🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Alan Garner
Alan Garner is the author of award-winning science fiction, fantasy and Children’s books. He’s popularly known for his children’s fantasy novels and his skill of retelling traditional British folk stories. The Weirdstone of Brisingamen is the debut in the Tales of Alderley series. As the story opens up, Susan and her brother Colin are getting off the train at Alderley station to stay with their mother’s old nurse as their parents are abroad for six months. Susan had inherited an heirloom from her mother from the nanny’s family. She has no idea that she possesses the Weirdstone, a magical jewel transformed into a bracelet that has long been passed down as a family heirloom. The stone has been passed from mother to daughter of a local Chesire family, and now it’s in Susan’s possession.
All Book Series by Alan Garner
Grey Wolf, Prince Jack and the Firebird
Latest in the series · book 3 of 3 · published 1998
Cornerstones: Subterranean Writings; from Dartmoor to the Arctic Circle
Latest in the series · book 7 of 7 · published 2018
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Alan Garner?
Alan Garner is the author of award-winning science fiction, fantasy and Children’s books. He’s popularly known for his children’s fantasy novels and his skill of retelling traditional British folk stories. The Weirdstone of Brisingamen is the debut in the Tales of Alderley series.
Which Alan Garner series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Tales of Alderley series, the earliest of Alan Garner's multi-book series: it opens with The Weirdstone of Brisingamen (1960) and runs to 3 books across 1960–2012, ending with Boneland (2012). Alan Garner's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Alan Garner written?
Alan Garner has 37 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1960 and 2021. 7 of them belong to 2 named series — the largest being The Stone Book Quartet series with 4 books — and 30 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Alan Garner's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Alan Garner's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Tales of Alderley (1960–2012, 3 books) and The Stone Book Quartet (1976–1978, 4 books).
How are Alan Garner's books organised into series?
This guide splits Alan Garner's 37 books into 2 named series and 30 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: The Stone Book Quartet (4 books, 1976–1978); Tales of Alderley (3 books, 1960–2012).