Malazan Book of the Fallen reading order

A plan for the whole series

10 volumes, 9,043 pages, about 165 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 7 months.

• The thickest volume runs 1,280 pages. One volume is one stage: a break after it, not the next volume.
• Readers scored volume 4, “House of Chains”, below its predecessor (8.4 after 8.9). If you slow down there, that is on the book, not on you.

Stages

10 stages, with 9 short books from outside the series between them. You finish around August 10, 2027, about 9 weeks later than in one go.

1. 1
   Stage 112 h16 daysby November 14, 2026

   • 1. Gardens of the Moon1999 · 666 pages · 12 h
2. Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.82 h, by November 18, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3. 2
   Stage 216 h21 daysby December 9, 2026

   • 2. Deadhouse Gates2000 · 852 pages · 16 h
4. Short breakOn Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century · Timothy Snyder · 128 pp. · score 8.42 h, by December 13, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
5. 3
   Stage 315 h19 daysby January 2, 2027

   • 3. Memories of Ice2001 · 794 pages · 15 h
6. Short breakAnimal Farm · George Orwell · 128 pp. · score 8.32 h, by January 6, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
7. 4
   Stage 414 h19 daysby January 24, 2027

   • 4. House of Chains2002 · 768 pages · 14 h
8. Short breakTo Be Taught, If Fortunate · Becky Chambers · 153 pp. · score 8.33 h, by January 29, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
9. 5
   Stage 512 h16 daysby February 14, 2027

   • 5. Midnight Tides2004 · 637 pages · 12 h
10. BreakMaus · Art Spiegelman · 295 pp. · score 9.05 h, by February 23, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
11. 6
    Stage 617 habout 3 weeksby March 17, 2027

    • 6. The Bonehunters2006 · 912 pages · 17 h
12. BreakBorn a Crime · Trevor Noah · 304 pp. · score 8.96 h, by March 27, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
13. 7
    Stage 717 habout 3 weeksby April 18, 2027

    • 7. Reaper's Gale2007 · 928 pages · 17 h
14. BreakI'm Glad My Mom Died · Jennette McCurdy · 320 pp. · score 8.96 h, by April 28, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
15. 8
    Stage 823 habout 4 weeksby May 30, 2027

    • 8. Toll the Hounds2008 · 1,280 pages · 23 h
16. BreakFlowers for Algernon · Daniel Keyes · 274 pp. · score 8.85 h, by June 7, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
17. 9
    Stage 923 habout 4 weeksby July 8, 2027

    • 9. Dust of Dreams2009 · 1,276 pages · 23 h
18. BreakJames · Percival Everett · 320 pp. · score 8.76 h, by July 18, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
19. 10
    Stage 1017 habout 3 weeksby August 10, 2027

    • 10. The Crippled God2011 · 930 pages · 17 h
20. The end of the series

    August 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: uneven. Scores jump by 0.9 points with no clear direction.

Best volume: Memories of Ice (8.9, 528 ratings). Weakest: Gardens of the Moon (7.9). The series is complete; you can read it start to finish with no waiting. The last volume (8.7) scores close to the series average or above it.