Reading Order
NINE WORLDS
My Nine Worlds stories are set in various parts of the universe on both sides of the dividing line of the Fall of the Empire of Astandalas. They interweave and interconnect, so while you may certainly follow the internal chronology of the stories (see below), the suggested reading order begins with The Hands of the Emperor. Please note that you do not need to read each series in order! The Lays of the Hearth-Fire and the Red Company Reformed series, in particular, are thoroughly interleaved.
You can also get a crowd-sourced opinion at the Nine Worlds wiki page! Please note that due to the nature of an encyclopedia, spoilers abound elsewhere in the wiki. (The reading order page is safe, however.)
Lays of the Hearth-Fire
The Hands of the Emperor
Petty Treasons
The Game of Courts
Portrait of a Wide Seas Islander
Those Who Hold the Fire
At the Feet of the Sun (Please note: I'd recommend that you read both The Hands of the Emperor and The Return of Fitzroy Angursell before At the Feet of the Sun)
The Red Company Reformed
The Return of Fitzroy Angursell
The Redoubtable Pali Avramapul
Greenwing & Dart
Stargazy Pie
Stone Speaks to Stone
Bee Sting Cake
Whiskeyjack
Blackcurrant Fool
Love-in-a-Mist
Plum Duff
The following two short stories can be read as standalones or entry points to G&D, though Clary Sage is probably best read after Plum Duff.
The Saint of the Bookstore (set after Plum Duff)
Clary Sage (set before Stargazy Pie)
The Sisters Avramapul
The Bride of the Blue Wind
The Warrior of the Third Veil
The Weaver of the Middle Desert (forthcoming)
Tales of the Red Company
The Tower at the Edge of the World
In the Company of Gentlemen
Derring-Do for Beginners
Tales from Ysthar
Till Human Voices Wake Us
In the Realms of Gold
Standalone Tales of the Nine Worlds
Aurelius (to be called) Magnus
Terec and the Wild
Prefer following internal chronology? Here you go! Please note, however, that there will be new books shuffling these around over time. Asterisked titles are either beginnings of series or standalone.
Long, long before the Fall (approximately 2000 years before!):
Aurelius (to be called) Magnus*
Before the Fall:
The Tower at the Edge of the World*
The Bride of the Blue Wind*
The Warrior of the Third Veil
The Weaver of the Middle Desert (forthcoming)
Derring-Do for Beginners
Terec and the Wild*
Stone Speaks to Stone*
After the Fall:
Petty Treasons
The Game of Courts
In the Company of Gentlemen*
In the Realms of Gold*
Till Human Voices Wake Us*
Clary Sage*
Stargazy Pie*
Bee Sting Cake
Whiskeyjack
Blackcurrant Fool
Love-in-a-Mist
Plum Duff
The Saint of the Bookstore
Those Who Hold the Fire*
The Hands of the Emperor*
Portrait of a Wide Seas Islander
The Return of Fitzroy Angursell*
The Redoubtable Pali Avramapul*
At the Feet of the Sun
OTHER UNIVERSES
These stories are unrelated to each other or to the Nine Worlds books.