King and Maxwell reading order

A plan for the whole series

6 volumes, 2,680 pages, about 50 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 9 weeks.

Stages

3 stages, with 2 short books from outside the series between them. You finish around January 10, 2027, 7 days later than in one go.

1. 1
   Stage 116 habout 3 weeksby November 19, 2026

   • 1. Split Second2003 · 400 pages · 7 h
   • 2. Hour Game2004 · 476 pages · 9 h
2. Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.82 h, by November 23, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3. 2
   Stage 217 habout 3 weeksby December 16, 2026

   • 3. Simple Genius2007 · 432 pages · 8 h
   • 4. First Family2009 · 480 pages · 9 h
4. Short breakThe Emperor's Soul · Brandon Sanderson · 96 pp. · score 8.82 h, by December 19, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
5. 3
   Stage 316 habout 3 weeksby January 10, 2027

   • 5. The Sixth Man2011 · 470 pages · 9 h
   • 6. King and Maxwell2013 · 422 pages · 8 h
6. The end of the series

   January 10, 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: 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 Sixth Man (7.6, 78 ratings). Weakest: Simple Genius (7.4). The series is complete; you can read it start to finish with no waiting. The last volume (7.6) scores close to the series average or above it.