Mercedes Lackey Books in Order: Valdemar, Elemental Masters, Five Hundred Kingdoms & More
Mercedes Lackey’s bibliography can look overwhelming at first because the Valdemar universe alone spans roughly 3,000 years of fictional history and is divided into numerous smaller series. Her other major worlds include Elemental Masters, The Five Hundred Kingdoms, The Obsidian Universe, Dragon Jousters, Hunter, SERRAted Edge, and The Free Bards.
The guide below focuses on Lackey’s major recurring series and the most important books within them, rather than every short story, anthology, omnibus edition, or collaboration in her enormous bibliography. Her official website currently catalogs hundreds of works, and new books continue to appear; for example, The Ship Who Dared was published in April 2026.
Mercedes Lackey Books in Order by Series
Valdemar Books in Order
Valdemar is Mercedes Lackey’s signature fantasy universe. The stories cover approximately 3,000 years and are generally divided into smaller character-focused trilogies and series, so you do not need to read every Valdemar book in one enormous sequence.
For most new readers, the publication order of the major subseries is more approachable than attempting the complicated chronological order of the entire Valdemar universe.
The Arrows Trilogy
1. Arrows of the Queen (1987)
Talia is a young girl trapped in an unhappy life when she is unexpectedly chosen by a magical Companion and taken to Haven. There she discovers her empathic abilities and begins training to become one of Valdemar’s Heralds.
2. Arrow’s Flight (1987)
Talia is now a trained Herald and must put her developing abilities to practical use outside the safety of the Collegium. Her assignment becomes much more dangerous than expected when she and Kris encounter threats along the border of Valdemar.
3. Arrow’s Fall (1988)
Talia returns to the center of political and military conflict as Valdemar faces a serious threat. Her relationship with Elspeth and her responsibilities as the Queen’s Own become increasingly important as the war approaches.
These three books are often grouped as the Heralds of Valdemar or Queen’s Own trilogy. They were also the first Valdemar trilogy published, making them one of the easiest entry points into the universe.
The Last Herald-Mage Trilogy
1. Magic’s Pawn (1989)
Vanyel Ashkevron is a young nobleman who initially appears completely unsuited to becoming a Herald. His extraordinary magical potential gradually emerges, but discovering his abilities comes with painful personal and political consequences.
2. Magic’s Promise (1990)
Vanyel is now a powerful Herald-Mage, but his responsibilities continue to grow as threats emerge around Valdemar. His personal relationships and increasingly difficult duties force him to confront the enormous price of his magical abilities.
3. Magic’s Price (1990)
The final volume completes Vanyel’s tragic story and brings his journey to its dramatic conclusion. It is one of the most emotionally significant stories in the Valdemar universe and explains why Vanyel becomes such a legendary figure in later books.
Vows and Honor
1. The Oathbound (1988)
Tarma is a warrior and Kethry is a mage, and together they travel the world as mercenaries. Their lives become tied to Need, a magical sword with its own mysterious agenda, creating the foundation for one of Lackey’s most memorable fantasy partnerships.
2. Oathbreakers (1989)
Tarma and Kethry continue their adventures while dealing with the consequences of their previous encounters. Their loyalty to one another is tested as they become involved in dangerous conflicts involving magic, politics and revenge.
3. Oathblood (1998)
Oathblood is a collection of stories about Tarma and Kethry and their world. It adds extra adventures and background to the characters rather than functioning like a conventional third novel in a continuous trilogy.
Mage Winds Trilogy
1. Winds of Fate (1991)
Elspeth, once known as Valdemar’s difficult young princess, must confront a destiny involving powerful magic. Her journey takes her toward the mysterious Hawkbrothers and reveals that Valdemar’s ancient enemies are becoming active again.
2. Winds of Change (1992)
Elspeth’s transformation continues as she learns more about magic and the people who can help her control it. The growing threat to Valdemar forces old enemies and unexpected allies into a complicated struggle.
3. Winds of Fury (1993)
The conflict reaches its most dangerous stage as magical forces threaten both Valdemar and the Hawkbrothers. Elspeth and her allies must confront an ancient enemy capable of devastating entire kingdoms.
Mage Storms Trilogy
1. Storm Warning (1994)
Valdemar and Karse are attempting to build a fragile relationship after generations of hostility. Meanwhile, young Karsite priest Karal becomes caught up in political tensions and the first signs of a much greater magical disaster.
2. Storm Rising (1995)
The magical crisis grows increasingly dangerous as the characters discover that the strange storms are connected to forces far older than their current political conflict. Karal and his allies must work together despite the deep mistrust between their nations.
3. Storm Breaking (1996)
The Mage Storms reach their devastating climax and threaten the survival of Valdemar and its allies. The characters must confront the legacy of the ancient Cataclysm while attempting to prevent another world-changing disaster.
Mage Wars Trilogy
These books take place thousands of years before many of the better-known Valdemar stories and explain the ancient conflict that eventually produces the Cataclysm. The trilogy is especially useful for readers who want the deep history behind the Valdemar world.
1. The Black Gryphon (1994)
Skandranon is a powerful gryphon caught in the devastating war between the great mages Urtho and Ma’ar. The story explores the alliances between humans, gryphons and other magical races before the Cataclysm transforms the world.
2. The White Gryphon (1995)
The survivors of the Cataclysm attempt to build a new society while dealing with the destruction left behind by the ancient magical war. Skandranon and his allies face new political and military dangers as they try to create a future for their people.
3. The Silver Gryphon (1996)
The final Mage Wars novel continues the story of the gryphons and their allies as the new world begins to take shape. The characters must deal with enemies and political tensions while protecting the fragile civilization created after the Cataclysm.
Exiles of Valdemar
1. Exile’s Honor (2002)
This novel follows Alberich, a warrior from Karse who eventually becomes one of Valdemar’s most important weaponsmasters. It gives readers a much closer look at his early life, his escape from Karse and the experiences that eventually bring him to Valdemar.
2. Exile’s Valor (2003)
Alberich is now firmly established in Valdemar, but his past continues to influence his life and loyalties. The novel explores his growing role in Valdemar while putting him in the middle of another dangerous conflict.
3. Take a Thief (2001)
Skif begins life as a young thief before being discovered and eventually becoming connected to the Heralds. The novel follows his difficult childhood, his Choosing and his transformation from street criminal into someone who can make a genuine difference in Valdemar.
Publication-order note: Take a Thief was published before the two Alberich novels, but the Exiles books are often grouped together because of their characters and setting.
Collegium Chronicles
1. Foundation (2008)
Mags is a young orphan who has spent years being abused while working in a mine. After being Chosen by a Companion, he enters the Heralds’ Collegium and begins discovering both his own abilities and the dangers surrounding his new life.
2. Intrigues (2010)
Mags is now adjusting to life at the Collegium while trying to understand his growing responsibilities. Political tensions and attempts to manipulate him make his training considerably more dangerous than ordinary school life.
3. Changes (2011)
Mags faces another stage in his development as a Herald while threats against the Collegium become more serious. His friendships, magical abilities and growing independence all become important as he discovers that someone is working against him.
4. Redoubt (2012)
Mags has become much more capable, but his enemies have not disappeared. The story combines his continuing Herald training with a larger investigation into the dangers threatening Valdemar.
5. Bastion (2013)
The Collegium Chronicles conclude with Mags facing the consequences of the events that have shaped his training. His journey from abused mine worker to respected young Herald reaches an important turning point.
The Herald Spy
1. Closer to the Chest (2016)
Mags is now an adult Herald rather than the frightened orphan readers met in Foundation. His new responsibilities involve espionage and political intrigue, taking him well beyond the traditional duties of a Herald.
2. Closer to the Heart (2017)
Mags and his allies continue investigating threats surrounding Valdemar while he tries to balance his personal responsibilities with his duties as a spy. The book expands the political side of his story and deepens the world introduced in the Collegium Chronicles.
3. Eye Spy (2019)
Mags and his wife Amily face another investigation involving espionage and dangerous secrets. Their work takes them into situations where identifying the real enemy is just as difficult as confronting one.
Family Spies
The Family Spies trilogy continues Mags’ story through his children and the next generation of Valdemar’s royal family. The series follows the children of Mags and King’s Own Herald Amily.
1. The Hills Have Spies (2018)
Mags’ children begin developing their own identities while the family remains surrounded by political and magical dangers. The story shifts the focus toward the next generation while retaining the spycraft and Herald traditions of the earlier books.
2. The Bartered Brides (2018)
The younger generation becomes increasingly involved in the political problems surrounding Valdemar. Alliances, marriages and hidden motives create new challenges for the characters as they attempt to protect their family and kingdom.
3. Spy, Spy Again (2020)
The Family Spies storyline continues with another investigation involving secrets, espionage and the responsibilities of the next generation. The book brings together the family dynamics and political intrigue that have become central to Mags’ larger story.
Founding of Valdemar
1. Beyond (2021)
This trilogy goes much further back in Valdemar’s history and tells the story of Baron Valdemar and his people fleeing an oppressive empire. The book begins the long journey that will eventually lead to the establishment of the Kingdom of Valdemar.
2. Into the West (2022)
The refugees continue their journey westward in search of a place where they can build a new home. The story explores the dangers, cultures and magical forces they encounter before reaching the land that will eventually become Valdemar.
3. Valdemar (2023)
The founding story reaches its conclusion as the refugees establish the new kingdom. The novel brings together the political, cultural and magical developments that explain how Valdemar became the realm readers encounter in later stories.
Other Important Valdemar Books
Mercedes Lackey has several other Valdemar subseries and connected novels, including Owl Mage, The Herald Spy, Family Spies, Kelvren’s Saga, By the Sword, and Take a Thief. The official site treats these as parts of the broader Valdemar universe rather than one simple linear series.
For readers who want to explore every Valdemar story, a chronological list is substantially different from publication order. Goodreads currently lists 43 primary works in its chronological Valdemar sequence, while publication-order databases count considerably more depending on which connected books and works are included.
Elemental Masters Books in Order
The Elemental Masters books take place in an alternate version of Earth where people can control elemental magic. Most of the stories are inspired by fairy tales and are set around the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but the individual stories are often only loosely connected.
Unlike Valdemar, this is a much easier series to approach because you generally don’t need to know the previous protagonists.
1. The Fire Rose (1995)
This story combines Beauty and the Beast with elemental magic in an alternate San Francisco. A woman accepts a position with a mysterious scholar and discovers that his research and the strange house around him conceal dangerous magical secrets.
2. Phoenix and Ashes (2004)
This novel reimagines the Cinderella story against the backdrop of World War I. A young woman trapped in an abusive household discovers that magic and elemental forces may provide a path toward freedom.
3. Reserved for the Cat (2007)
A talented actress discovers that something unusual is happening behind the scenes of the London theater world. The story combines feline magic, theater, mystery and fairy-tale elements in one of Lackey’s more unusual Elemental Masters adventures.
4. The Wizard of London (2005)
A young boy with unusual magical potential becomes connected to a group of elemental practitioners in Victorian London. The story mixes historical fantasy with the pressures of growing up in a world where magic is real but dangerous.
5. Unnatural Issue (2011)
This novel brings elemental magic into the world of Victorian England and follows characters dealing with a magical mystery. As the investigation develops, ordinary social expectations collide with supernatural forces.
6. Home from the Sea (2012)
The story moves into the world of water magic and maritime folklore. A young woman discovers that her family’s connection to the sea involves much more than ordinary fishing traditions.
7. Steadfast (2013)
A young woman in London becomes entangled with magical forces while trying to understand a dangerous supernatural threat. The novel draws on The Steadfast Tin Soldier and places the fairy-tale inspiration into Lackey’s alternate historical world.
8. Blood Red (2014)
This story draws heavily from the Little Red Riding Hood tradition while creating a more complex magical heroine. Rosamund, an Earth Master, becomes involved in a dangerous conflict in the Schwarzwald.
9. From a High Tower (2015)
The novel reworks Rapunzel through the Elemental Masters setting. A young woman isolated in a tower discovers that the magical world around her is considerably more complicated than she has been told.
10. A Study in Sable (2016)
Psychic Nan Killian and medium Sarah Lyon-White investigate a supernatural mystery in an adventure that combines the Elemental Masters world with a Sherlock Holmes-inspired atmosphere. Their unusual abilities make them particularly well suited to uncovering secrets ordinary investigators cannot see.
11. A Scandal in Battersea (2017)
Nan and Sarah return for another supernatural investigation, this time involving mysterious magical events in London. The novel continues the Holmes-inspired flavor of the previous book while expanding the characters’ relationships and magical abilities.
12. The Bartered Brides (2018)
The Elemental Masters world expands into another fairy-tale-inspired mystery involving marriage, magic and hidden motives. The story combines the social conventions of its historical setting with the supernatural conflicts that define the series.
13. The Case of the Spellbound Child (2019)
This novel combines a magical mystery with a child in danger. The investigators must work out what is happening before the supernatural forces involved cause even greater harm.
14. Jolene (2020)
The title character is connected to a very different kind of magical story involving music, the American South and supernatural forces. Like many Elemental Masters books, it takes a familiar cultural or fairy-tale idea and transforms it into a magical historical adventure.
15. The Silver Bullets of Annie Oakley (2022)
This novel brings real historical figure Annie Oakley into Lackey’s magical alternate history. Her extraordinary shooting ability becomes connected to supernatural dangers, creating a story that blends Western history, folklore and elemental magic.
16. Miss Amelia’s List (2024)
The Elemental Masters universe continues with another historical fantasy involving magic, secrets and characters caught between ordinary society and the supernatural world. It is one of the later standalone-style stories in the series, so newcomers can approach it without reading every earlier installment.
17. The Cyprian (2025)
The Cyprian is one of the newest Elemental Masters novels, continuing Lackey’s combination of historical settings, fairy-tale influences and elemental magic. It was published in December 2025 and is part of the ongoing Elemental Masters universe.
Note: The Elemental Masters bibliography also contains story collections such as Elemental Magic and Elementary, which are anthologies rather than regular novels. Goodreads currently counts 19 primary works in the series, while Lackey’s official catalog also includes later material and short fiction.
The Five Hundred Kingdoms Books in Order
The Five Hundred Kingdoms books take classic fairy tales and turn them into a world governed by something called the Tradition. When people’s lives begin resembling familiar fairy-tale plots, the Tradition tries to force the expected story to happen—even when the characters would much rather choose their own destiny.
1. The Fairy Godmother (2003)
Elena Klovis was supposed to become her kingdom’s Cinderella, but circumstances destroy that expected future. She instead becomes an apprentice fairy godmother and learns how to manipulate the magical Tradition rather than simply allowing it to control people’s lives.
2. One Good Knight (2006)
Princess Andromeda is expected to become part of a traditional fairy-tale adventure, but she is much more capable than the role assigned to her suggests. When a dragon demands a sacrifice, Andromeda discovers that following the storybook rules may not be the best way to save her kingdom.
3. Fortune’s Fool (2007)
This novel draws on fairy tales and Shakespearean comedy while introducing another heroine caught inside the machinery of the Tradition. Magical complications, mistaken identities and political problems make it difficult for the characters to determine which parts of their lives are actually their own choices.
4. The Snow Queen (2008)
Lackey transforms the familiar Snow Queen story into a much larger fantasy adventure. The characters must navigate magic, destiny and political danger while attempting to prevent the Tradition from forcing their lives into an unwanted ending.
5. The Sleeping Beauty (2010)
The classic Sleeping Beauty story gets another Lackey-style transformation in which the expected fairy-tale roles are not quite what they appear to be. The characters must deal with the Tradition while finding a way to make their own choices.
6. A Tangled Web (2010)
This shorter work continues the Five Hundred Kingdoms concept through another fairy-tale-inspired adventure. It is a novella rather than a full-length novel, so readers can treat it as optional additional material after the main books.
Dragon Jousters Books in Order
The Dragon Jousters series is a four-book fantasy cycle inspired by ancient Egypt and the idea of dragon-riding warriors. The series follows the conflict between the kingdoms of Tia and Alta and the elite soldiers who ride dragons into battle.
1. Joust (2004)
Vetch is a young slave who dreams of becoming a Jouster, one of the elite warriors capable of riding a trained flying dragon. In secret, he begins raising his own dragon, setting himself on a path that could eventually change the balance of power between the two nations.
2. Alta (2005)
Vetch escapes to Alta, the land of his birth, and brings with him the knowledge he gained while serving the Jousters. He hopes to teach his people how to raise and train dragons so that they can eventually challenge the power of their oppressors.
3. Sanctuary (2006)
The struggle between Tia and Alta becomes more complicated as the dragon-riders confront the consequences of their rebellion. Vetch and his allies must deal with political pressures while protecting the dragons that have become essential to their survival.
4. Aerie (2006)
The Dragon Jousters story reaches its conclusion as the characters attempt to build a future after years of conflict. The final novel focuses on the changing relationship between the two cultures and the role dragons will play in their new world.
Hunter Trilogy
The Hunter trilogy combines dystopian science fiction, fantasy and monsters. It takes place centuries after the barriers between humanity’s world and the Otherworld were destroyed, leaving Hunters and their magical Hounds to protect people living behind fortified walls.
1. Hunter (2015)
Joyeaux Charmand has been a Hunter since childhood, protecting ordinary citizens from dangerous creatures known as Othersiders. When she is called to Apex City, she discovers that the city’s leaders may be hiding a much greater threat than the monsters outside the walls.
2. Elite (2016)
Joyeaux is now dealing with the consequences of what she learned in Apex City. As she encounters increasingly dangerous enemies, she must determine whom she can trust while learning more about the strange world created after the Diseray.
3. Apex (2017)
The trilogy reaches its final stage as Joyeaux confronts the forces responsible for the dangers threatening humanity. The story brings together the series’ magic, monsters, political conspiracies and questions about what kind of future humanity should build.
The Free Bards / Bardic Voices Books
The Free Bards stories follow musicians who work together outside the restrictive Bardic Guild. Music, magic, friendship and the struggle against institutions that want to control artistic power are central themes.
1. The Lark and the Wren (1992)
Rune is a young and impulsive musician who makes a dangerous bargain with a ghost in order to prove her talent. Her decision begins a much larger adventure involving music, magic and the world of the Free Bards.
2. The Robin & the Kestrel (1994)
The story continues the musical and magical adventures established in The Lark and the Wren. New dangers force the characters to rely on both their talents and the unusual bonds formed between members of the Free Bards.
3. The Eagle & the Nightingales (1996)
The Free Bards face another stage in their struggle against those who want to control magical music. The book expands the world and explores how individual musicians can use their gifts without surrendering their independence.
4. Four and Twenty Blackbirds (1997)
This fourth Bardic Voices novel continues the broader Free Bards setting with another musical fantasy adventure. It is best read after the earlier Bardic Voices books because it builds on the world and ideas established by them.
5. Bedlam Boyz (1997)
Bedlam Boyz expands the Free Bards world through another group of musicians and adventurers. It is associated with the broader Bardic universe and can be treated as a later exploration of the same magical musical world.
The author’s official site describes The Free Bards as including the four Bardic Voices books plus Bardic Choices, while the first three volumes have also been collected as The Free Bards.
The Obsidian Mountain Trilogy
Written with James Mallory, the Obsidian Mountain trilogy is epic high fantasy about a coalition of humans and magical races fighting demons known as the Endarkened. It is the first trilogy in the larger Obsidian Universe.
1. The Outstretched Shadow (2003)
Kellen is a young mage who discovers that the rigid magical system he has been taught does not explain the world around him. His search for answers leads him outside the safe structures of his society and into a much larger conflict involving Wild Magic, elves, unicorns and demons.
2. To Light a Candle (2005)
The war against the Endarkened intensifies as the characters confront the consequences of their earlier discoveries. The novel expands the magical world while bringing the central characters closer to the larger battle between Light and Dark.
3. When Darkness Falls (2006)
The trilogy reaches its climax as the forces of the Endarkened threaten to overwhelm the coalition. Kellen and his allies must make increasingly dangerous choices in a final struggle where magic, loyalty and sacrifice all carry enormous consequences.
Enduring Flame Trilogy
This second Obsidian Universe trilogy takes place 1,000 years after the events of the Obsidian Mountain trilogy. It continues the larger mythology but moves to a very different era and cast of characters.
1. The Phoenix Unchained (2007)
A new generation becomes involved in a conflict shaped by the magical history of the Obsidian world. The story introduces new characters while maintaining the larger struggle against supernatural forces.
2. The Phoenix Endangered (2008)
The danger facing the protagonists grows as political and magical conflicts become impossible to ignore. Their journey reveals more about the forces shaping the world and the legacy left by earlier generations.
3. The Phoenix Transformed (2009)
The trilogy concludes with the characters facing the consequences of their choices. The novel brings the major magical and political conflicts toward a resolution while completing this later chapter of the Obsidian Universe.
Dragon Prophecy
The Dragon Prophecy trilogy continues the broader Obsidian Universe. It is another collaboration between Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory and includes Crown of Vengeance, Blade of Empire, and the newer Deliverance of Dragons.
1. Crown of Vengeance (2012)
The story introduces another chapter in the long history of the Obsidian world. Ancient magical forces, political struggles and dragons become intertwined as new characters confront threats that have consequences far beyond their own lives.
2. Blade of Empire (2017)
The conflict expands as characters become caught between powerful political and magical forces. The novel develops the dragon-centered storyline while continuing the larger mythology established throughout the Obsidian Universe.
3. Deliverance of Dragons (2025)
This later installment returns to the Dragon Prophecy storyline after a substantial publication gap. It continues Lackey and Mallory’s larger fantasy universe and was published in May 2025.
SERRAted Edge / Elves on the Road
The SERRAted Edge books mix modern life, fast cars, elves and urban fantasy. The elves live hidden among humans and become involved with racing, magical threats and efforts to protect vulnerable people.
The universe includes several connected books and collaborations, so it is better approached by its individual subseries rather than treating every title as one straight sequence.
Notable books include:
- Born to Run — introduces the unusual combination of elves, automobiles and the modern world.
- When the Bough Breaks — continues the magical-road-adventure concept with greater danger surrounding the characters.
- Chrome Circle — expands the SERRAted Edge setting through another racing and supernatural conflict.
- A Cast of Corbies — continues the urban-fantasy world with elves and human allies.
- Wheels of Fire — brings the racing and magical elements together again.
- The Waters and the Wild (2019) — a later SERRAted Edge novel that continues the world in a more contemporary setting.
- Breaking Silence (2020) — another later entry in the Elves on the Road/SERRAted Edge universe.
Halfblood Chronicles
The Halfblood Chronicles, also known as the Elvenbane Trilogy, were written by Mercedes Lackey and Andre Norton. The series takes place in a world where humans are enslaved by a powerful elven race, while shapeshifting dragons remain an important force in the background.
1. The Elvenbane (1991)
Shana is a half-elf, half-human girl whose unusual heritage makes her valuable and dangerous to both sides of the conflict. Her existence becomes central to a struggle involving humans, elves and dragons.
2. Elvenblood (1995)
The political and magical tensions surrounding Shana become more dangerous as she learns more about her heritage. The conflict between the races expands, forcing her to make increasingly difficult decisions.
3. Elvenborn (2002)
The trilogy reaches its conclusion with the struggle between the elves, humans and dragons entering a decisive phase. Shana’s unique identity becomes central to determining whether the old order can finally be challenged.
Heirs of Alexandria
The Heirs of Alexandria series is historical fantasy written by Mercedes Lackey, Eric Flint and David Freer. It imagines an alternate Renaissance in which the Library of Alexandria survived and functional magic became part of European civilization.
The major books are:
- The Shadow of the Lion (2002)
- This Rough Magic (2003)
- A Midsummer Tempest (2005)
- The New World (2007)
- Much Fall of Blood (2010)
- Burdens of the Dead (2013)
- Dead Reckoning (2012)
- All the Plagues of Hell (2018)
Because the series involves several authors and overlapping characters, publication order is preferable to trying to construct a purely chronological sequence. Lackey’s official bibliography currently places All the Plagues of Hell among her Heirs of Alexandria novels.
Shadow Grail Series
The Shadow Grail books are young-adult fantasy novels written with Rosemary Edghill. The story follows students at a mysterious school where magical abilities, disappearances and dangerous secrets become increasingly important.
1. Legacies (2010)
Spirit White is sent to a prestigious school where students possess unusual magical abilities. After a series of disturbing events, she begins to realize that the school has secrets that may put everyone there in danger.
2. Conspiracies (2011)
Spirit and her friends continue investigating the mysteries surrounding their school. The conspiracy becomes larger and more dangerous as they discover that the strange events are not isolated incidents.
3. Sacrifices (2013)
The students face new threats while trying to understand the magical forces surrounding them. Their investigation forces them to make difficult choices about whom they can trust.
4. Victories (2014)
The Shadow Grail story concludes as the characters confront the forces responsible for the dangers at their school. The final installment brings the major mysteries and conflicts toward a resolution.
What Is the Best Mercedes Lackey Series to Start With?
If you have never read Mercedes Lackey, I would recommend starting with Arrows of the Queen. It introduces the world of Valdemar through a relatively self-contained trilogy and gives you the clearest introduction to Heralds, Companions, magic and the kingdom itself.
If you prefer fairy tales and historical fantasy, try The Fire Rose or The Fairy Godmother. The Elemental Masters books are particularly flexible because their stories are generally much less dependent on one another than the Valdemar books.
For dragons, start with Joust. For dystopian fantasy, start with Hunter. For epic high fantasy, The Outstretched Shadow is a good choice.
Should You Read All the Valdemar Books in Chronological Order?
Not necessarily.
Valdemar is unusual because the internal chronology stretches across thousands of years, meaning a chronological reading order jumps between books that were written decades apart. Goodreads currently lists a separate chronological sequence containing 43 primary works, while publication-order listings contain considerably more depending on what is included.
For a first-time reader, publication order within a subseries is usually much easier. Once you know the world, you can go back and explore the earlier historical periods such as the Mage Wars or the Founding of Valdemar.
What Is the Newest Mercedes Lackey Book?
As of October 2026, Lackey’s official website lists The Ship Who Dared, published April 7, 2026, as a recent novel in the Federated Sentient Planets/Brainship universe. The official bibliography also lists The Cyprian from December 2025 and Deliverance of Dragons from May 2025.
This is important because some older “complete” Mercedes Lackey lists online are now outdated. Her official website continues to add new books and stories.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Mercedes Lackey books are there?
There is no single universally agreed number because Lackey has written novels, novellas, short stories, anthologies, collaborations and books connected to shared universes. One current bibliography database lists about 230 books, while Goodreads associates more than 450 works with her name when editions and various works are included.
What is Mercedes Lackey’s most famous series?
Her Valdemar universe is by far her signature fantasy setting. It contains numerous interconnected series and standalone novels covering roughly 3,000 years of fictional history.
Do you have to read Valdemar in order?
No. The Valdemar books are divided into numerous smaller series, and many can be enjoyed independently. However, it is best to read the books within a particular trilogy or subseries in order.
What Mercedes Lackey book should I read first?
Arrorws of the Queen is an excellent starting point because it was the first published Valdemar trilogy and introduces many of the concepts that define the universe. If you prefer fairy-tale fantasy rather than traditional epic fantasy, The Fairy Godmother or The Fire Rose may be better starting points.
Are the Elemental Masters books connected?
Yes, but usually much more loosely than the Valdemar books. They share the same magical alternate Earth, while individual novels generally focus on different characters and fairy-tale-inspired stories.
Is Mercedes Lackey still writing?
Yes. Her official website currently lists new novels through 2026, including The Ship Who Dared. Her bibliography also shows recent Valdemar, Elemental Masters and Obsidian Universe publications.
Final Thoughts
Mercedes Lackey’s books are best understood as multiple fantasy worlds rather than one enormous series. Valdemar is the centerpiece, but readers can also find very different experiences in the fairy-tale-inspired Elemental Masters and Five Hundred Kingdoms, the dragon-filled Dragon Jousters, the dystopian Hunter trilogy and the epic Obsidian Universe.
If you’re completely new to Lackey, start with Arrows of the Queen if you want classic fantasy, ** The Fire Rose** if you want historical fantasy and fairy tales, or ** Joust** if dragons are your main attraction. Once you find the world you enjoy most, you can follow that particular series in order without having to navigate all of Lackey’s hundreds of books.
And because Lackey’s bibliography continues to grow, it is worth checking the author’s current catalog rather than relying on an old “complete list” found elsewhere online. Her official site currently organizes her work by universe, series, genre and story type, which makes it much easier to distinguish novels from anthologies and short fiction.
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