Jack Vance books in order
American mystery and speculative fiction writer
- Lived
- 1916–2013
- Country
- United States
- Books
- 71
- Series
- 6
- Also writes as
- Ellery Queen, Peter Held, Alan Wade, Jay Kavanse
Jack Vance published 58 novels, 6 novellas, 6 short story collections and 1 other book, beginning with The Languages of Pao (1958). The 6 series include Demon Princes (5 books, starting with Star King), Gaean Reach (5 books, starting with Trullion: Alastor 2262) and Dying Earth (4 books, starting with The Dying Earth). The best-known is Dying Earth (1969).
Updated September 2026
Demon Princes books in order (5)Series page
Reading order: 1 Star King (1964) · 2 The Killing Machine (1964) · 3 The Palace of Love (1967) · 4 The Face (1979) · 5 The Book of Dreams (1981)
- 1.
Star King (1964)
- 2.
The Killing Machine (1964)
- 3.
The Palace of Love (1967)
- 4.
The Face (Nov 1979)
- 5.
The Book of Dreams (Jan 1981)
Gaean Reach books in order (5)Series page
Reading order: 1 Trullion: Alastor 2262 (1973) · 2 Marune: Alastor 933 (1975) · 3 Night Lamp (1996) · 4 Ports of Call (1998) · 5 Lurulu (2004)
- 1.
Trullion: Alastor 2262 (Jun 1973)
- 2.
Marune: Alastor 933 (1975)
- 3.
Night Lamp (Apr 1996)
- 4.
Ports of Call (Jan 1998)
- 5.
Lurulu (2004)
Dying Earth books in order (4)Series page
Reading order: 1 The Dying Earth (1950) · 2 The Eyes of the Overworld (1966) · Cugel's Saga (1983) · Rhialto the Marvellous (1984)
- 1.
The Dying Earth (1950)
- 2.
The Eyes of the Overworld (1966)
Cugel's Saga (Nov 1983)
Rhialto the Marvellous (Nov 1984)
Planet of Adventure books in order (4)Series page
Reading order: 1 City of the Chasch (1968) · 2 Servants of the Wankh (1969) · 3 The Dirdir (1969) · 4 The Pnume (1970)
- 1.
City of the Chasch (1968)
- 2.
Servants of the Wankh (1969)
- 3.
The Dirdir (1969)
- 4.
The Pnume (1970)
Lyonesse Trilogy books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 Lyonesse (1983) · 2 Lyonesse: The Green Pearl (1985) · 3 Madouc (1989)
- 1.
Lyonesse (Apr 1983)
- 2.
Lyonesse: The Green Pearl (Jun 1985)
- 3.
Madouc (Nov 1989)
Where to start with Jack Vance
Start here
Dying Earth
Jack Vance's most-read book.
Standalone novels in order
Vandals of the Void (1953)
To Live Forever (1956)
Big Planet (1957)
The Languages of Pao (1958)
The Man in the Cage (1960)
Space Opera (1965)
The Blue World (1966)
The Fox Valley Murders (1966)
The Pleasant Grove Murders (1967)
Dying Earth (1969)
Emphyrio (1969)
The Deadly Isles (1969)
The Brave Free Men (1973)
The Faceless Man (1973)
The Worlds of Jack Vance [i.e. J. H. Vance] (1973)
Bad Ronald (Sep 1973)
The Gray Prince (1974)
Marune (1975)
Showboat World (Mar 1975)
Maske (1976)
The Best of Jack Vance (1976)
Wyst: Alastor 1716 (1978)
Green Magic (1979)
Galactic Effectuator (1980)
Nopalgarth (1980)
Dust of Far Suns (1981)
Lost Moons (1982)
The Narrow Land (1982)
Suldrun's Garden (1983)
The Green Pearl, Lyonesse Ii (1983)
Planet of Adventure (1985)
Throy (The Cadwal Chronicle, Book 3) (1992)
Alastor (1995)
Chasch (1995)
The Jack Vance Reader (2008)
This Is Me Jack Vance Or More Properly This Is I (2009)
The Jack Vance Lexicon: from Abiloid to Zygage: The Coined Words of Jack Vance (2016)
Novellas in order
The Five Gold Bands (1950)
Son of the Tree (1951)
The Houses of Iszm (1954)
The Dragon Masters (Aug 1962)
The Last Castle (Apr 1966)
The Jack Vance Lexicon (1992)
Short story collections in order
The Many Worlds of Magnus Ridolph (1966)
Fantasms and Magics (1978)
Tales of the Dying Earth (2000)
The Moon Moth, and Other Stories (2011)
Other books in order
Strange Notions and the Dark Ocean (1985)
Free to read
All free classics
About Jack Vance
John Holbrook Vance was an American writer of fantasy, science fiction, and mysteries. He wrote several mystery novels under pen names, including Ellery Queen.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Jack Vance FAQ
- How many books has Jack Vance written?
- Jack Vance published 58 novels, 6 novellas, 6 short story collections and 1 other book that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Jack Vance's books in?
- Read each series in its own order: start Demon Princes with Star King, Gaean Reach with Trullion: Alastor 2262 and Dying Earth with The Dying Earth. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.
- What is Jack Vance's last book?
- The Moon Moth, and Other Stories (2011).
- What is Jack Vance's most famous book?
- Dying Earth (1969) is Jack Vance's most widely read book.
- Are Jack Vance's books connected?
- 23 books belong to 6 series (Demon Princes, Gaean Reach, Dying Earth and Planet of Adventure); the other 48 books stand alone.
- Does Jack Vance write under a pen name?
- Yes: Jack Vance has also published as Ellery Queen, Peter Held, Alan Wade and Jay Kavanse.
- Can I read Jack Vance's books for free?
- Yes. 2 books by Jack Vance are in the public domain in the US and free to read online or download here.
Authors like Jack Vance
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers, free texts from Project Gutenberg. Last updated September 2026.