of two pen names (alongside Robin Hobb) of Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden, the 1986 novel is regarded as a key early work in the development of the urban fantasy subgenre, praised by scholars for pairing plain description of the fantastic with grittier, baroque depictions of the real city, though some critics have noted it risks romanticizing homelessness. Its 2003 French translation, Le Dernier Magicien, won the Prix Imaginales for best fantasy novel. Confirmed a wholly separate continuity from the author's other admitted universes, the Realm of the Elderlings and the Soldier Son Trilogy.
Urban fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
Wizard of the Pigeons (1986) core · 3.72 (1,749 ratings); Published under the Megan Lindholm name (Ace Books, 1986). An urban fantasy set in contemporary Seattle, following a homeless Vietnam veteran with unrecognized magical power; regarded as an early, influential work in the urban fantasy subgenre.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Wizard of the Pigeons? Wizard of the Pigeons's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is Wizard of the Pigeons finished? Complete (1986).
- How much reading does Wizard of the Pigeons take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book · ~214 pages).
- How is Wizard of the Pigeons ranked? #705 in this site's official ranking, based on 1,749 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #705?
Ranked #705 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.72 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (1,749 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- 0.08 behind #704, The Grey Land.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
- A single standalone novel: ranked on that one book alone.
Why explore this universe?
Modestly rated · 1 book · Complete · 2k ratings · Ranks #705 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment urban fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- Prix Imaginales (Roman etranger (Foreign Novel)), 2004: won: Wizard of the Pigeons; Won for its French translation, Le Dernier magicien (Mnemos, 2003). Confirmed directly via imaginales.fr's own official winners list for the festival's foreign-novel category.
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel), 1987: finalist: Wizard of the Pigeons; Locus poll placement, 8th place; registered per this canon's no-cutoff convention for Locus poll placements, not a won result. Confirmed via sfadb.com, the accepted primary source for Locus Award lineage claims.
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel), 1986: finalist: Wizard of the Pigeons; Locus poll placement, 17th place; registered per this canon's no-cutoff convention for Locus poll placements, not a won result. Confirmed via sfadb.com, the accepted primary source for Locus Award lineage claims.
Related universes
- Same author Realm of the Elderlings: Both by the same person (Robin Hobb / Megan Lindholm pen names); confirmed separate continuities, consistent with this canon's original finding.
- Same author The Soldier Son Trilogy: Both by the same person (Robin Hobb / Megan Lindholm pen names); confirmed separate continuities.
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what Wizard of the Pigeons and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- Brown Girl in the Ring Urban fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.85
- Alif the Unseen Urban fantasy / Mythic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.84
- Sunshine Urban fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.84
- Black Water Sister Urban fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.83
Official resources
- Les Imaginales: Prix Imaginales, official winners list
- sfadb: Megan Lindholm Chronology
- Wikipedia: Wizard of the Pigeons
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.72 across 1,749 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Wizard of the Pigeons admitted; single-work, credited to Megan Lindholm accepted 2026-08-15
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: Wizard of the Pigeons Tier 2
- Les Imaginales: Prix Imaginales, official winners list Tier 1
- Wikipedia (fr): Le Dernier Magicien Tier 2
- sfadb: Megan Lindholm Chronology Tier 3
Related universes: see the Related universes section above.
Last reviewed: 2026-08-15
Rule: Core Canon = the single novel, Wizard of the Pigeons (1986). Registered as a standalone, single-work entry; a genuinely self-contained novel, distinct from the author's separate, unadmitted Ki and Vandien / Windsingers quartet.