Children of Time Series reading order

A plan for the whole series

4 volumes, 2,375 pages, about 45 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 8 weeks.

• From volume 2 on, the number of ratings falls most before volume 3, “Children of Memory” (by 42%). Plan your break after volume 2, before the series plans it for you.
• Readers scored volume 2, “Children of Ruin”, below its predecessor (8.0 after 8.5). If you slow down there, that is on the book, not on you.
• The series is still running; the last volume came out in 2026. You will wait for the next one anyway, so no need to rush.

Stages

4 stages, with 3 short books from outside the series between them. You finish around January 12, 2027, 16 days later than in one go.

1. 1
   Stage 111 h15 daysby November 13, 2026

   • 1. Children of Time2015 · 624 pages · 11 h
2. Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.82 h, by November 17, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3. 2
   Stage 211 h14 daysby December 2, 2026

   • 2. Children of Ruin2019 · 592 pages · 11 h
4. BreakMaus · Art Spiegelman · 295 pp. · score 9.05 h, by December 11, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
5. 3
   Stage 39 h12 daysby December 23, 2026

   • 3. Children of Memory2023 · 480 pages · 9 h
6. Short breakThe Emperor's Soul · Brandon Sanderson · 96 pp. · score 8.82 h, by December 26, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
7. 4
   Stage 412 h17 daysby January 12, 2027

   • 4. Children of Strife2026 · 679 pages · 12 h
8. The end of the series

   January 12, 2027

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: best at the start. Readers scored the first volumes (8.5) above the last ones (8.1).

Best volume: Children of Time (8.5, 2,012 ratings). Weakest: Children of Memory (7.9). From volume 2 on, the biggest drop in the number of ratings is between volume 2 and 3: 42%. The series is not finished; the last volume came out in 2026. The last volume (8.1) scores close to the series average or above it.