The Riftwar Cycle is the name given to the series of books authored or co-authored by Raymond E. Feist that revolve around the fantasy worlds of Midkemia and Kelewan.
Different opinions exist as to the proper reading order. Two leading opinions are to either read the books in the order in which they were published, or to read them in the order seen below. The order below places the books into their respective mini-series, each mini-series then listed in the order in which they are are introduced based on the publication date of the first book in that mini-series. The short stories is often left out of recommended reading order lists as they reveal nothing critical to the main storyline. If you desire to insert them into your own reading order, see the chronological order below to see where they fit in within the books of the Riftwar Cycle.
The Riftwar Cycle
The Riftwar Saga
- Magician (1982)
- Silverthorn (1985)
- A Darkness at Sethanon (1986)
The Empire Trilogy
- Daughter of the Empire (1987, co-authored with Janny Wurts)
- Servant of the Empire (1990, co-authored with Janny Wurts)
- Mistress of the Empire (May 1992, co-authored with Janny Wurts)
Krondor's Sons
- Prince of the Blood (1989)
- The Kings Buccaneer (November 1992)
The Serpentwar Saga
- Shadow of a Dark Queen (1994)
- Rise of a Merchant Prince (1995)
- Rage of a Demon King (1997)
- Shards of a Broken Crown (April 1998)
The Riftwar Legacy
- Krondor the Betrayal (November 1998)
- Krondor the Assassins (November 1999)
- Krondor Tear of the Gods (February 2001)
Legends of the Riftwar
- Honoured Enemy (August 2001)
- Murder in LaMut (June 2002)
- Jimmy the Hand (July 2003)
Conclave of Shadows
- Talon of the Silver Hawk (September 2002)
- King of Foxes (November 2003)
- Exiles Return (August 2004)
The Darkwar Saga
- Flight of the Nighthawks (2005)
- Into a Dark Realm (2006)
- Wrath of a Mad God (2008)
Demonwar Saga
- Rides a Dread Legion (2009)
- At the Gates of Darkness (2010)
Short Stories
- Profit and the Grey Assassin (1982) in Fantasy Book (Journal)
- The Wood Boy (1998) in Legends
- The Messenger (2003) in Legends II
Unreleased Novels
Note these books are yet to be released and so all information pertaining to them is subject to change. Most of these books information has been released by Raymond E. Feist on the Feistfans-l Mailing List
The Riftwar Legacy (continued)
Chaoswar Saga
Chronological Order
Drawing a timeline through all of the books of the Riftwar Cycle would reveal a different order to the books than how they were published. The following is the chronological order of the books. Should they be read in this order? That is up to the reader. With these books broken into individual mini-series, if read in this order, you will find yourself jumping between these mini-series. Some of the books build upon information from previously published books, so some characters, locations, or even events may be referenced as if the reader has already been introduced to them. So this order is not the recommended reading order, but it might be an interesting read the second time around.
Profit and the Grey Assassin is left out due to the lack of information regarding it's story.
- Magician
- The Wood Boy - During Magician, Year Two
- Daughter of the Empire - Starts during Magician
- Servant of the Empire - During Magician, Starts during Year Three or Four
- The Messenger - During Magician, Year Seven
- Jimmy the Hand - Starts during Magician, Year Nine
- Honoured Enemy - During Magician, Year Nine
- Murder in LaMut - During Magician, Year Nine
- Silverthorn
- A Darkness at Sethanon
- Mistress of the Empire
- Krondor the Betrayal
- Krondor the Assassins
- Krondor Tear of the Gods
- Prince of the Blood
- The Kings Buccaneer
- Shadow of a Dark Queen
- Rise of a Merchant Prince
- Rage of a Demon King
- Shards of a Broken Crown
- Talon of the Silver Hawk
- King of Foxes
- Exiles Return
- Flight of the Nighthawks
- Into a Dark Realm
- Wrath of a Mad God
- Rides a Dread Legion
- At the Gates of Darkness