🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Catherine Asaro
Catherine Asaro is an American scientist and scholar who also writes science fiction and fantasy. Asaro is best known for the Saga of the Skolian Empire novels. +Biography Catherine Asaro is one of those rare scholars that refused to let her numerous certifications in the areas of physics, chemistry and chemical physics keep her from her desire to produce fiction. If anything, Catherine has shown an uncanny ability to use her doctorate to bring a grounded edge to the arena of science fiction and fantasy. The author was born in 1955 in Oakland, California, though most of her childhood was spent in El Cerrito. A student of Kennedy High School in Richmond, the author eventually went to and left UCLA with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry.
All Book Series by Catherine Asaro
Charmed Destinies
Series opener · book 1 of 6 · published 2003 Co-authored · Mercedes Lackey,Rachel Lee
Analog Science Fiction and Fact Magazine, July/August 2000
Book 3 of 14 · published 2000
Permutations: A Well World Anthology
Latest in the series · book 14 of 14 · published 2025
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Catherine Asaro?
Catherine Asaro is an American scientist and scholar who also writes science fiction and fantasy. Asaro is best known for the Saga of the Skolian Empire novels. +Biography Catherine Asaro is one of those rare scholars that refused to let her numerous certifications in the areas of physics, chemistry and chemical physics keep her from her desire to produce fiction. If anything, Catherine has shown an uncanny ability to use her doctorate to bring a grounded edge to the arena of science fiction and fantasy.
Which Catherine Asaro series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Skolian Empire series, the earliest of Catherine Asaro's multi-book series: it opens with Primary Inversion (1995) and runs to 15 books across 1995–2011, ending with Carnelians (2011). Catherine Asaro's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Catherine Asaro written?
Catherine Asaro has 53 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1995 and 2025. 34 of them belong to 8 named series — the largest being the Skolian Empire series with 15 books — and 19 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Catherine Asaro's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Catherine Asaro's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Skolian Empire (1995–2011, 15 books), Lost Continent (2003–2008, 6 books) and Sunrise Alley/Charon (2004, 2 books), plus 5 more.
How are Catherine Asaro's books organised into series?
This guide splits Catherine Asaro's 53 books into 8 named series and 19 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Skolian Empire (15 books, 1995–2011); Lost Continent (6 books, 2003–2008); Major Bhaajan (5 books, 2011–2022); Dust Knights (2 books, 2024–2025); Lightning Strike (2 books, 2023), plus 3 further series.