Tanith Lee books in order
British writer
- Lived
- 1947–2015
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Books
- 103
- Series
- 5
- Also writes as
- Esther Garber
Tanith Lee published 79 novels, 3 novellas, 9 short story collections, 11 children's books and 1 other book, beginning with The Birthgrave (1975). The 5 series include Tales from the Flat Earth (5 books, starting with Night's Master), The Birthgrave Trilogy (3 books, starting with The Birthgrave) and The Wars of Vis (3 books, starting with The Storm Lord). The best-known is Black Unicorn (1991).
Updated September 2026
Tales from the Flat Earth books in order (5)Series page
Reading order: 1 Night's Master (1978) · 2 Death's Master (1979) · 3 Delusion's Master (1981) · 4 Delirium's Mistress (1986) · 5 Night's Sorceries (1987)
- 1.
Night's Master (1978)
- 2.
Death's Master (Feb 1979)
- 3.
Delusion's Master (Sep 1981)
- 4.
Delirium's Mistress (1986)
- 5.
Night's Sorceries (1987)
The Birthgrave Trilogy books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 The Birthgrave (1975) · 2 Quest for the White Witch (1978) · 3 Vazkor, Son of Vazkor (1978)
- 1.
The Birthgrave (Jun 1975)
- 2.
Quest for the White Witch (1978)
- 3.
Vazkor, Son of Vazkor (1978)
The Wars of Vis books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 The Storm Lord (1976) · 2 Anackire (1983) · 3 The White Serpent (1988)
- 1.
The Storm Lord (1976)
- 2.
Anackire (Oct 1983)
- 3.
The White Serpent (Apr 1988)
The Blood Opera Sequence books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 Dark Dance (1992) · 2 Personal Darkness (1993) · 3 Darkness, I (1994)
- 1.
Dark Dance (1992)
- 2.
Personal Darkness (1993)
- 3.
Darkness, I (Mar 1994)
The Piratica books in order (3)Series page
Reading order: 1 Piratica (2004) · 2 Piratica II: Return to Parrot Island (2006) · 3 Piratica III: The Family Sea (2007)
- 1.
Piratica (2004)
- 2.
Piratica II: Return to Parrot Island (2006)
- 3.
Piratica III: The Family Sea (2007)
Where to start with Tanith Lee
Start here
Black Unicorn
Tanith Lee's most-read book.
Shortest way in
Gold Unicorn (Unicorn #2)
One of the most-read, at about 179 pages.
Standalone novels in order
Don't Bite the Sun (1976)
Companions on the Road and the Winter Players (1977)
Drinking Sapphire Wine (1977)
Volkhavaar (1977)
The Castle of Dark (1978)
Electric Forest (1979)
Day by Night (1980)
Sabella or The Blood Stone (Apr 1980)
Kill the Dead (Sep 1980)
Lycanthia or the Children of Wolves (1981)
The Silver Metal Lover (1981)
Cyrion (1982)
Prince on a White Horse (1982)
Sung in Shadow (1983)
Night Visions (1984)
Tamastara (1984)
The Wars of Vis (1984)
Days of Grass (1985)
Dark Castle, White Horse (1986)
The Book of the Beast (1988)
The Book of the Damned (1988)
The Secret Books of Paradys I & Ii (1988)
Women as Demons (1989)
The Blood of Roses (1990)
Black Unicorn (1991)
Into Gold (1991)
The Secret Books of Paradys 3 & 4 (1991)
Heart-beast (1992)
Elephantasm (1993)
Nightshades (1993)
The Book of the Mad (1993)
Eva Fairdeath (1994)
Gold Unicorn (Unicorn #2) (1994)
Heroine of the World (1994)
Reigning Cats and Dogs (1995)
Vivia (1995)
The Gods Are Thirsty (1996)
When the Lights Go Out (1996)
Red Unicorn (1997)
Faces Under Water (1998)
Law of the Wolf Tower (1998)
Biting the Sun (1999)
Islands in the Sky (1999)
Saint Fire (1999)
Secret Books of Venus I and II (1999)
Wolf Tower (2000)
White as Snow (Dec 2000)
Wolf Queen (2001)
A Bed of Earth (Secret Books of Venus, Book 3) (2002)
Mortal Suns (2003)
Venus Preserved (2003)
Cast a Bright Shadow (2004)
Death Of The Day (2004)
Here in Cold Hell (2005)
Metallic Love (2005)
Tempting The Gods (2007)
The Secret Books of Paradys (2007)
To Indigo (2011)
Killing Violets (2012)
Blood 20: Tales of Vampire Horror (2015)
Hunting the White Witch (2016)
Tanith By Choice: The Best of Tanith Lee (2017)
Tanith Lee A-Z (2018)
Novellas in order
Louisa the Poisoner (2005)
Madame Two Swords (2015)
Short story collections in order
Red as Blood (1983)
The Gorgon and Other Beastly Tales (1985)
Dreams of Dark and Light (1986)
Tales from the Flat Earth (1987)
Forests of the Night (1989)
Disturbed by Her Song (2010)
Sounds and Furies (2010)
Dancing Through the Fire (2015)
Redder Than Blood (2017)
Children's books in order
Princess Hynchatti & Some Other Surprises (1972)
Companions on the Road (1975)
East of Midnight (1977)
Shon the Taken (1979)
The Dragon Hoard (1984)
Wolf Star Rise (2000)
Queen of the Wolves (2001)
Wolf Star (2001)
Wolf Wing (2002)
The Claidi Collection (2003)
Indigara (2007)
Other books in order
Barlowe's Inferno (2006)
About Tanith Lee
Tanith Lee was a British science fiction and fantasy writer. She wrote more than 90 novels and 300 short stories, and was the winner of multiple World Fantasy Awards, the World Fantasy Lifetime Achievement Award and the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement. She also wrote a children's picture book, and many poems. She wrote two episodes of the BBC science fiction series Blake's 7.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Tanith Lee FAQ
- How many books has Tanith Lee written?
- Tanith Lee published 79 novels, 3 novellas, 9 short story collections, 11 children's books and 1 other book that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Tanith Lee's books in?
- Read each series in its own order: start Tales from the Flat Earth with Night's Master, The Birthgrave Trilogy with The Birthgrave and The Wars of Vis with The Storm Lord. The other books stand alone and can be read in any order.
- What is Tanith Lee's last book?
- Tanith By Choice: The Best of Tanith Lee (2017).
- What is Tanith Lee's most famous book?
- Black Unicorn (1991) is Tanith Lee's most widely read book.
- Are Tanith Lee's books connected?
- 17 books belong to 5 series (Tales from the Flat Earth, The Birthgrave Trilogy, The Wars of Vis and The Blood Opera Sequence); the other 86 books stand alone.
- Does Tanith Lee write under a pen name?
- Yes: Tanith Lee has also published as Esther Garber.
Authors like Tanith Lee
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Suzanne Collins
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David Weber
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Susanna Clarke
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Guy Gavriel Kay
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Anne McCaffrey
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Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.