Book Series Guide

Marie Brennan

Author guide

Marie Brennan Books in Order

Marie Brennan is an American fantasy author and former anthropologist and folklorist. Her major works include the Onyx Court novels, the Memoirs of Lady Trent, the Doppelganger series, Wilders, Varekai, Driftwood, and the Rook and Rose trilogy co-written with Alyc Helms as M. A. Carrick. She also writes nonfiction about writing and worldbuilding, short-fiction collections, and poetry.

fantasyhistorical fantasyscience fictionnonfictionshort fictionpoetry

Marie Brennan's Newest Book

New Worlds, Year Nine: More Essays on the Art of Worldbuilding

nonfiction · First published 2026

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Not sure where to begin?

Start with one of these

Cover of A Natural History of Dragons

A Natural History of Dragons

The strongest entry point to Brennan's best-known series and characteristic blend of fantasy, natural history, and memoir.

Cover of Midnight Never Come

Midnight Never Come

A representative standalone-feeling novel that introduces Brennan's historical faerie fantasy.

The Mask of Mirrors

A major collaborative epic fantasy opening with M. A. Carrick.

Read in order

Books by series

novel-series · complete

Doppelganger

A fantasy duology about identity, magic, and warrior and witch traditions.

Series guide →
  1. 1 Cover of Doppelganger
    Doppelganger

    Book 1 · novel · 2006

    Amazon ↗
  2. 2
    Warrior and Witch

    Book 2 · novel · 2006

    Amazon ↗

novel-series · complete

The Onyx Court

Historical fantasy novels set among the hidden faerie court of London.

Series guide →
  1. 1 Cover of Midnight Never Come
    Midnight Never Come

    Book 1 · novel · 2008

    Amazon ↗
  2. 2 Cover of In Ashes Lie
    In Ashes Lie

    Book 2 · novel · 2009

    Amazon ↗
  3. 3 Cover of A Star Shall Fall
    A Star Shall Fall

    Book 3 · novel · 2010

    Amazon ↗
  4. 4 Cover of With Fate Conspire
    With Fate Conspire

    Book 4 · novel · 2011

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  5. 5 Cover of Deeds of Men
    Deeds of Men

    Book 5 · novella · 2013 Optional

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novel-series · complete

Wilders

An urban fantasy series following practitioners of magic in a modern city.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    Welcome to Welton

    Book 1 · novelette · 2012 Optional

    Amazon ↗
  2. 2 Cover of Lies and Prophecy
    Lies and Prophecy

    Book 2 · novel · 2012

    Amazon ↗
  3. 3 Cover of Chains and Memory
    Chains and Memory

    Book 3 · novel · 2016

    Amazon ↗

memoir-series · complete

The Memoirs of Lady Trent

A fictional memoir sequence chronicling Isabella Camherst's study of dragons around the world.

Series guide →
  1. 1 Cover of A Natural History of Dragons
    A Natural History of Dragons

    Book 1 · memoir · 2013

    Amazon ↗
  2. 2 Cover of The Tropic of Serpents
    The Tropic of Serpents

    Book 2 · memoir · 2014

    Amazon ↗
  3. 3 Cover of Voyage of the Basilisk
    Voyage of the Basilisk

    Book 3 · memoir · 2015

    Amazon ↗
  4. 4 Cover of In the Labyrinth of Drakes
    In the Labyrinth of Drakes

    Book 4 · memoir · 2016

    Amazon ↗
  5. 5 Cover of Within the Sanctuary of Wings
    Within the Sanctuary of Wings

    Book 5 · memoir · 2017

    Amazon ↗
  6. 6 Cover of Turning Darkness into Light
    Turning Darkness into Light

    Book 6 · novel · 2019 Optional

    Amazon ↗

novella-series · complete

Varekai

A fantasy novella sequence about a wandering warrior and supernatural powers.

Series guide →
  1. 1 Cover of Cold-Forged Flame
    Cold-Forged Flame

    Book 1 · novella · 2016

    Amazon ↗
  2. 2 Cover of Lightning in the Blood
    Lightning in the Blood

    Book 2 · novella · 2017

    Amazon ↗

novel-series · complete

Rook and Rose

An epic fantasy trilogy co-written with Alyc Helms under the name M. A. Carrick.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    The Mask of Mirrors

    Book 1 · novel · 2021

    Amazon ↗
  2. 2
    The Liar's Knot

    Book 2 · novel · 2021

    Amazon ↗
  3. 3
    Labyrinth's Heart

    Book 3 · novel · 2023

    Amazon ↗

tie-in-fiction-series · ongoing

Legend of the Five Rings

Novels and a novella set in the Legend of the Five Rings universe.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    The Eternal Knot

    Book 1 · novella · 2019 Optional

    Amazon ↗
  2. 2 Cover of The Night Parade of 100 Demons
    The Night Parade of 100 Demons

    Book 2 · novel · 2021

    Amazon ↗
  3. 3 Cover of The Game of 100 Candles
    The Game of 100 Candles

    Book 3 · novel · 2023

    Amazon ↗
  4. 4 Cover of The Market of 100 Fortunes
    The Market of 100 Fortunes

    Book 4 · novel · 2024

    Amazon ↗

nonfiction-series · ongoing

New Worlds

Annual essay collections offering guides to worldbuilding for speculative-fiction writers.

Series guide →
  1. 1 Cover of New Worlds, Year One: A Writer's Guide to the Art of Worldbuilding
    New Worlds, Year One: A Writer's Guide to the Art of Worldbuilding

    Book 1 · nonfiction · 2018

    Amazon ↗
  2. 2
    New Worlds, Year Two: More Essays on the Art of Worldbuilding

    Book 2 · nonfiction · 2019

    Amazon ↗
  3. 3
    New Worlds, Year Three: More Essays on the Art of Worldbuilding

    Book 3 · nonfiction · 2020

    Amazon ↗
  4. 4
    New Worlds, Year Four: More Essays on the Art of Worldbuilding

    Book 4 · nonfiction · 2021

    Amazon ↗
  5. 5
    New Worlds, Year Five: More Essays on the Art of Worldbuilding

    Book 5 · nonfiction · 2022

    Amazon ↗
  6. 6
    New Worlds, Year Six: More Essays on the Art of Worldbuilding

    Book 6 · nonfiction · 2023

    Amazon ↗
  7. 7 Cover of New Worlds, Year Seven: A Writer's Guide to the Art of Worldbuilding
    New Worlds, Year Seven: A Writer's Guide to the Art of Worldbuilding

    Book 7 · nonfiction · 2024

    Amazon ↗
  8. 8
    New Worlds, Year Eight: More Essays on the Art of Worldbuilding

    Book 8 · nonfiction · 2025

    Amazon ↗
  9. 9
    New Worlds, Year Nine: More Essays on the Art of Worldbuilding

    Book 9 · nonfiction · 2026

    Amazon ↗

nonfiction-series · ongoing

Writer's Little Books

Short nonfiction guides on practical and conceptual aspects of writing.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    The Writer's Little Book of Naming: Tips and Tricks for People, Places, and Things

    Book 1 · nonfiction · 2024

    Amazon ↗
  2. 2
    The Writer's Little Book of Platitudes: Tips and Tricks for Taking (and Ignoring) Advice

    Book 2 · nonfiction · 2025

    Amazon ↗

serial-novel · complete

Born to the Blade

A collaborative serial fantasy novel created with Michael R. Underwood, Malka Older, and Cassandra Khaw.

Series guide →
  1. 1 Cover of Born to the Blade
    Born to the Blade

    Book 1 · serial-novel · 2018

    Amazon ↗

novel-series · ongoing

The Sea Beyond

An alternate-history fantasy series co-written with Alyc Helms under the name M. A. Carrick.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    The Eye of Leviathan

    Book 1 · novel · 2026

    Amazon ↗

Outside the series

Bibliography by category

Novels (4)
  1. Writing Fight Scenes

    nonfiction · 2013

    Amazon ↗
  2. Dice Tales: Essays on Roleplaying Games and Storytelling

    nonfiction · 2017

    Amazon ↗
  3. Cover of Driftwood
    Driftwood

    novel · 2020

    Amazon ↗
  4. Cover of The Waking of Angantyr
    The Waking of Angantyr

    novel · 2023

    Amazon ↗
Other (9)
  1. Cover of Monstrous Beauty
    Monstrous Beauty

    collection · 2014

    Amazon ↗
  2. Cover of Maps to Nowhere
    Maps to Nowhere

    collection · 2017

    Amazon ↗
  3. Cover of Ars Historica
    Ars Historica

    collection · 2017

    Amazon ↗
  4. Never After: Thirteen Twists on Familiar Tales

    collection · 2019

    Amazon ↗
  5. The Nine Lands

    collection · 2019

    Amazon ↗
  6. Down a Street That Wasn't There

    collection · 2020

    Amazon ↗
  7. A Breviary of Fire

    collection · 2024

    Amazon ↗
  8. Cover of The Atlas of Anywhere
    The Atlas of Anywhere

    collection · 2025

    Amazon ↗
  9. A Songbook of Sparks

    collection · 2025

    Amazon ↗