I

Ian C. Esslemont

3 Series • 13 Books

3
Series
13
Books
3
Active

🎯 Where Should I Start?

Best Starting Point
Publication Order of Malazan Empire Books
Start with: Night of Knives (2004)
Popular Choice
Publication Order of Path to Ascendancy Books
Start with: Dancer's Lament (2016)
Popular Choice
Publication Order of Anthologies
Start with: Writing Fantasy Heroes (2013)

ⓘ About Ian C. Esslemont

The Canadian author Ian C. Esslemont, or Ian Cameron Esslemont if full, is a fantasy writer who focuses mainly on high-fantasy novels, as he is largely known for his Malazan Book of the Fallen and Malazan Empire series, which he has been writing for quite some time now for an ever increasing world-wide audience. Previously working as an archaeologist, a field he was initially trained in, he then went on to become a full-time writer, as he collaborated with his friend Steven Erikson. Branching out on his own now, he has also just started on the ‘Path to Ascendancy’ series, a prequel to the initial franchise, providing further back-story of his own.

All Book Series by Ian C. Esslemont

1
Night of Knives book cover

Night of Knives

Series opener · book 1 of 7 · published 2004

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2004
2
Return of the Crimson Guard book cover

Return of the Crimson Guard

Book 2 of 7 · published 2008

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2008
3
Stonewielder book cover

Stonewielder

Book 3 of 7 · published 2010

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2010
4
Orb Sceptre Throne book cover

Orb Sceptre Throne

Book 4 of 7 · published 2012

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2012
5
Blood and Bone book cover

Blood and Bone

Book 5 of 7 · published 2012

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2012
6
Assail book cover

Assail

Book 6 of 7 · published 2013

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2013
7
Forge of the High Mage book cover

Forge of the High Mage

Latest in the series · book 7 of 7 · published 2023

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2023
1
Dancer's Lament book cover

Dancer's Lament

Series opener · book 1 of 4 · published 2016

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2016
2
Deadhouse Landing book cover

Deadhouse Landing

Book 2 of 4 · published 2017

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2017
3
Kellanved's Reach book cover

Kellanved's Reach

Book 3 of 4 · published 2019

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2019
4
Forge of the High Mage book cover

Forge of the High Mage

Latest in the series · book 4 of 4 · published 2023

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2023
1
Writing Fantasy Heroes book cover

Writing Fantasy Heroes

Series opener · book 1 of 2 · published 2013

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2013
2
Imaginarium 3 book cover

Imaginarium 3

Latest in the series · book 2 of 2 · published 2015

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2015

? Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Ian C. Esslemont?

The Canadian author Ian C. Esslemont, or Ian Cameron Esslemont if full, is a fantasy writer who focuses mainly on high-fantasy novels, as he is largely known for his Malazan Book of the Fallen and Malazan Empire series, which he has been writing for quite some time now for an ever increasing world-wide audience. Previously working as an archaeologist, a field he was initially trained in, he then went on to become a full-time writer, as he collaborated with his friend Steven Erikson.

Which Ian C. Esslemont series should I start with?

The best place to start is the Malazan Empire series, the earliest of Ian C. Esslemont's multi-book series: it opens with Night of Knives (2004) and runs to 7 books across 2004–2023, ending with Forge of the High Mage (2023). Ian C. Esslemont's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.

How many books has Ian C. Esslemont written?

Ian C. Esslemont has 13 books catalogued in this guide, published between 2004 and 2023. 11 of them belong to 2 named series — the largest being the Malazan Empire series with 7 books — and 2 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.

In what order should Ian C. Esslemont's series be read?

Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Ian C. Esslemont's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Malazan Empire (2004–2023, 7 books) and Path to Ascendancy (2016–2023, 4 books).

How are Ian C. Esslemont's books organised into series?

This guide splits Ian C. Esslemont's 13 books into 2 named series and 2 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Malazan Empire (7 books, 2004–2023); Path to Ascendancy (4 books, 2016–2023).