Kingsbridge reading order

A plan for the whole series

5 volumes, 5,106 pages, about 95 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 4 months.

• The thickest volume runs 1,460 pages. One volume is one stage: a break after it, not the next volume.
• From volume 2 on, the number of ratings falls most before volume 3, “A Column of Fire” (by 63%).
• The series is still running; the last volume came out in 2023. You will wait for the next one anyway, so no need to rush.

Stages

5 stages, with 4 short books from outside the series between them. You finish around April 5, 2027, about 5 weeks later than in one go.

1. 1
   Stage 119 habout 4 weeksby November 23, 2026

   • 1. The Pillars of the Earth1989 · 1,040 pages · 19 h
2. BreakMaus · Art Spiegelman · 295 pp. · score 9.05 h, by December 3, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3. 2
   Stage 227 habout 5 weeksby January 7, 2027

   • 2. World Without End2007 · 1,460 pages · 27 h
4. BreakBorn a Crime · Trevor Noah · 304 pp. · score 8.96 h, by January 17, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
5. 3
   Stage 317 habout 3 weeksby February 9, 2027

   • 3. A Column of Fire2017 · 940 pages · 17 h
6. BreakI'm Glad My Mom Died · Jennette McCurdy · 320 pp. · score 8.96 h, by February 19, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
7. 4
   Stage 417 habout 3 weeksby March 13, 2027

   • 0. The Evening and the Morning2020 · 913 pages · 17 h
8. BreakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.82 h, by March 18, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
9. 5
   Stage 514 h18 daysby April 5, 2027

   • 4. The Armour of Light2023 · 753 pages · 14 h
10. The end of the series

    April 5, 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 (8.4) above the last ones (8.1).

Best volume: The Pillars of the Earth (8.4, 1,271 ratings). Weakest: A Column of Fire (8.0). From volume 2 on, the biggest drop in the number of ratings is between volume 2 and 3: 63%. The series is not finished; the last volume came out in 2023. The last volume (8.1) scores close to the series average or above it.