Dan Simmons books in order
American novelist
- Lived
- 1948–2026
- Country
- United States
- Books
- 34
- Series
- 4
Dan Simmons published 27 novels, 1 novella, 3 short story collections and 3 other books, beginning with Song of Kali (1985). The 4 series include Hyperion Cantos (5 books, starting with Hyperion), Seasons of Horror (5 books, starting with Summer of Night) and Joe Kurtz (3 books, starting with Hardcase). The best-known is Hyperion (1989).
Updated September 2026
Hyperion Cantos books in order (5)Series page
Reading order: 1 Hyperion (1989) · 2 The Fall of Hyperion (1990) · 3 Endymion (1996) · 4 The Rise of Endymion (1997) · Orphans of the Helix (1999)
- 1.
Hyperion (Jun 1989)
- 2.
The Fall of Hyperion (Mar 1990)
- 3.
Endymion (Jan 1996)
- 4.
The Rise of Endymion (Sep 1997)
Orphans of the Helix (May 1999)
Seasons of Horror books in order (5)Series page
Reading order: 1 Summer of Night (1991) · 2 Children of the Night (1992) · 3 Fires of Eden (1994) · 4 Darwin's Blade (2000) · 5 A Winter Haunting (2002)
- 1.
Summer of Night (Jan 1991)
- 2.
Children of the Night (Jul 1992)
- 3.
Fires of Eden (Oct 1994)
- 4.
Darwin's Blade (Nov 2000)
- 5.
A Winter Haunting (Jan 2002)
Joe Kurtz books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 Hardcase (2001) · 2 Hard Freeze (2002) · 3 Hard as Nails (2003)
- 1.
Hardcase (Jul 2001)
- 2.
Hard Freeze (Aug 2002)
- 3.
Hard as Nails (Oct 2003)
Where to start with Dan Simmons
Start here
Hyperion
Dan Simmons's most-read book and the first of the 5 Hyperion Cantos books.
Shortest way in
Song of Kali
One of the most-read, at about 315 pages.
Standalone novels in order
Song of Kali (Nov 1985)
Carrion Comfort (Feb 1989)
Phases of Gravity (May 1989)
The Hollow Man (Sep 1992)
The Crook Factory (Mar 1999)
The Terror (Jan 2007)
Drood (Feb 2009)
Black Hills (2010)
Flashback (Jul 2011)
The Abominable (Oct 2013)
The Fifth Heart (Mar 2015)
Omega Canyon (2018)
Novellas in order
Muse of Fire (Jun 2007)
Short story collections in order
Prayers to Broken Stones (1990)
Lovedeath (1993)
Worlds Enough & Time (2002)
Other books in order
Entropy's Bed at Midnight (1990)
Hypertension Cantos (1996)
The Guiding Nose of Ulfant Banderoz (2013)
Film and TV adaptations
- The TerrorTV · from The Terror
About Dan Simmons
Daniel Joseph Simmons was an American science fiction and horror writer. He was the author of the Hyperion Cantos and the Ilium/Olympos cycles, among other works that span the science fiction, horror, and fantasy genres, sometimes within a single novel. Simmons's genre-intermingling Song of Kali (1985) won the World Fantasy Award. He also wrote mysteries and thrillers, some of which feature the continuing character Joe Kurtz.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Dan Simmons FAQ
- How many books has Dan Simmons written?
- Dan Simmons published 27 novels, 1 novella, 3 short story collections and 3 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Dan Simmons's books in?
- Read each series in its own order: start Hyperion Cantos with Hyperion, Seasons of Horror with Summer of Night and Joe Kurtz with Hardcase. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.
- What is Dan Simmons's last book?
- Omega Canyon (2018).
- What is Dan Simmons's most famous book?
- Hyperion (1989) is Dan Simmons's most widely read book.
- Are Dan Simmons's books connected?
- 15 books belong to 4 series (Hyperion Cantos, Seasons of Horror, Joe Kurtz and Ilium/Olympos); the other 19 books stand alone.
- Which Dan Simmons books have been adapted?
- 1 book has been adapted for film or TV, including The Terror (TV).
Authors like Dan Simmons
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.