Do book series get better or worse? 25 series, book by book
We compared the reader score of the first and the last book in 25 popular series — 210 books and 349,181 ratings. 15 end better than they start and 10 end worse.
Marcin Grynienko · Data updated: October 31, 2026
- Throne of Glass climbs the most: from 7.77 for the first book to 8.86 for the last (+1.09).
- Dune falls the most: from 8.82 to 7.50 (−1.32).
- The best-rated book is the first one in 4 series and the last one in 7.
- For every 100 readers who rated the first book, about 25 rated the last one (the median series).
Last book minus first book, in points out of 10
- Throne of Glass+1.09
- A Court of Thorns and Roses+0.93
- The Wheel of Time+0.91
- The Mortal Instruments+0.86
- The Dresden Files+0.82
- Red Rising Saga+0.76
- Cradle+0.71
- Discworld+0.58
- The Inheritance Cycle+0.43
- Dungeon Crawler Carl+0.39
- The Hunger Games+0.29
- Harry Potter+0.27
- Twilight+0.23
- The Expanse+0.22
- The Heroes of Olympus+0.19
- Percy Jackson & the Olympians−0.11
- Robert Langdon series−0.16
- Bobiverse−0.18
- Foundation series−0.19
- A Song of Ice and Fire−0.25
- The Murderbot Diaries−0.34
- The Chronicles of Narnia−0.38
- Old Man's War−0.47
- The Stormlight Archive−0.64
- Dune−1.32
Series that get better
Throne of Glass
+1.09Every book and its score
- Throne of Glass (2012)7.77
- Crown of Midnight (2013)8.30
- Heir of Fire (2014)8.44
- Queen of Shadows (2015)8.75
- Empire of Storms (2016)8.76
- Tower of Dawn (2017)8.24
- Kingdom of Ash (2018)8.86
A Court of Thorns and Roses
+0.93Every book and its score
- A Court of Thorns and Roses (2015)7.41
- A Court of Mist and Fury (2016)8.67
- A Court of Wings and Ruin (2017)8.36
- A Court of Silver Flames (2021)8.34
The Wheel of Time
+0.91Every book and its score
- The Eye of the World (1990)8.09
- The Great Hunt (1990)8.31
- The Dragon Reborn (1991)8.33
- The Shadow Rising (1992)8.37
- The Fires of Heaven (1993)8.15
- Lord of Chaos (1994)8.11
- A Crown of Swords (1996)7.75
- The Path of Daggers (1998)7.51
- Winter's Heart (2000)7.68
- Crossroads of Twilight (2003)7.12
- Knife of Dreams (2005)8.15
- The Gathering Storm (2009)8.72
- Towers of Midnight (2010)8.73
- A Memory of Light (2013)9.00
The Mortal Instruments
+0.86Every book and its score
- City of Bones (2007)7.30
- City of Ashes (2008)7.59
- City of Glass (2009)7.95
- City of Fallen Angels (2011)7.55
- City of Lost Souls (2012)7.79
- City of Heavenly Fire (2014)8.16
The Dresden Files
+0.82Every book and its score
- Storm Front (2000)7.54
- Fool Moon (2001)7.54
- Grave Peril (2001)7.91
- Summer Knight (2002)8.18
- Death Masks (2003)8.22
- Blood Rites (2004)8.20
- Dead Beat (2005)8.46
- Proven Guilty (2006)8.45
- White Night (2007)8.39
- Small Favor (2008)8.47
- Turn Coat (2009)8.57
- Changes (2010)8.84
- Ghost Story (2011)8.26
- Cold Days (2012)8.65
- Skin Game (2014)8.75
- Peace Talks (2020)8.13
- Battle Ground (2020)8.36
Red Rising Saga
+0.76Every book and its score
- Red Rising (2014)8.35
- Golden Son (2015)8.84
- Morning Star (2016)8.82
- Iron Gold (2018)8.09
- Dark Age (2019)8.64
- Light Bringer (2023)9.11
Cradle
+0.71Every book and its score
- Unsouled (2016)7.97
- Soulsmith (2016)8.12
- Blackflame (2017)8.44
- Skysworn (2017)8.26
- Ghostwater (2018)8.59
- Underlord (2019)8.66
- Uncrowned (2019)8.59
- Wintersteel (2020)8.82
- Bloodline (2021)8.48
- Reaper (2021)8.78
- Dreadgod (2022)8.72
- Waybound (2023)8.68
Discworld
+0.58Every book and its score
- The Colour of Magic (1983)7.69
- The Light Fantastic (1986)7.83
- Equal Rites (1987)7.96
- Mort (1987)8.26
- Sourcery (1988)7.68
- Wyrd Sisters (1988)7.97
- Pyramids (1989)7.64
- Guards! Guards! (1989)8.48
- Eric (1990)7.38
- Moving Pictures (1990)7.75
- Reaper Man (1991)8.29
- Witches Abroad (1991)8.17
- Small Gods (1992)8.52
- Lords and Ladies (1992)8.16
- Men at Arms (1993)8.60
- Soul Music (1994)7.90
- Interesting Times (1994)8.11
- Maskerade (1995)8.00
- Feet of Clay (1996)8.46
- Hogfather (1996)8.33
- Jingo (1997)8.17
- The Last Continent (1998)7.91
- Carpe Jugulum (1998)8.00
- The Fifth Elephant (1999)8.40
- The Truth (2000)8.35
- Thief of Time (2001)8.33
- The Last Hero (2001)8.08
- The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents (2001)8.03
- Night Watch (2002)8.77
- The Wee Free Men (2003)8.37
- Monstrous Regiment (2003)8.31
- A Hat Full of Sky (2004)8.42
- Going Postal (2004)8.72
- Thud! (2005)8.44
- Wintersmith (2006)8.18
- Making Money (2007)8.36
- Unseen Academicals (2009)7.97
- I Shall Wear Midnight (2010)8.46
- Snuff (2011)7.99
- Raising Steam (2013)7.83
- The Shepherd's Crown (2015)8.27
The Inheritance Cycle
+0.43Every book and its score
- Eragon (2003)7.48
- Eldest (2005)7.74
- Brisingr (2008)7.99
- Inheritance (2011)7.90
- Murtagh (2023)7.91
Dungeon Crawler Carl
+0.39Every book and its score
- Dungeon Crawler Carl (2020)8.65
- Carl's Doomsday Scenario (2021)8.71
- The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook (2021)8.54
- The Gate of the Feral Gods (2021)8.77
- The Butcher's Masquerade (2022)9.03
- The Eye of the Bedlam Bride (2023)8.87
- This Inevitable Ruin (2024)9.04
The Hunger Games
+0.29Every book and its score
- The Hunger Games (2008)8.29
- Catching Fire (2009)8.16
- Mockingjay (2010)7.67
- The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020)7.64
- Sunrise on the Reaping (2025)8.58
Harry Potter
+0.27Every book and its score
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (1997)8.55
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998)8.36
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999)8.79
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000)8.82
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003)8.57
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005)8.75
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007)8.82
Twilight
+0.23Every book and its score
- Twilight (2005)6.18
- New Moon (2006)6.13
- Eclipse (2007)6.36
- Breaking Dawn (2008)6.41
The Expanse
+0.22Every book and its score
- Leviathan Wakes (2011)8.58
- Caliban's War (2012)8.65
- Abaddon's Gate (2013)8.42
- Cibola Burn (2014)8.30
- Nemesis Games (2015)8.69
- Babylon's Ashes (2016)8.26
- Persepolis Rising (2017)8.50
- Tiamat's Wrath (2019)8.93
- Leviathan Falls (2021)8.80
The Heroes of Olympus
+0.19Every book and its score
- The Lost Hero (2010)8.18
- The Son of Neptune (2011)8.38
- The Mark of Athena (2012)8.45
- The House of Hades (2013)8.65
- The Blood of Olympus (2014)8.37
Series that get worse
Dune
−1.32Every book and its score
- Dune (1965)8.82
- Dune Messiah (1969)7.71
- Children of Dune (1976)7.82
- God Emperor of Dune (1981)7.67
- Heretics of Dune (1984)7.47
- Chapterhouse: Dune (1985)7.50
The Stormlight Archive
−0.64Every book and its score
- The Way of Kings (2010)9.20
- Words of Radiance (2014)9.37
- Oathbringer (2017)9.07
- Rhythm of War (2020)9.00
- Wind and Truth (2024)8.56
Old Man's War
−0.47Every book and its score
- Old Man's War (2005)8.32
- The Ghost Brigades (2006)8.07
- The Last Colony (2007)7.98
- Zoe's Tale (2008)7.50
- The Human Division (2013)7.93
- The End of All Things (2015)7.85
The Chronicles of Narnia
−0.38Every book and its score
- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (1950)7.93
- Prince Caspian (1951)7.52
- The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952)7.84
- The Silver Chair (1953)7.49
- The Horse and His Boy (1954)7.48
- The Magician's Nephew (1955)7.74
- The Last Battle (1956)7.55
The Murderbot Diaries
−0.34Every book and its score
- All Systems Red (2017)8.32
- Artificial Condition (2018)8.41
- Rogue Protocol (2018)8.28
- Exit Strategy (2018)8.52
- Network Effect (2020)8.93
- Fugitive Telemetry (2021)8.32
- System Collapse (2023)8.18
- Platform Decay (2026)7.98
A Song of Ice and Fire
−0.25Every book and its score
- A Game of Thrones (1996)8.72
- A Clash of Kings (1998)8.68
- A Storm of Swords (2000)8.99
- A Feast for Crows (2005)8.12
- A Dance with Dragons (2011)8.47
Foundation series
−0.19Every book and its score
- Foundation (1951)8.15
- Foundation and Empire (1952)8.15
- Second Foundation (1953)8.38
- Foundation's Edge (1982)8.18
- Foundation and Earth (1986)7.83
- Prelude to Foundation (1988)7.90
- Forward the Foundation (1993)7.96
Bobiverse
−0.18Every book and its score
- We Are Legion (We Are Bob) (2016)8.41
- For We Are Many (2017)8.49
- All These Worlds (2017)8.55
- Heaven's River (2020)8.22
- Not Till We Are Lost (2024)8.23
Robert Langdon series
−0.16Every book and its score
- Angels & Demons (2000)7.38
- The Da Vinci Code (2003)7.31
- The Lost Symbol (2009)7.02
- Inferno (2013)7.38
- Origin (2017)7.26
- The Secret of Secrets (2025)7.22
Percy Jackson & the Olympians
−0.11Every book and its score
- The Lightning Thief (2005)8.20
- The Sea of Monsters (2006)8.09
- The Titan's Curse (2007)8.35
- The Battle of the Labyrinth (2008)8.48
- The Last Olympian (2009)8.67
- The Chalice of the Gods (2023)8.09
Who is still reading at the end?
Ratings thin out as a series goes on. In the median series the last book has 25 ratings for every 100 the first book has. That is the main caveat of this story: the people who rate book seven are the ones who liked books one to six. A late book scoring higher than the first partly means the readers who stayed are fans.
The middle sag
In 16 of 25 series the lowest-rated book is neither the first nor the last. Long series often dip in the middle and recover at the end — The Wheel of Time is the clearest case, with its lowest score at book 10 and its highest at book 14.
How we measured it
Every series on BookRank with at least 5,000 ratings, at least 4 main books, and every main book from the first to the last rated by at least 200 readers. Novellas and side stories are left out, and so are books not yet published and books from the last two years that do not have 200 ratings yet; books are taken in publication order. A score is our weighted average of reader ratings from several sources on a 10-point scale (see the methodology). Shared universes that are not one story told in order are left out. Changes within ±0.1 are counted as "about the same". The numbers are recomputed with every data update.
Use this data
You are welcome to quote the figures and reuse the chart. Please link to this page as the source.
BookRank, "Do book series get better or worse?", openbookrank.com/en/insights/do-book-series-get-better