🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Mary Robinette Kowal
Mary Robinette Kowal is a renowned author from the United States, who is famous for writing fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction, romance, regency, and fiction novels. She is particularly well known for writing the Glamourist Histories book series. Author Kowal is the winner of the 2008 Campbell Award, which she won in the Best New Writer category. She has also won the Hugo Award in 2011 for writing the short story For Want of a Nail. The stories written by author Kowal have featured in a number of popular literary magazines, including Asimov’s, Tablebones Magazine, Apex Digest, Strange Horizons, etc. They have even appeared in a few Best of the Year anthologies. In addition to being an author, Mary Kowal is also a professional voice actor and puppeteer.
All Book Series by Mary Robinette Kowal
The Millay Illusion
Latest in the series · book 9 of 9 · published 2025 Anthology · Sarah Pinsker
Scenting the Dark and Other Stories
Series opener · book 1 of 2 · published 2009
Clockwork Phoenix
Series opener · book 1 of 5 · published 2008 Anthology · Tanith Lee,John C. Wright,Deborah Biancotti,Laird Barron,Mike Allen,Vandana Singh,Catherynne M. Valente,Cat Rambo,Cat Sparks,John Grant,Ekaterina Sedia,Leah Bobet,Erin Hoffman,Michael J. DeLuca,Jennifer Crow,C.S. MacCath,David Sandner,Marie Brennan,Joanna Galbraith
Clockwork Phoenix 3: New Tales of Beauty and Strangeness
Book 3 of 5 · published 2010 Anthology · Tanith Lee,John C. Wright,Gregory Frost,Michael M. Jones,Mike Allen,Cat Rambo,John Grant,Kenneth Schneyer,Shweta Narayan,C.S.E. Cooney,Gemma Files,Georgina Bruce,Marie Brennan,Nicole Kornher-Stace,Tori Truslow,S.J. Hirons
Clockwork Phoenix 4
Book 4 of 5 · published 2013 Anthology · Tanith Lee,Richard Parks,A.C. Wise,Mike Allen,Yves Meynard,Cat Rambo,Kenneth Schneyer,Gemma Files,Alisa Alering,Ian McHugh,Benjanun Sriduangkaew,Shira Lipkin,Barbara Krasnoff,Patricia Russo,Camille Alexa,Marie Brennan,Nicole Kornher-Stace,Yukimi Ogawa,Corinne Duyvis
Clockwork Phoenix 5
Latest in the series · book 5 of 5 · published 2016 Anthology · Alex Dally MacFarlane,A.C. Wise,Mike Allen,Keffy R.M. Kehrli,Rich Larson,Cassandra Khaw,C.S.E. Cooney,Carlos Hernandez,Benjanun Sriduangkaew,Sonya Taaffe,Beth Cato,Barbara Krasnoff,Patricia Russo,Gray Rinehart,Marie Brennan,Sam Fleming,Shveta Thakrar,Holly Heisey,Jason Kimble,Rachael L. Jones,Rob Cameron,Sunil Patel
Science Fiction: The Best of the Year, 2008 Edition
Book 2 of 47 · published 2008
Coming Soon Enough Six Tales of Technology's Future
Book 18 of 47 · published 2014
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction July/August 2018
Book 30 of 47 · published 2018
Uncanny Magazine Issue 50: January-February 2023
Book 39 of 47 · published 2023
Uncanny Magazine Issue 56: January/February 2024
Book 41 of 47 · published 2024
Uncanny Magazine Issue 67: November/December 2025
Book 46 of 47 · published 2025
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Mary Robinette Kowal?
Mary Robinette Kowal is a renowned author from the United States, who is famous for writing fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction, romance, regency, and fiction novels. She is particularly well known for writing the Glamourist Histories book series. Author Kowal is the winner of the 2008 Campbell Award, which she won in the Best New Writer category.
Which Mary Robinette Kowal series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Glamourist Histories series, the earliest of Mary Robinette Kowal's multi-book series: it opens with Shades of Milk and Honey (2010) and runs to 5 books across 2010–2015, ending with Of Noble Family (2015). Mary Robinette Kowal's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Mary Robinette Kowal written?
Mary Robinette Kowal has 83 books catalogued in this guide, published between 2007 and 2026. 21 of them belong to 3 named series — the largest being the Lady Astronaut series with 11 books — and 62 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Mary Robinette Kowal's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Mary Robinette Kowal's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Glamourist Histories (2010–2015, 5 books) and Lady Astronaut (2012–2025, 11 books).
How are Mary Robinette Kowal's books organised into series?
This guide splits Mary Robinette Kowal's 83 books into 3 named series and 62 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Lady Astronaut (11 books, 2012–2025); Glamourist Histories (5 books, 2010–2015); Clockwork Phoenix (5 books, 2008–2016).