The Sword of Truth reading order

A plan for the whole series

17 volumes, 10,093 pages, about 185 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 8 months.

• The thickest volume runs 948 pages. One volume is one stage: a break after it, not the next volume.
• From volume 2 on, the number of ratings falls most before volume 12, “The Omen Machine” (by 60%). Plan your break after volume 11, before the series plans it for you.
• Readers scored volume 5, “Soul of the Fire”, below its predecessor (7.4 after 7.8). If you slow down there, that is on the book, not on you. From volume 6 the form returns.

Stages

14 stages, with 13 short books from outside the series between them. You finish around September 10, 2027, about 10 weeks later than in one go.

1. 1
   Stage 111 h14 daysby November 12, 2026

   • 1. Wizard's First Rule1994 · 579 pages · 11 h
2. Short breakThe Fire Next Time · James Baldwin · 120 pp. · score 8.82 h, by November 16, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
3. 2
   Stage 214 h19 daysby December 5, 2026

   • 2. Stone of Tears1995 · 768 pages · 14 h
4. Short breakOn Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century · Timothy Snyder · 128 pp. · score 8.42 h, by December 9, 2026. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
5. 3
   Stage 311 h15 daysby December 24, 2026

   • 3. Blood of the Fold1996 · 600 pages · 11 h
6. BreakMaus · Art Spiegelman · 295 pp. · score 9.05 h, by January 2, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
7. 4
   Stage 417 habout 3 weeksby January 25, 2027

   • 4. Temple of the Winds1997 · 948 pages · 17 h
8. BreakBorn a Crime · Trevor Noah · 304 pp. · score 8.96 h, by February 3, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
9. 5
   Stage 511 h15 daysby February 19, 2027

   • 5. Soul of the Fire1999 · 624 pages · 11 h
10. Short breakAnimal Farm · George Orwell · 128 pp. · score 8.32 h, by February 23, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
11. 6
    Stage 615 h20 daysby March 14, 2027

    • 6. Faith of the Fallen2000 · 800 pages · 15 h
12. Short breakTo Be Taught, If Fortunate · Becky Chambers · 153 pp. · score 8.33 h, by March 19, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
13. 7
    Stage 710 h14 daysby April 2, 2027

    • 7. The Pillars of Creation2001 · 557 pages · 10 h
14. Short breakThe Importance of Being Earnest · Oscar Wilde · 102 pp. · score 8.22 h, by April 5, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
15. 8
    Stage 812 h16 daysby April 22, 2027

    • 8. Naked Empire2003 · 672 pages · 12 h
16. Short breakA Room of One's Own · Virginia Woolf · 144 pp. · score 8.23 h, by April 26, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
17. 9
    Stage 912 h16 daysby May 13, 2027

    • 9. Chainfire2005 · 672 pages · 12 h
18. Short breakThe Prophet · Kahlil Gibran · 116 pp. · score 8.22 h, by May 16, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
19. 10
    Stage 1011 h14 daysby May 31, 2027

    • 10. Phantom2006 · 589 pages · 11 h
20. Short breakThe Screwtape letters · C. S. Lewis · 106 pp. · score 8.22 h, by June 3, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
21. 11
    Stage 1111 h15 daysby June 18, 2027

    • 11. Confessor2007 · 608 pages · 11 h
22. BreakI'm Glad My Mom Died · Jennette McCurdy · 320 pp. · score 8.96 h, by June 28, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
23. 12
    Stage 129 h13 daysby July 11, 2027

    • 12. The Omen Machine2011 · 512 pages · 9 h
24. Short breakSmall Things Like These · Claire Keegan · 112 pp. · score 8.12 h, by July 14, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
25. 13
    Stage 1320 habout 4 weeksby August 10, 2027

    • 13. The Third Kingdom2013 · 528 pages · 10 h
    • 14. Severed Souls2014 · 563 pages · 10 h
26. Short breakNumber the Stars · Lois Lowry · 149 pp. · score 8.13 h, by August 15, 2027. A short book from another shelf, so you come back to the series hungry.
27. 14
    Stage 1420 habout 4 weeksby September 10, 2027

    • 15. Warheart2015 · 464 pages · 9 h
    • 90. Debt of Bones2001 · 128 pages · 2 h
    • 91. The First Confessor: The Legend of Magda Searus2012 · 481 pages · 9 h
28. The end of the series

    September 10, 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: a dip in the middle, then the form returns. Readers scored the middle volumes (7.5) below the opening (7.8); the ending (7.7) comes back up. If you slow down in the middle, there is still a reason to go on.

Best volume: Faith of the Fallen (7.9, 225 ratings). Weakest: The Pillars of Creation (7.2). From volume 2 on, the biggest drop in the number of ratings is between volume 11 and 12: 60%. 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.