🎯 Where Should I Start?
Best Starting Point
Publication Order of Chaga Books
Start with: Chaga / Evolution's Shore (1995)
Popular Choice
Publication Order of Desolation Road Universe Books
Start with: Desolation Road (1988)
Popular Choice
Publication Order of Everness Books
Start with: Planesrunner (2011)
ⓘ About Ian McDonald
Ian McDonald Ian McDonald is a science fiction author who calls Belfast his home. His novels are known for diving deep into advanced ideas like nanotechnology. He often sets his stories in vibrant, postcyberpunk landscapes. What truly stands out is his focus on how fast change affects different cultures. He has a real gift for pulling readers into a compelling story. The characters he creates feel like authentic people with clear motivations. This makes the narrative both engaging and easy to connect with. It is a major reason his books are such a consistent pleasure to read. A defining strength is how he explores societies beyond the typical Western viewpoint. He is fascinated by how rapid shifts in technology and community reshape these parts of the world.
All Book Series by Ian McDonald
1
Chaga / Evolution's Shore
Series opener · book 1 of 3 · published 1995
Buy on Amazon1995
3
Tendeléo's Story
Latest in the series · book 3 of 3 · published 2000
Buy on Amazon2000
1
Desolation Road
Series opener · book 1 of 2 · published 1988
Buy on Amazon1988
2
Ares Express
Latest in the series · book 2 of 2 · published 2000
Buy on Amazon2000
1
Planesrunner
Series opener · book 1 of 3 · published 2011
Buy on Amazon2011
3
Empress of the Sun
Latest in the series · book 3 of 3 · published 2013
Buy on Amazon2013
1
The Fifth Dragon
Single-title series · published 2014
Buy on Amazon2014
1
River of Gods
Series opener · book 1 of 2 · published 2004
Buy on Amazon2004
2
Cyberabad Days
Latest in the series · book 2 of 2 · published 2009
Buy on Amazon2009
1
New Moon
Series opener · book 1 of 4 · published 2015
Buy on Amazon2015
4
The Menace from Farside
Latest in the series · book 4 of 4 · published 2019
Buy on Amazon2019
1
Out on Blue Six
Series opener · book 1 of 10 · published 1989
Buy on Amazon1989
2
King of Morning, Queen of Day
Book 2 of 10 · published 1991
Buy on Amazon1991
3
The Broken Land / Hearts, Hands And Voices
Book 3 of 10 · published 1992
Buy on Amazon1992
5
Scissors Cut Paper Wrap Stone
Book 5 of 10 · published 1994
Buy on Amazon1994
7
Sacrifice of Fools
Book 7 of 10 · published 1996
Buy on Amazon1996
9
The Dervish House
Book 9 of 10 · published 2009
Buy on Amazon2009
10
Hopeland
Latest in the series · book 10 of 10 · published 2023
Buy on Amazon2023
1
Some Strange Desire
Series opener · book 1 of 8 · published 1993
Buy on Amazon1993
2
The Little Goddess
Book 2 of 8 · published 2005
Buy on Amazon2005
3
The Djinn’s Wife
Book 3 of 8 · published 2006
Buy on Amazon2006
5
Vishnu at the Cat Circus
Book 5 of 8 · published 2009
Buy on Amazon2009
8
Boy, with Accidental Dinosaur
Latest in the series · book 8 of 8 · published 2026
Buy on Amazon2026
1
Empire Dreams
Series opener · book 1 of 2 · published 1988
Buy on Amazon1988
2
Speaking In Tongues
Latest in the series · book 2 of 2 · published 1992
Buy on Amazon1992
1
The Best of Ian McDonald
Single-title series · published 2016
Buy on Amazon2016
1
Kling Klang Klatch
Single-title series · published 1992
Buy on Amazon1992
1
Elsewhere
Series opener · book 1 of 3 · published 1981 Anthology · W.B. Yeats
Buy on Amazon1981
2
Elsewhere Vol. II
Book 2 of 3 · published 1982 Anthology · Terri Windling
Buy on Amazon1982
3
Elsewhere Vol. III
Latest in the series · book 3 of 3 · published 1982
Buy on Amazon1982
1
San Francisco Noir
Series opener · book 1 of 121 · published 2002
Buy on Amazon2002
6
Brooklyn Noir 2
Book 6 of 121 · published 2005
Buy on Amazon2005
9
Manhattan Noir
Book 9 of 121 · published 2006
Buy on Amazon2006
12
Baltimore Noir
Book 12 of 121 · published 2006
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13
Twin Cities Noir
Book 13 of 121 · published 2006
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15
New Orleans Noir
Book 15 of 121 · published 2007
Buy on Amazon2007
16
Los Angeles Noir
Book 16 of 121 · published 2007
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17
Wall Street Noir
Book 17 of 121 · published 2007
Buy on Amazon2007
19
Detroit Noir
Book 19 of 121 · published 2007
Buy on Amazon2007
21
Brooklyn Noir 3: Nothing But the Truth
Book 21 of 121 · published 2008
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22
Toronto Noir
Book 22 of 121 · published 2008
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23
Las Vegas Noir
Book 23 of 121 · published 2008
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24
Trinidad Noir
Book 24 of 121 · published 2008
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26
Manhattan Noir 2
Book 26 of 121 · published 2008
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28
Istanbul Noir
Book 28 of 121 · published 2008
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31
San Francisco Noir 2
Book 31 of 121 · published 2009
Buy on Amazon2009
32
Portland Noir
Book 32 of 121 · published 2009
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34
Phoenix Noir
Book 34 of 121 · published 2009
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35
Los Angeles Noir 2
Book 35 of 121 · published 2010
Buy on Amazon2010
36
Mexico City Noir
Book 36 of 121 · published 2010
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37
Richmond Noir
Book 37 of 121 · published 2010
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38
Orange County Noir
Book 38 of 121 · published 2010
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39
Indian Country Noir
Book 39 of 121 · published 2010
Buy on Amazon2010
41
Lone Star Noir
Book 41 of 121 · published 2010
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42
Philadelphia Noir
Book 42 of 121 · published 2010
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44
Copenhagen Noir
Book 44 of 121 · published 2010
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45
Pittsburgh Noir
Book 45 of 121 · published 2011
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46
San Diego Noir
Book 46 of 121 · published 2011
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47
Barcelona Noir
Book 47 of 121 · published 2011
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48
Cape Cod Noir
Book 48 of 121 · published 2011
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49
New Jersey Noir
Book 49 of 121 · published 2011
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50
Staten Island Noir
Book 50 of 121 · published 2012
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52
Long Island Noir
Book 52 of 121 · published 2012
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54
Kingston Noir
Book 54 of 121 · published 2012
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55
St. Petersburg Noir
Book 55 of 121 · published 2012
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56
Kansas City Noir
Book 56 of 121 · published 2012
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57
Boston Noir 2
Book 57 of 121 · published 2012
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60
Buffalo Noir
Book 60 of 121 · published 2013
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62
Haiti Noir 2
Book 62 of 121 · published 2013
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63
Singapore Noir
Book 63 of 121 · published 2014
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65
Tel Aviv Noir
Book 65 of 121 · published 2014
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67
Belfast Noir
Book 67 of 121 · published 2014
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68
Helsinki Noir
Book 68 of 121 · published 2014
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70
Providence Noir
Book 70 of 121 · published 2015
Buy on Amazon2015
71
Chicago Noir: The Classics
Book 71 of 121 · published 2015
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72
Memphis Noir
Book 72 of 121 · published 2015
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74
Marseille Noir
Book 74 of 121 · published 2015
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76
New Orleans Noir: The Classics
Book 76 of 121 · published 2016
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77
Stockholm Noir
Book 77 of 121 · published 2016
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78
Brussels Noir
Book 78 of 121 · published 2016
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79
Mississippi Noir
Book 79 of 121 · published 2016
Buy on Amazon2016
80
St. Louis Noir
Book 80 of 121 · published 2016
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82
San Juan Noir
Book 82 of 121 · published 2016
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83
Oakland Noir
Book 83 of 121 · published 2017
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84
Trinidad Noir: The Classics
Book 84 of 121 · published 2017
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85
Atlanta Noir
Book 85 of 121 · published 2017
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86
New Haven Noir
Book 86 of 121 · published 2017
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87
Montana Noir
Book 87 of 121 · published 2017
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88
Buenos Aires Noir
Book 88 of 121 · published 2017
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89
Montreal Noir
Book 89 of 121 · published 2017
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91
São Paulo Noir
Book 91 of 121 · published 2018
Buy on Amazon2018
92
Santa Cruz Noir
Book 92 of 121 · published 2018
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94
Marrakech Noir
Book 94 of 121 · published 2018
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95
Baghdad Noir
Book 95 of 121 · published 2018
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96
Vancouver Noir
Book 96 of 121 · published 2018
Buy on Amazon2018
98
Hong Kong Noir
Book 98 of 121 · published 2018
Buy on Amazon2018
99
Amsterdam Noir
Book 99 of 121 · published 2019
Buy on Amazon2019
100
Milwaukee Noir
Book 100 of 121 · published 2019
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101
Houston Noir
Book 101 of 121 · published 2019
Buy on Amazon2019
102
Nairobi Noir
Book 102 of 121 · published 2020
Buy on Amazon2020
103
Columbus Noir
Book 103 of 121 · published 2020
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104
Santa Fe Noir
Book 104 of 121 · published 2020
Buy on Amazon2020
105
Alabama Noir
Book 105 of 121 · published 2020
Buy on Amazon2020
106
Berkeley Noir
Book 106 of 121 · published 2020
Buy on Amazon2020
107
Addis Ababa Noir
Book 107 of 121 · published 2020
Buy on Amazon2020
108
Tampa Bay Noir
Book 108 of 121 · published 2020
Buy on Amazon2020
109
Miami Noir: The Classics
Book 109 of 121 · published 2020
Buy on Amazon2020
110
Accra Noir
Book 110 of 121 · published 2020
Buy on Amazon2020
111
Belgrade Noir
Book 111 of 121 · published 2020
Buy on Amazon2020
112
Palm Springs Noir
Book 112 of 121 · published 2021
Buy on Amazon2021
113
Paris Noir: The Suburbs
Book 113 of 121 · published 2022
Buy on Amazon2022
114
Denver Noir
Book 114 of 121 · published 2022
Buy on Amazon2022
115
South Central Noir
Book 115 of 121 · published 2022
Buy on Amazon2022
116
Cleveland Noir
Book 116 of 121 · published 2023
Buy on Amazon2023
117
East Jerusalem Noir
Book 117 of 121 · published 2023
Buy on Amazon2023
118
West Jerusalem Noir
Book 118 of 121 · published 2023
Buy on Amazon2023
119
Honolulu Noir
Book 119 of 121 · published 2024
Buy on Amazon2024
120
Sacramento Noir
Book 120 of 121 · published 2025
Buy on Amazon2025
121
Hamburg Noir
Latest in the series · book 121 of 121 · published 2025
Buy on Amazon2025
1
The Year's Best Fantasy: Second Annual Collection
Series opener · book 1 of 79 · published 1989
Buy on Amazon1989
3
Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, August 1990
Book 3 of 79 · published 1990
Buy on Amazon1990
4
Isaac Asimov's Mars
Book 4 of 79 · published 1991
Buy on Amazon1991
5
The Dedalus Book of Femmes Fatales
Book 5 of 79 · published 1991
Buy on Amazon1991
6
The Year's Best Science Fiction: Eighth Annual Collection
Book 6 of 79 · published 1991
Buy on Amazon1991
7
Dante's Disciples
Book 7 of 79 · published 1991
Buy on Amazon1991
8
Destination Unknown
Book 8 of 79 · published 1991
Buy on Amazon1991
9
The Year's Best Science Fiction: Ninth Annual Collection
Book 9 of 79 · published 1992
Buy on Amazon1992
10
Under African Skies
Book 10 of 79 · published 1993
Buy on Amazon1993
11
Omni Best Science Fiction Three
Book 11 of 79 · published 1993
Buy on Amazon1993
12
The Year's Best Science Fiction: Tenth Annual Collection
Book 12 of 79 · published 1993
Buy on Amazon1993
13
Tales of the Wandering Jew
Book 13 of 79 · published 1993
Buy on Amazon1993
16
Seventh Annual Collection
Book 16 of 79 · published 1994
Buy on Amazon1994
18
The Mammoth Book of Best New Science Fiction 11th Annual Collection
Book 18 of 79 · published 1997
Buy on Amazon1997
20
Tales in Space
Book 20 of 79 · published 1998
Buy on Amazon1998
21
The Year's Best Science Fiction: Fifteenth Annual Collection
Book 21 of 79 · published 1998
Buy on Amazon1998
25
The Furthest Horizon
Book 25 of 79 · published 2000
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28
Future Sports
Book 28 of 79 · published 2002
Buy on Amazon2002
30
The Mammoth Book of Best New SF 16
Book 30 of 79 · published 2003
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31
Constellations
Book 31 of 79 · published 2005
Buy on Amazon2005
32
Asimov's Science Fiction, June 2005
Book 32 of 79 · published 2005
Buy on Amazon2005
33
The Best of the Best: 20 Years of the Best Short Science Fiction Novels
Book 33 of 79 · published 2005
Buy on Amazon2005
34
The Mammoth Book of Extreme Science Fiction
Book 34 of 79 · published 2006
Buy on Amazon2006
35
The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Third Annual Collection
Book 35 of 79 · published 2006
Buy on Amazon2006
36
The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Fourth Annual Collection
Book 36 of 79 · published 2007
Buy on Amazon2007
37
The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, Volume 1
Book 37 of 79 · published 2007
Buy on Amazon2007
38
The Best of the Best, Vol 2
Book 38 of 79 · published 2007
Buy on Amazon2007
39
The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Fourth Annual Collection
Book 39 of 79 · published 2007
Buy on Amazon2007
40
Galactic Empires
Book 40 of 79 · published 2008
Buy on Amazon2008
41
The Mammoth Book of Best New SF 21
Book 41 of 79 · published 2008
Buy on Amazon2008
42
The Year's Best Science Fiction & Fantasy, 2009
Book 42 of 79 · published 2008
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43
The Mammoth Book of Best New SF 22
Book 43 of 79 · published 2008
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44
Fast Forward 2
Book 44 of 79 · published 2008
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45
The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, Volume 3
Book 45 of 79 · published 2009
Buy on Amazon2009
46
The Hugo Award Showcase: 2010 Volume
Book 46 of 79 · published 2010
Buy on Amazon2010
50
Lightspeed Magazine, June 2011
Book 50 of 79 · published 2011
Buy on Amazon2011
51
Robots: The Recent A.I.
Book 51 of 79 · published 2012
Buy on Amazon2012
52
The Year's Best Science Fiction: Twenty-Ninth Annual Collection
Book 52 of 79 · published 2012
Buy on Amazon2012
53
Other Worlds Than These
Book 53 of 79 · published 2012
Buy on Amazon2012
55
Twelve Tomorrows 2013
Book 55 of 79 · published 2013
Buy on Amazon2013
57
Robot Uprisings
Book 57 of 79 · published 2014
Buy on Amazon2014
58
Reach for Infinity
Book 58 of 79 · published 2014
Buy on Amazon2014
59
The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, Volume Nine
Book 59 of 79 · published 2014
Buy on Amazon2014
60
The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirty-First Annual Collection
Book 60 of 79 · published 2014
Buy on Amazon2014
61
Old Venus of Stories
Book 61 of 79 · published 2015
Buy on Amazon2015
62
Clarkesworld: Year Seven
Book 62 of 79 · published 2015
Buy on Amazon2015
63
Meeting Infinity
Book 63 of 79 · published 2015
Buy on Amazon2015
64
The Best Science Fiction of the Year: Volume One
Book 64 of 79 · published 2016
Buy on Amazon2016
65
Galactic Empires
Book 65 of 79 · published 2017
Buy on Amazon2017
66
2001: An Odyssey in Words
Book 66 of 79 · published 2018
Buy on Amazon2018
67
The Best of British Fantasy 2018
Book 67 of 79 · published 2019
Buy on Amazon2019
68
Stories of Hope and Wonder: In Support of UK's Healthcare Workers
Book 68 of 79 · published 2020
Buy on Amazon2020
69
The Year's Top Hard Science Fiction Stories 4
Book 69 of 79 · published 2020
Buy on Amazon2020
70
Best Short Novels 2006
Book 70 of 79 · published 2020
Buy on Amazon2020
71
The 2020 Look at Mars Fiction Book
Book 71 of 79 · published 2020
Buy on Amazon2020
73
The 2020 Look at Space Opera Book
Book 73 of 79 · published 2020
Buy on Amazon2020
74
World Science Fiction #2: Reloading the Future
Book 74 of 79 · published 2021
Buy on Amazon2021
75
The Black Dreams: Strange Stories from Northern Ireland
Book 75 of 79 · published 2021
Buy on Amazon2021
76
The Year's Top Hard Science Fiction Stories 9
Book 76 of 79 · published 2025
Buy on Amazon2025
77
Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, August 1990
Book 77 of 79 · published 1990
Buy on Amazon1990
78
The Starry Rift
Book 78 of 79 · published 2008
Buy on Amazon2008
79
The Year's Best Science Fiction: Thirty-Fourth Annual Collection
Latest in the series · book 79 of 79 · published 2017
Buy on Amazon2017
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Ian McDonald?
Ian McDonald Ian McDonald is a science fiction author who calls Belfast his home. His novels are known for diving deep into advanced ideas like nanotechnology. He often sets his stories in vibrant, postcyberpunk landscapes.
Which Ian McDonald series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Elsewhere series, the earliest of Ian McDonald's multi-book series: it opens with Elsewhere (1981) and runs to 3 books across 1981–1982, ending with Elsewhere Vol. III (1982). Ian McDonald's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Ian McDonald written?
Ian McDonald has 240 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1981 and 2026. 139 of them belong to 8 named series — the largest being the Luna series with 4 books — and 101 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Ian McDonald's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Ian McDonald's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Elsewhere (1981–1982, 3 books), Desolation Road Universe (1988–2000, 2 books) and Chaga (1995–2000, 3 books), plus 4 more.
How are Ian McDonald's books organised into series?
This guide splits Ian McDonald's 240 books into 8 named series and 101 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Luna (4 books, 2015–2019); Chaga (3 books, 1995–2000); Everness (3 books, 2011–2013); Elsewhere (3 books, 1981–1982); Desolation Road Universe (2 books, 1988–2000), plus 3 further series.
