📖 About Darkover

Darkover is a series universe written by Marion Zimmer Bradley. The complete collection runs to 26 books across 4 series, published between 1962 and 2013.

The main series is Publication Order of Darkover Books with 20 books. It opens with The Sword of Aldones (1962) and currently runs to Traitor's Sun (1999).

Series included on this page:

🎯 Where to Start with Darkover

New readers should begin with the first book of the main series in publication order: The Sword of Aldones (1962), book 1 of Publication Order of Darkover Books. Reading in publication order lets the world and characters develop the way the author intended, and it avoids spoilers that later books may contain.

If you would rather follow the story timeline instead of the release sequence, a chronological order is listed below. It begins with Darkover Landfall (1972).

Each of the 4 series on this page is expandable — click a series heading to see every title it contains, in order, with a direct link to buy the book on Amazon.

📚 Darkover Books in Order

Publication Order of Darkover Books
20 books
1
The Sword of Aldones book cover1The Sword of Aldones1962Buy on Amazon
The Bloody Sun book cover2The Bloody Sun1964Buy on Amazon
Star of Danger book cover3Star of Danger1965Buy on Amazon
The Winds of Darkover book cover4The Winds of Darkover1970Buy on Amazon
The World Wreckers book cover5The World Wreckers1971Buy on Amazon
Darkover Landfall book cover6Darkover Landfall1972Buy on Amazon
The Spell Sword book cover7The Spell Sword1974Buy on Amazon
The Heritage of Hastur book cover8The Heritage of Hastur1975Buy on Amazon
The Shattered Chain book cover9The Shattered Chain1976Buy on Amazon
The Forbidden Tower book cover10The Forbidden Tower1977Buy on Amazon
Stormqueen! book cover11Stormqueen!1978Buy on Amazon
Two to Conquer book cover12Two to Conquer1980Buy on Amazon
Sharra's Exile book cover13Sharra's Exile1981Buy on Amazon
Hawkmistress! book cover14Hawkmistress!1982Buy on Amazon
Thendara House book cover15Thendara House1983Buy on Amazon
City of Sorcery book cover16City of Sorcery1984Buy on Amazon
The Heirs of Hammerfell book cover17The Heirs of Hammerfell1989Buy on Amazon
Exile's Song book cover18Exile's Song1996Buy on Amazon
The Shadow Matrix book cover19The Shadow Matrix1997Buy on Amazon
Traitor's Sun book cover20Traitor's Sun1999Buy on Amazon
Chronological Order of Darkover Books
20 books
2
Darkover Landfall book cover1Darkover Landfall1972Buy on Amazon
Stormqueen! book cover2Stormqueen!1978Buy on Amazon
Traitor's Sun book cover3Traitor's Sun1999Buy on Amazon
Hawkmistress! book cover4Hawkmistress!1982Buy on Amazon
The Heirs of Hammerfell book cover5The Heirs of Hammerfell1989Buy on Amazon
The Shattered Chain book cover6The Shattered Chain1976Buy on Amazon
The Spell Sword book cover7The Spell Sword1974Buy on Amazon
The Forbidden Tower book cover8The Forbidden Tower1977Buy on Amazon
Thendara House book cover9Thendara House1983Buy on Amazon
City of Sorcery book cover10City of Sorcery1984Buy on Amazon
Star of Danger book cover11Star of Danger1965Buy on Amazon
The Winds of Darkover book cover12The Winds of Darkover1970Buy on Amazon
The Bloody Sun book cover13The Bloody Sun1964Buy on Amazon
The Heritage of Hastur book cover14The Heritage of Hastur1975Buy on Amazon
Sharra's Exile book cover15Sharra's Exile1981Buy on Amazon
The Sword of Aldones book cover16The Sword of Aldones1962Buy on Amazon
The World Wreckers book cover17The World Wreckers1971Buy on Amazon
Exile's Song book cover18Exile's Song1996Buy on Amazon
The Shadow Matrix book cover19The Shadow Matrix1997Buy on Amazon
Two to Conquer book cover20Two to Conquer1980Buy on Amazon
Publication Order of Clingfire Books
3 books
3
The Fall of Neskaya book cover1The Fall of Neskaya1998Buy on Amazon
Zandru's Forge book cover2Zandru's Forge2003Buy on Amazon
A Flame in Hali book cover3A Flame in Hali2004Buy on Amazon
Publication Order of Children of Kings Books
3 books
4
The Alton Gift book cover1The Alton Gift2007Buy on Amazon
Hastur Lord book cover2Hastur Lord2010Buy on Amazon
The Children of Kings book cover3The Children of Kings2013Buy on Amazon

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

How many Darkover books are there?
There are 26 books in the Darkover collection, organised into 4 series and published between 1962 and 2013.
What is the first Darkover book?
The first book is The Sword of Aldones, published in 1962.
What order should I read the Darkover books in?
Most readers use publication order, which is the order the books were originally released. A chronological order is also provided on this page for readers who prefer to follow the internal timeline of the story.
Who wrote the Darkover books?
The Darkover books were written by Marion Zimmer Bradley.
Is the Darkover series finished?
The main series, Publication Order of Darkover Books, has 20 books so far. The most recent title listed on this page gives the current end point of the series.
When did the Darkover series start?
The earliest title in this collection was published in 1962, and the most recent in 2013.