Saga of the Skolian Empire reading order

A plan for the whole series

11 volumes, 4,470 pages, about 80 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 4 months.

Stages

6 stages, with 5 short books from outside the series between them. You finish around March 8, 2027, 20 days later than in one go.

1. 1
   Stage 113 h17 daysby November 15, 2026

   • 1. Primary Inversion1995 · 384 pages · 7 h
   • 2. Catch the Lightning1997 · 331 pages · 6 h
2. Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.82 h, by November 19, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3. 2
   Stage 28 h11 daysby November 30, 2026

   • 3. The Last Hawk1997 · 447 pages · 8 h
4. Short breakThe Emperor's Soul · Brandon Sanderson · 96 pp. · score 8.82 h, by December 4, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
5. 3
   Stage 317 habout 3 weeksby December 26, 2026

   • 4. The Radiant Seas1999 · 512 pages · 9 h
   • 5. The Quantum Rose2000 · 398 pages · 7 h
6. Short breakOn Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century · Timothy Snyder · 128 pp. · score 8.42 h, by December 30, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
7. 4
   Stage 414 h19 daysby January 18, 2027

   • 6. Ascendant Sun2000 · 384 pages · 7 h
   • 7. Spherical Harmonic2001 · 384 pages · 7 h
8. Short breakAnimal Farm · George Orwell · 128 pp. · score 8.32 h, by January 22, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
9. 5
   Stage 516 habout 3 weeksby February 12, 2027

   • 8. The Moon's Shadow2003 · 478 pages · 9 h
   • 9. Schism2005 · 400 pages · 7 h
10. Short breakTo Be Taught, If Fortunate · Becky Chambers · 153 pp. · score 8.33 h, by February 17, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
11. 6
    Stage 614 h18 daysby March 8, 2027

    • 10. The Final Key2006 · 352 pages · 6 h
    • 11. The Ruby Dice2009 · 400 pages · 7 h
12. The end of the series

    March 8, 2027

We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.