Reading order
His Dark Materials reading order
1
2
3- 3 volumes
- Volumes
- 1995–2000
- Published
- about 24 h
- Reading time
- Completed
- Status
- Young adult#17
- Genre
Quick answer
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Publication order
3 volumes1995–2000Completed
- The trilogy is complete — read it in order, from Northern Lights (1995).
- The separate Book of Dust cycle is not a straight sequel: La Belle Sauvage (2017) is set before the trilogy and The Secret Commonwealth (2019) twenty years after it.
- Start with the trilogy.
A plan for the whole series
3 volumes, 1,304 pages, about 24 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 5 weeks.
Share of volume 1’s readers who reach the last volume. Chance of reaching the last volume: high
Stages
2 stages, with 1 short book from outside the series between them. You finish around December 4, 2026, 4 days later than in one go.
- Stage 114 h19 daysby November 17, 2026
- Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.8
- Stage 210 h13 daysby December 4, 2026
- The end of the series
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: uneven. Scores jump by 0.3 points with no clear direction.
Best volume: The Subtle Knife (8.2, 1,589 ratings). Weakest: Northern Lights (7.9). 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.
How this plan is calculated
The plan comes from the pages and ratings of each volume: we split the series into stages of about three weeks’ reading, size each break to the stage before it, and read the chance of finishing from how many readers rate the last volume compared with the first. How we work out the plan →
Every volume in order
Order checked by hand · Order and years: Wikidata (CC0). Spotted an error? Tell us. · Data updated October 29, 2026
His Dark Materials books ranked, best to worst
- 1.The Subtle KnifeBook 2 · 19978.2
- 2.The Amber SpyglassBook 3 · 20008.0
- 3.Northern LightsBook 1 · 19957.9
Extras, short stories and spin-offs
Not needed to follow the main story — read them after the series or skip them.
- The Collectors2014
- Serpentine2020
Frequently asked questions
Which His Dark Materials book is the best?
By reader score, The Subtle Knife (8.2/10). The lowest-rated is Northern Lights (7.9/10).
Which His Dark Materials book is the longest?
“The Amber Spyglass” is the longest at 544 pages; the shortest is “The Subtle Knife” with 350 pages.
What should I read after His Dark Materials?
After the main series: The Collectors, Serpentine.
