Reading order
Subjective Cosmology reading order
1
2- 7.87.8 / 10273 ratings
- Score
- 3 volumes
- Volumes
- 1992–1995
- Published
- about 18 h
- Reading time
- Completed
- Status
- Science fiction#77
- Genre
Quick answer
Publication order
3 volumes1992–1995Completed
- Three loosely linked hard science fiction novels by Greg Egan, connected by ideas rather than characters: what observation, identity and consciousness mean if physics is taken seriously.
- Each stands alone.
- Permutation City, about people who live on as computer simulations, is the most read and the best rated, and the usual way in.
- Expect real physics and mathematics on the page.
A plan for the whole series
3 volumes, 964 pages, about 18 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 3 weeks.
Share of volume 1’s readers who reach the last volume. Chance of reaching the last volume: high
Stages
This series fits in one stage. You finish around November 22, 2026.
- Stage 118 habout 3 weeksby November 22, 2026
- 1. Quarantine
- 2. Permutation City
- 3. Distress
- The end of the series
We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.
How this plan is calculated
The plan comes from the pages and ratings of each volume: we split the series into stages of about three weeks’ reading, size each break to the stage before it, and read the chance of finishing from how many readers rate the last volume compared with the first. How we work out the plan →
Every volume in order
Order checked by hand · Order and years: Wikidata (CC0). Spotted an error? Tell us. · Data updated October 29, 2026
Frequently asked questions
Which Subjective Cosmology book is the best?
By reader score, Permutation City (7.9/10). The lowest-rated is Quarantine (7.7/10).
Which Subjective Cosmology book is the longest?
“Distress” is the longest at 400 pages; the shortest is “Quarantine” with 224 pages.
What should I read after Subjective Cosmology?
Other series by Greg Egan: Orthogonal.