The Long Earth reading order

A plan for the whole series

5 volumes, 2,200 pages, about 40 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 8 weeks.

• From volume 2 on, the number of ratings falls most before volume 3, “The Long Mars” (by 38%). Plan your break after volume 2, before the series plans it for you.
• Readers scored volume 2, “The Long War”, below its predecessor (7.2 after 7.5). If you slow down there, that is on the book, not on you. From volume 3 the form returns.

Stages

3 stages, with 2 short books from outside the series between them. You finish around January 4, 2027, 13 days later than in one go.

1. 1
   Stage 116 habout 3 weeksby November 20, 2026

   • 1. The Long Earth2012 · 400 pages · 7 h
   • 2. The Long War2013 · 488 pages · 9 h
2. BreakMaus · Art Spiegelman · 295 pp. · score 9.05 h, by November 29, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3. 2
   Stage 216 h21 daysby December 20, 2026

   • 3. The Long Mars2014 · 432 pages · 8 h
   • 4. The Long Utopia2015 · 416 pages · 8 h
4. Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.82 h, by December 24, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
5. 3
   Stage 39 h11 daysby January 4, 2027

   • 5. The Long Cosmos2016 · 464 pages · 9 h
6. The end of the series

   January 4, 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 0.5 points with no clear direction.

Best volume: The Long Cosmos (7.7, 102 ratings). Weakest: The Long War (7.2). From volume 2 on, the biggest drop in the number of ratings is between volume 2 and 3: 38%. The series is complete; you can read it start to finish with no waiting. The last volume (7.7) scores close to the series average or above it.