Reading order
The Serpentwar Saga reading order
- Shadow of a Dark Queen1994
- Rise of a Merchant Prince1995
- Rage of a Demon King1997
- Shards of a Broken Crown1998
1
2
3
4- 4 volumes
- Volumes
- 1994–1998
- Published
- about 40 h
- Reading time
- Completed
- Status
- Thriller#8
- Genre
Quick answer
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Publication order
4 volumes1994–1998Completed
- The fourth part of Feist’s Riftwar Cycle, a generation after the first books: two boys from a small village, Erik and Roo, become a soldier and a merchant in a war against an invading horde.
- Read after the Riftwar Saga for full effect; the four books rate almost the same.
A plan for the whole series
4 volumes, 2,050 pages, about 40 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 7 weeks.
Share of volume 1’s readers who reach the last volume. Chance of reaching the last volume: high
Stages
2 stages, with 1 short book from outside the series between them. You finish around December 22, 2026, 4 days later than in one go.
- Stage 117 habout 3 weeksby November 21, 2026
- Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.8
- Stage 220 habout 4 weeksby December 22, 2026
- The end of the series
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: Rise of a Merchant Prince (7.9, 141 ratings). Weakest: Shards of a Broken Crown (7.8). 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.
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
The Serpentwar books ranked, best to worst
- 1.Rise of a Merchant PrinceBook 2 · 19957.9
- 1.Shadow of a Dark QueenBook 1 · 19947.9
- 3.Rage of a Demon KingBook 3 · 19977.8
- 3.Shards of a Broken CrownBook 4 · 19987.8
Frequently asked questions
Which Serpentwar book is the best?
By reader score, Rise of a Merchant Prince (7.9/10). The lowest-rated is Shards of a Broken Crown (7.8/10).
Which The Serpentwar Saga book is the longest?
“Rage of a Demon King” is the longest at 588 pages; the shortest is “Rise of a Merchant Prince” with 436 pages.
What should I read after The Serpentwar Saga?
Other series by Raymond E. Feist: The Firemane Saga, The Chaoswar Saga, The Riftwar Saga.
