Sprawl trilogy reading order

A plan for the whole series

4 volumes, 1,173 pages, about 22 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 4 weeks.

• From volume 2 on, the number of ratings falls most before volume 2, “Count Zero” (by 78%). Plan your break after volume 1, before the series plans it for you.

Stages

2 stages, with 1 short book from outside the series between them. You finish around December 6, 2026, 9 days later than in one go.

1. 1
   Stage 110 h13 daysby November 11, 2026

   • 0. Burning Chrome1986 · 224 pages · 4 h
   • 1. Neuromancer1984 · 317 pages · 6 h
2. BreakMaus · Art Spiegelman · 295 pp. · score 9.05 h, by November 20, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3. 2
   Stage 212 h15 daysby December 6, 2026

   • 2. Count Zero1986 · 312 pages · 6 h
   • 3. Mona Lisa Overdrive1988 · 320 pages · 6 h
4. The end of the series

   December 6, 2026

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 0.1 points. You get the same level from the first page to the last.

Best volume: Neuromancer (7.9, 2,283 ratings). Weakest: Burning Chrome (7.8). From volume 2 on, the biggest drop in the number of ratings is between volume 1 and 2: 78%. The series is complete; you can read it start to finish with no waiting. The last volume (7.8) scores close to the series average or above it.