C. J. Cherryh books in order
United States science fiction and fantasy author
- Born
- 1942
- Country
- United States
- Books
- 96
- Series
- 6
C. J. Cherryh has published 86 novels, 4 novellas, 4 short story collections and 2 other books, beginning with The Faded Sun (1979). The 6 series include Foreigner (20 books, starting with Foreigner), Company Wars (5 books, starting with Downbelow Station) and The Morgaine Stories (3 books, starting with Gate of Ivrel). 3 feature Ariane Emory. The best-known is Downbelow Station (1981). The latest is Defiance (2023).
Updated September 2026
Foreigner books in order (20)Series page
Reading order: 1 Foreigner (1994) · 2 Invader (1995) · 3 Inheritor (1996) · 4 Precursor (1999) · 5 Defender (2001) · 6 Explorer (2003) · 7 Destroyer (2005) · 8 Pretender (2006) · 9 Deliverer (2007) · 10 Conspirator (2009) · … all 20 below
- 1.
Foreigner (Feb 1994)
- 2.
Invader (May 1995)
- 3.
Inheritor (Apr 1996)
- 4.
Precursor (Nov 1999)
- 5.
Defender (Nov 2001)
- 6.
Explorer (2003)
- 7.
Destroyer (2005)
- 8.
Pretender (2006)
- 9.
Deliverer (2007)
- 10.
Conspirator (2009)
- 11.
Deceiver (2010)
- 12.
Betrayer (2011)
- 13.
Intruder (Mar 2012)
- 14.
Protector (Apr 2013)
- 15.
Peacemaker (2014)
- 16.
Tracker (Apr 2015)
- 17.
Visitor (Apr 2016)
- 18.
Convergence (2017)
- 19.
Emergence (Jan 2018)
- 21.
Divergence (2020)
Company Wars books in order (5)Series page
Reading order: 3 Downbelow Station (1981) · 4 Merchanter's Luck (1982) · 5 Rimrunners (1989) · 6 Tripoint (1994) · 7 Finity's End (1997)
- 3.
Downbelow Station (Feb 1981)
- 4.
Merchanter's Luck (Jul 1982)
- 5.
Rimrunners (Jun 1989)
- 6.
Tripoint (Sep 1994)
- 7.
Finity's End (Aug 1997)
The Morgaine Stories books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 Gate of Ivrel (1976) · 2 Fires of Azeroth (1979) · 3 Exile's Gate (1988)
- 1.
Gate of Ivrel (Mar 1976)
- 2.
Fires of Azeroth (Jun 1979)
- 3.
Exile's Gate (Jan 1988)
Ealdwood Stories books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 Ealdwood (1981) · 2 The Dreamstone (1983) · 3 The Tree of Swords and Jewels (1983)
- 1.
Ealdwood (1981)
- 2.
The Dreamstone (Mar 1983)
- 3.
The Tree of Swords and Jewels (Aug 1983)
The Russian Stories books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 Rusalka (1989) · 2 Chernevog (1990) · 3 Yvgenie (1991)
- 1.
Rusalka (Oct 1989)
- 2.
Chernevog (Sep 1990)
- 3.
Yvgenie (Oct 1991)
The Fortress books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 Fortress in the Eye of Time (1995) · 2 Fortress of Eagles (1998) · 4 Fortress of Dragons (2000)
- 1.
Fortress in the Eye of Time (May 1995)
- 2.
Fortress of Eagles (Jan 1998)
- 4.
Fortress of Dragons (2000)
Where to start with C. J. Cherryh
Start here
Downbelow Station
C. J. Cherryh's most-read book and the first of the 5 Company Wars books.
Shortest way in
Cyteen
One of the most-read, at about 680 pages.
Newest
Defiance
Published 2023.
Standalone novels in order
Brothers of Earth (Oct 1976)
Hunter of Worlds (Mar 1977)
The Faded Sun, Kesrith (1978)
The Faded Sun, Shon'jir (1978)
The Faded Sun (1979)
The Morgaine Saga (1979)
Hestia (Sep 1979)
Serpent's Reach (May 1980)
Wave Without a Shore (1981)
The Pride of Chanur (Jan 1982)
Arafel's Saga (1983)
Forty Thousand in Gehenna (Oct 1983)
Chanur's Venture (1984)
Voyager in the Night (1984)
The Kif Strike Back (Alliance-Union Universe) (1985)
Cuckoo's Egg (Mar 1985)
Angel with the Sword (Sep 1985)
Chanur's Homecoming (1986)
The Gates of Hell (1986)
Festival Moon (1987)
Kings in Hell (1987)
Port Eternity (1987)
The Paladin (Jul 1988)
Wizard Spawn (1989)
Heavy Time (1991)
Chanur's Legacy (1992)
Hellburner (1992)
The Goblin Mirror (Oct 1992)
Faery in Shadow (Aug 1993)
Rider at the Gate (1995)
Cloud's Rider (1996)
Lois & Clark (1996)
The Dreaming Tree (1997)
Fortress of Owls (1999)
Alternate Realities (2000)
Devil to the Belt (2000)
The Chanur Saga (2000)
Hammerfall (Jun 2001)
At the Edge of Space (2003)
Forge of Heaven (2004)
The Collected Short Fiction of C. J. Cherryh (Feb 2004)
The Deep Beyond (2005)
Fortress of Ice (2006)
Alliance Space (2008)
Alliance Rising (2019)
Resurgence (2020)
Alliance Unbound (2023)
Defiance (2023)
Novellas in order
Well of Shiuan (Morgaine Cycle) (1978)
Galaxy's Edge Magazine: Issue 7, March 2014 (2014)
Short story collections in order
Sunfall (1981)
Visible Light (1986)
Glass and Amber (Feb 1987)
Northwest of Earth (2008)
Other books in order
Fantasy Annual 5 (1982)
Soul of the City (Thieves World Book, No 8) (1986)
About C. J. Cherryh
Carolyn Janice Cherry, better known by the pen name C. J. Cherryh, is an American writer of speculative fiction. She has written more than 80 books since the mid-1970s, including the Hugo Award-winning novels Downbelow Station (1981) and Cyteen (1988), both set in her Alliance–Union universe, and her Foreigner series. She is known for worldbuilding, depicting fictional realms with great realism supported by vast research in history, language, psychology, and archeology.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
C. J. Cherryh FAQ
- How many books has C. J. Cherryh written?
- C. J. Cherryh has published 86 novels, 4 novellas, 4 short story collections and 2 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read C. J. Cherryh's books in?
- Read each series in its own order: start Foreigner with Foreigner, Company Wars with Downbelow Station and The Morgaine Stories with Gate of Ivrel. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.
- What is C. J. Cherryh's latest book?
- Defiance (2023).
- What is C. J. Cherryh's most famous book?
- Downbelow Station (1981) is C. J. Cherryh's most widely read book.
- Are C. J. Cherryh's books connected?
- 37 books belong to 6 series (Foreigner, Company Wars, The Morgaine Stories and Ealdwood Stories); the other 59 books stand alone.
Authors like C. J. Cherryh
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Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.