Earthsea series reading order

A plan for the whole series

6 volumes, 1,481 pages, about 25 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 5 weeks.

• From volume 2 on, the number of ratings falls most before volume 4, “Tehanu” (by 39%). Plan your break after volume 3, before the series plans it for you.

Stages

2 stages, with 1 short book from outside the series between them. You finish around December 13, 2026, 9 days later than in one go.

1. 1
   Stage 111 h15 daysby November 13, 2026

   • 1. A Wizard of Earthsea1968 · 205 pages · 4 h
   • 2. The Tombs of Atuan1971 · 173 pages · 3 h
   • 3. The Farthest Shore1972 · 223 pages · 4 h
2. BreakMaus · Art Spiegelman · 295 pp. · score 9.05 h, by November 22, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3. 2
   Stage 216 habout 3 weeksby December 13, 2026

   • 4. Tehanu1990 · 260 pages · 5 h
   • 5. Tales from Earthsea2001 · 335 pages · 6 h
   • 6. The Other Wind2001 · 285 pages · 5 h
4. The end of the series

   December 13, 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: even. Volume scores differ by at most 0.3 points. You get the same level from the first page to the last.

Best volume: The Other Wind (8.1, 200 ratings). Weakest: A Wizard of Earthsea (7.8). From volume 2 on, the biggest drop in the number of ratings is between volume 3 and 4: 39%. The series is complete; you can read it start to finish with no waiting. The last volume (8.1) scores close to the series average or above it.