George Smiley series reading order

A plan for the whole series

8 volumes, 2,568 pages, about 45 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 9 weeks.

• From volume 2 on, the number of ratings falls most before volume 4, “The Looking Glass War” (by 84%). Plan your break after volume 3, before the series plans it for you.
• Readers scored volume 4, “The Looking Glass War”, below its predecessor (7.5 after 8.1). If you slow down there, that is on the book, not on you. From volume 7 the form returns.

Stages

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

1. 1
   Stage 111 h14 daysby November 12, 2026

   • 1. Call for the Dead1961 · 160 pages · 3 h
   • 2. A Murder of Quality1962 · 176 pages · 3 h
   • 3. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold1963 · 248 pages · 5 h
2. BreakMaus · Art Spiegelman · 295 pp. · score 9.05 h, by November 21, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3. 2
   Stage 212 h16 daysby December 8, 2026

   • 4. The Looking Glass War1969 · 272 pages · 5 h
   • 5. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy1974 · 396 pages · 7 h
4. Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.82 h, by December 12, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
5. 3
   Stage 318 habout 3 weeksby January 4, 2027

   • 6. The Honourable Schoolboy1977 · 576 pages · 11 h
   • 7. Smiley's People1979 · 388 pages · 7 h
6. Short breakThe Emperor's Soul · Brandon Sanderson · 96 pp. · score 8.82 h, by January 8, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
7. 4
   Stage 46 h9 daysby January 16, 2027

   • 8. The Secret Pilgrim1990 · 352 pages · 6 h
8. The end of the series

   January 16, 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: it gets better. Readers scored the opening (7.5) below the ending (7.8). After the first volume you do not yet know how good this series is.

Best volume: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (8.1, 537 ratings). Weakest: A Murder of Quality (7.4). From volume 2 on, the biggest drop in the number of ratings is between volume 3 and 4: 84%. The series is complete; you can read it start to finish with no waiting. The last volume (8.0) scores close to the series average or above it.