Bas-Lag trilogy reading order

A plan for the whole series

3 volumes, 1,910 pages, about 35 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 7 weeks.

• From volume 2 on, the number of ratings falls most before volume 3, “Iron Council” (by 44%). Plan your break after volume 2, before the series plans it for you.
• Readers scored volume 3, “Iron Council”, below its predecessor (7.6 after 8.1). If you slow down there, that is on the book, not on you.

Stages

3 stages, with 2 short books from outside the series between them. You finish around December 28, 2026, 13 days later than in one go.

1. 1
   Stage 113 h17 daysby November 15, 2026

   • 1. Perdido Street Station2000 · 710 pages · 13 h
2. Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.82 h, by November 19, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3. 2
   Stage 212 h16 daysby December 5, 2026

   • 2. The Scar2002 · 636 pages · 12 h
4. BreakMaus · Art Spiegelman · 295 pp. · score 9.05 h, by December 14, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
5. 3
   Stage 310 h14 daysby December 28, 2026

   • 3. Iron Council2004 · 564 pages · 10 h
6. The end of the series

   December 28, 2026

We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.

Does the series hold up

Shape of the series: a drop at the end. The last scored volume (7.6) has the lowest score in the series.

Best volume: The Scar (8.1, 257 ratings). Weakest: Iron Council (7.6). From volume 2 on, the biggest drop in the number of ratings is between volume 2 and 3: 44%. The series is complete; you can read it start to finish with no waiting.