Book Series Guide
Mark Lawrence

Author guide

Mark Lawrence Books in Order

Mark Lawrence is an American-British novelist and former research scientist in artificial intelligence. Born in Illinois to British parents, he earned a PhD in mathematics from Imperial College London and worked on research projects in the United Kingdom and United States, including missile-defense research. He lives in Bristol, UK. His fiction ranges from grimdark fantasy and epic fantasy to science fiction, with major series including The Broken Empire, The Red Queen's War, Book of the Ancestor, The Book of the Ice, Impossible Times, The Library Trilogy, and The Academy of Kindness.

fantasydark fantasygrimdarkscience fiction

Catalog record updated .

Mark Lawrence's Newest Book

Cover of Daughter of Crows

Daughter of Crows

novel · First published 2026

The survivor of a brutal academy must exhume her own past in the first book in a new series from the international bestselling author of the Library Trilogy and the Broken Empire series. Set a thief to catch a thief. Set a monster to punish monsters. The Academy of Kindness exists to create agents of retribution, cast in the image of the Furies—known as the kindly ones—against whom even the gods hesitate to stand. Each year a hundred girls are sold to the Academy. Ten years later only three will emerge. The Academy’s halls run with blood. The few that survive its decade-long nightmare have been forged on the sands of the Wound Garden. They have learned ancient secrets amid the necrotic fumes of the Bone Garden. They leave its gates as avatars of vengeance, bound to uphold the oldest of laws. Only the most desperate would sell their child to the Kindnesses. But Rue … she sold herself. And now, a lifetime later, a long and bloody lifetime later, just as she has discovered peace, war has been brought to an old woman’s doorstep. That was a mistake.

Not sure where to begin?

Start with one of these

Cover of Prince of Thorns

Prince of Thorns

The first novel in The Broken Empire.

Cover of Prince of Fools

Prince of Fools

The first novel in The Red Queen's War.

Cover of Red Sister

Red Sister

The first novel in Book of the Ancestor.

Cover of One Word Kill

One Word Kill

The first novel in Impossible Times.

Cover of The Girl and the Stars

The Girl and the Stars

The first novel in The Book of the Ice.

The Book That Wouldn't Burn

The first novel in The Library Trilogy.

Cover of Daughter of Crows

Daughter of Crows

The first novel in The Academy of Kindness.

The Emperor's Knife

The first novel in The Tower and the Knife.

Read in order

Books by series

trilogy · complete

The Broken Empire

A grimdark fantasy trilogy following Jorg Ancrath through a fractured post-apocalyptic empire.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    Prince of Thorns

    Book 1 · novel · 2011

    Before the thorns taught me their sharp lessons and bled weakness from me I had but one brother, and I loved him well. But those days are gone and what is left of them lies in my mother’s tomb. Now I have many brothers, quick with knife…

  2. 2
    King of Thorns

    Book 2 · novel · 2012

    To reach greatness you must step on bodies, and many brothers lie trodden in my wake. I’ve walked from pawn to player and I’ll win this game of ours, though the cost of it may drown the world in blood… The land burns with the fires of a…

  3. 4
    Emperor of Thorns

    Book 3 · novel · 2013

    The path to the throne is broken – only the broken can walk it. The world is cracked and time has run through, leaving us clutching at the end days. These are the days that have waited for us all our lives. These are my days. I will stand…

  4. 3
    Sleeping Beauty

    Book 2.5 · short-story · 2013 Optional

  5. 5
    Road Brothers

    Book 3.5 · short-story-collection · 2015 Optional

    This is a collection of fourteen stories of murder, mayhem, pathos, and philosophy, all set in the world of the Broken Empire. Within these pages, you will find tales of men such as Red Kent, Sir Makin, Rike, Burlow and the Nuban, telling…

trilogy · complete

The Red Queen's War

A darkly comic fantasy trilogy following Jalan Kendeth and Snorri ver Snagason in the same world as The Broken Empire.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    Prince of Fools

    Book 1 · novel · 2014

    Her grandson Jalan Kendeth is a coward, a cheat and a womaniser; and tenth in line to the throne. While his grandmother shapes the destiny of millions, Prince Jalan pursues his debauched pleasures. Until he gets entangled with Snorri ver…

  2. 2
    The Liar's Key

    Book 2 · novel · 2015

    From the critically-acclaimed author of PRINCE OF FOOLS comes the second volume of the brilliant new epic fantasy series, THE RED QUEEN'S WAR. 'If you like dark you will love Mark Lawrence. And when the light breaks through and it all…

  3. 3
    The Wheel of Osheim

    Book 3 · novel · 2016

    All the horrors of Hell stand between Snorri Ver Snagason and the rescue of his family, if indeed the dead can be rescued. For Jalan Kendeth, getting back out alive and with Loki's key is all that matters. Loki's creation can open any…

  4. 4
    The New World

    Book 3.5 · novella · 2023 Optional

    This is the novella that appeared in omnibus for Jalan and Snorri's trilogy. It's a 25,000 word story that takes place after that trilogy and was the start of a sequel I was writing but put aside in favour of other projects. It covers a…

  5. 6
    The Devil You Know

    Book companion · short-story-collection · 2021 Optional

  6. 5
    The Red Queen's Ward

    Book companion · novella · 2026 Optional

trilogy · complete

Book of the Ancestor

A coming-of-age fantasy trilogy about Nona Grey's training at the Sweet Mercy convent on Abeth.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    Red Sister

    Book 1 · novel · 2017

    “I was born for killing – the gods made me to ruin” At the Convent of Sweet Mercy young girls are raised to be killers. In a few the old bloods show, gifting talents rarely seen since the tribes beached their ships on Abeth. Sweet Mercy…

  2. 3
    Grey Sister

    Book 2 · novel · 2018

    In Mystic Class Nona Grey begins to learn the secrets of the universe. But so often, knowing the truth just makes our choices harder. Before she leaves the Convent of Sweet Mercy, Nona must choose her path and take the red of a Martial…

  3. 5
    Holy Sister

    Book 3 · novel · 2019

    They came against her as a child. Now they face the woman. The ice is advancing, the Corridor narrowing, and the empire is under siege from the Scithrowl in the east and the Durns in the west. Everywhere, the emperor’s armies are in…

  4. 2
    The Devil You Know

    Book 1.5 · short-story · 2021 Optional

  5. 4
    Bound

    Book 2.5 · short-story · 2018 Optional

    Bound is a 16,000 word short story, primarily featuring Nona, Ara, Kettle, Regol. It should be read between Grey Sister and Holy Sister.

  6. 6
    Thaw

    Book 3.5 · short-story · 2024 Optional

  7. 7
    The Devil You Know

    Book companion · short-story-collection · 2021 Optional

  8. 8
    Tales of Abeth

    Book companion · short-story-collection · 2024 Optional

    This is a collection of the three short stories that I've written around The Book of the Ancestor trilogy. The stories The Devil You Know (book 1.5) Bound (book 2.5) Thaw (book 3.5) They're a chance to catch up with Nona and her friends…

trilogy · complete

Impossible Times

A science-fiction trilogy set in 1980s London, following a mathematics prodigy through friendship, illness, Dungeons & Dragons, and a time-travel mystery.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    One Word Kill

    Book 1 · novel · 2019

    Ready Player One meets Stranger Things in this new novel by the bestselling author who George RR Martin describes as "an excellent writer." In January 1986, fifteen-year-old boy-genius Nick Hayes discovers he's dying. And it isn't even…

  2. 2
    Limited Wish

    Book 2 · novel · 2019

    It’s the summer of 1986 and reluctant prodigy Nick Hayes is a student at Cambridge University, working with world-renowned mathematician Professor Halligan. He just wants to be a regular student, but regular isn’t really an option for a…

  3. 3
    Dispel Illusion

    Book 3 · novel · 2019

    Nick Hayes’s genius is in wringing out the universe’s secrets. It’s a talent that’s allowed him to carve paths through time. But the worst part is that he knows how his story will end. He’s seen it with his own eyes. And every year that…

trilogy · complete

The Book of the Ice

A far-future fantasy trilogy following Yaz across the frozen world of Abeth.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    The Girl and the Stars

    Book 1 · novel · 2020

    In the ice, east of the Black Rock, there is a hole into which broken children are thrown. Yaz’s people call it the Pit of the Missing and now it is drawing her in as she has always known it would. To resist the cold, to endure the months…

  2. 2
    The Girl and the Mountain

    Book 2 · novel · 2021

    The second novel in the thrilling and epic new fantasy series from the international bestselling author of Red Sister and Prince of Thorns. On the planet Abeth there is only the ice. And the Black Rock. For generations the priests of the…

  3. 3
    The Girl and the Moon

    Book 3 · novel · 2022

    In the third exhilarating novel in this dazzling epic fantasy series, a young outcast will fight against staggering odds to save her world. On the planet Abeth, a narrow Corridor of green land is surrounded on all sides by ice plains…

trilogy · complete

The Library Trilogy

A fantasy trilogy about an immense library connecting distant worlds, centuries, and the lives of Livira and Evar.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    The Book That Wouldn't Burn

    Book 1 · novel · 2023

  2. 4
    The Book That Broke the World

    Book 2 · novel · 2024

    The second volume in the bestselling, ground-breaking Library Trilogy, following The Book That Wouldn’t Burn. We fight for the people we love. We fight for the ideas we want to be true. Evar and Livira stand side by side and yet far…

  3. 5
    The Book That Held Her Heart

    Book 3 · novel · 2025

    The fate of an infinite library hangs on one book, a book that holds the power to break the unbreakable. In the face of such forces, fragile things like hearts, family, and the world seem certain to fail. The people most vital to Livira…

  4. 2
    Overdue

    Book 1.5 · short-story · 2023 Optional

    This is a 12,000 word short story featuring Yute and Wentworth from The Book That Wouldn't Burn. It can be read as a standalone or between books 1 and 2 of The Library Trilogy. Yute and Wentworth investigate a strange connection between…

  5. 3
    Returns

    Book 1.6 · short-story · 2024 Optional

    Two short stories associated with The Library Trilogy. These are tangential and don't have to be fitted into the main narrative. You can read them at any time. Returns (~8,000 words) - explores the journey of a book through many hands.…

  6. 6
    Missing Pages

    Book 1.4-1.6 · short-story-collection · 2026 Optional

    This is a collection of 4 short stories associated with The Library Trilogy. The stories are: Overdue Returns About Pain & Tabula Rasa The first three stories have been published separately in ebook. It's best to have read book one of the…

series · ongoing

The Academy of Kindness

A dark fantasy series beginning with Daughter of Crows, centered on an older woman entering an unusual academic world.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    Daughter of Crows

    Book 1 · novel · 2026

    The survivor of a brutal academy must exhume her own past in the first book in a new series from the international bestselling author of the Library Trilogy and the Broken Empire series. Set a thief to catch a thief. Set a monster to…

trilogy · complete

The Tower and the Knife

A fantasy trilogy published under the pseudonym Mazarkis Williams.

Series guide →
  1. 1
    The Emperor's Knife

    Book 1 · novel · 2011

  2. 2
    The Blood of the Spear

    Book 2 · novel · 2012

  3. 3
    The Tower of the Gods

    Book 3 · novel · 2013

Outside the series

Bibliography by category

Novels (3)
  1. Gunlaw

    novel · 2015

  2. Blood of the Red

    novel · 2016

  3. Darker Tide

    novel

Short fiction (4)
  1. During the Dance

    short-story · 2004

  2. The Secret

    short-story · 2015

  3. Locked In

    short-story · 2011

  4. The Visitor

    short-story · 2020

Frequently asked questions about Mark Lawrence

What is Mark Lawrence best known for?

Mark Lawrence is an American-British novelist best known for dark and grimdark fantasy, particularly The Broken Empire novels. He also writes science fiction and other forms of fantasy.

Sources: grimdarkmagazine.com (opens in a new tab)penguinrandomhouse.com (opens in a new tab)

Is Mark Lawrence British or American?

Both: publisher biographies identify him as a dual national with British and American citizenship. He was born in Illinois to British parents and now lives in Bristol, UK.

Sources: penguinrandomhouse.com (opens in a new tab)marklawrence.buzz (opens in a new tab)

What did Mark Lawrence do before becoming a novelist?

He earned a PhD in mathematics at Imperial College London and worked as a research scientist on projects in the UK and United States, including missile-defense research. His scientific background included work in artificial intelligence.

Sources: marklawrence.buzz (opens in a new tab)penguinrandomhouse.com (opens in a new tab)

What influenced Mark Lawrence’s writing?

He credits J. R. R. Tolkien, whom his mother read to him as a child, and says Dungeons & Dragons helped shape his imagination. He has also identified Anthony Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange as a key influence on Jorg, and George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire as influential on his view of fantasy.

Sources: fantasybookreview.co.uk (opens in a new tab)marklawrence.buzz (opens in a new tab)

What awards has Mark Lawrence won?

His official biography reports that his books have won two David Gemmell Legend Awards, multiple Stabby Awards, a Golden Stabby, and the Prix Libr’à Nous. Reference biographies identify Emperor of Thorns and The Liar’s Key as his two David Gemmell Legend Award-winning novels.

Sources: marklawrence.buzz (opens in a new tab)bookbrowse.com (opens in a new tab)marklawrence.buzz (opens in a new tab)