Find the right book order before you start reading
Publication order, chronological order, and beginner-friendly reading paths for popular authors, series, and the books behind hit TV shows.
Books Behind the Shows
Watched the adaptation first? Find out which books inspired the show, where to start, and what to read next.
Film adaptation
See all Film & TV AdaptationsBrowse every adapted series currently featured on Reading Order.Dune
Dune universe by Frank Herbert
Explore the sci-fi masterpieces behind the films.
TV adaptationThe Expanse
The Expanse series by James S.A. Corey
Discover the sci-fi books that started it all.
TV adaptationOutlander
Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
The historical romance books behind the hit Starz series.
Reading Order Team Favourites
A few hand-picked series we think are especially worth putting on your radar.
Series
Jack Reacher
The Jack Reacher series follows a former US Army Major and Military Police investigator who travels across America with no luggage, no fixed address, and a knack for walking into dangerous situations. Although each thriller works as a standalone story, publication order starting with Killing Floor is the recommended entry point. Four main novels—The Enemy (set in 1990), Night School (1996), The Affair (1997), and The Secret (1992)—are military-era prequels that enrich Reacher's background when read in release order.
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Skyward
A young adult science fiction series about a teenage girl who dreams of becoming a starfighter pilot.
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The Expanse
The Expanse is a nine-book epic space opera set in a future where humanity has colonized Earth, Mars, and the Asteroid Belt. When an ice-miner captain and a detective stumble upon a missing girl and a mysterious alien protomolecule, they trigger a conflict that changes humanity's place in the cosmos. Start with Leviathan Wakes (2011) and follow the core novels in publication order.
View series →What kind of reading order do you need?
I watched the show first
Find the books behind popular TV and film adaptations, and see where to start.
Browse adaptationsI want to start a big series
Beginner-friendly routes into long fantasy, sci-fi, thriller, and romance series.
Start a seriesI need the publication order
Read the books in the order they were originally released.
Browse publication ordersI want the chronological order
Follow the story timeline from beginning to end.
Browse chronological ordersI want an author's full bibliography
See complete book lists for popular authors and long-running series.
Browse authorsPopular Authors
Start a Big Series Without Getting Lost
Some series have prequels, spin-offs, side stories, and multiple possible reading orders. These guides help you start in the right place.