Ken Liu Books in Order (Updated August 6, 2026)

Ken Liu is an American author, translator, editor, and essayist whose work ranges from epic fantasy and cyberpunk thrillers to short speculative fiction and literary translation.

His original novels fall into three clear groups. The Dandelion Dynasty is a completed four-book epic fantasy. The Julia Z novels begin a separate near-future thriller series. The Legends of Luke Skywalker belongs to the Star Wars universe and has no connection to either original series.

Liu is also a major translator and editor of Chinese science fiction. Those books should be separated from the fiction he wrote himself, since his role varies between author, translator, and anthology editor.

Pick the Right Ken Liu Starting Point

1. The Grace of Kings (2015): Start here for a completed multigenerational fantasy epic built around rebellion, engineering, political ideals, and the creation of a new nation.
2. All That We See or Seem (2025): Start here for a near-future technological thriller about artificial intelligence, digital art, hackers, and international crime.
3. The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories (2016): Start here for Liu’s short fiction, including stories about family, migration, memory, technology, and cultural loss.
4. The Legends of Luke Skywalker (2017): Start here only when looking specifically for Liu’s contribution to Star Wars.

The safest overall introduction is The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories. Readers who prefer a long continuous narrative should begin with The Grace of Kings.

Ken Liu’s Books by Continuity

The Dandelion Dynasty

1. The Grace of Kings (2015): Two men from very different backgrounds help overthrow an empire, then discover that victory does not mean they agree on how the new world should be governed.
2. The Wall of Storms (2016): Emperor Kuni Garu tries to secure his new dynasty while an invasion from beyond Dara introduces unfamiliar military technology and political ambitions.
3. The Veiled Throne (2021): A new generation inherits the divisions of the empire as hidden identities, court rivalries, and competing visions of progress push Dara toward another crisis.
4. Speaking Bones (2022): The struggle for Dara reaches its conclusion as rival rulers, engineers, soldiers, and families confront the consequences of choices made across generations.

Julia Z

1. All That We See or Seem (2025): A brilliant hacker who can manipulate artificial intelligence systems is drawn into a case involving a missing artist and a dangerous international conspiracy.
2. Julia Z Book Two (Forthcoming): A second novel is planned as part of the contracted trilogy, but no confirmed title or publication date had been announced by August 6, 2026.
3. Julia Z Book Three (Forthcoming): The third planned thriller remains untitled and unscheduled.

Star Wars

1. The Legends of Luke Skywalker (2017): Young crew members aboard a transport exchange conflicting stories about Luke Skywalker, exploring how a historical person becomes a legend.

Original Short Story Collections

1. The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories (2016): This collection gathers major early stories about family, language, identity, history, artificial intelligence, and the human cost of technological change.
2. The Hidden Girl and Other Stories (2020): Later stories explore uploaded minds, machine intelligence, surveillance, climate pressure, and the blurred boundary between physical and digital life.
3. The Passing of the Dragon and Other Stories (Forthcoming September 8, 2026): The announced collection will gather more of Liu’s recent fiction and is scheduled to become his newest original book.

These groups are separate reading paths. The Dandelion Dynasty does not lead into Julia Z, and neither series connects to Star Wars or the short-story collections.

The Dandelion Dynasty Books in Order

The Dandelion Dynasty is a completed four-volume epic fantasy series set in the islands of Dara.

Liu describes its technological and literary approach as silkpunk. Engineers use materials such as silk, bamboo, paper, feathers, coral, and animal-inspired mechanisms to create airships, underwater craft, weapons, and communication systems.

The series begins with the fall of an empire, then follows the political, cultural, and technological consequences across multiple generations.

The Grace of Kings

The Grace of Kings (2015): Kuni Garu is a charming outlaw and former troublemaker, while Mata Zyndu is a powerful warrior descended from a family destroyed by the ruling empire.

The two become allies during an uprising against Emperor Mapidéré. Their rebellion brings together soldiers, scholars, engineers, nobles, and ordinary citizens who want freedom from imperial control.

Once the old government falls, Kuni and Mata disagree over what should replace it. Their friendship becomes a conflict between competing ideas of justice, leadership, tradition, and power.

This is the only appropriate starting point for the Dandelion Dynasty. It introduces Dara, the gods, the imperial system, the major families, and the political arguments that continue through every later volume.

The Wall of Storms

The Wall of Storms (2016): Kuni Garu now rules as Emperor Ragin, but creating a stable dynasty proves more difficult than defeating the old empire.

Court factions compete for influence, examinations open government service to new groups, and members of Kuni’s family begin developing ambitions of their own. Beyond Dara, the Lyucu prepare an invasion supported by unfamiliar creatures and military technology.

The novel expands the story from revolutionary conflict to imperial government and international war. It also introduces a younger generation whose choices become central in the final two books.

Read it directly after The Grace of Kings. The political order, family relationships, and personal loyalties all depend on the first novel’s ending.

The Veiled Throne

The Veiled Throne (2021): Dara remains divided by the aftermath of war, while characters in both the empire and the occupied territories pursue different routes toward power and survival.

Princess Théra’s legacy influences the next generation. Hidden heirs, court conspiracies, resistance movements, and technological experiments create overlapping struggles across the islands.

The novel gives particular attention to identity, education, food, cultural memory, and the way political systems shape private lives.

The Veiled Throne is the first half of the series’ final movement. It should be followed immediately by Speaking Bones.

Speaking Bones

Speaking Bones (2022): Rival claimants, military leaders, engineers, and resistance movements approach the final contest over Dara.

Characters raised under different cultures must decide which traditions to preserve, which institutions to reject, and what kind of future can follow generations of conquest and civil conflict.

The novel resolves the central questions of succession, national identity, technological power, and political legitimacy developed across the quartet.

Speaking Bones is the fourth and final Dandelion Dynasty novel. The series is complete.

Why the Dandelion Dynasty Became Four Books

The series was initially discussed as a trilogy, which is why some older descriptions still call it one.

The final portion grew too large for a single volume and was divided into The Veiled Throne and Speaking Bones. These are separate published novels, but they form two halves of the concluding phase.

The correct current sequence contains four books:

1. The Grace of Kings (2015): Rebellion destroys the old empire and creates a rivalry over the future of Dara.
2. The Wall of Storms (2016): The new dynasty faces internal division and foreign invasion.
3. The Veiled Throne (2021): The next generation enters a struggle shaped by occupation, hidden identity, and political inheritance.
4. Speaking Bones (2022): The long conflict reaches its final political and military resolution.

Is There a Chronological Dandelion Dynasty Order?

Publication order and chronological order are the same.

The books move forward across generations, although some sections revisit earlier events or present stories from different perspectives. No prequel novel needs to be inserted before The Grace of Kings.

Readers should not divide the sequence by character generation. Each new generation inherits unresolved conflicts from the previous books, so skipping an earlier volume would remove essential political and family context.

The Recommended Dandelion Dynasty Route

Read the four novels without inserting unrelated books:

1. The Grace of Kings (2015): Learn how the Xana Empire falls and how Kuni Garu becomes the founder of a new political order.
2. The Wall of Storms (2016): Follow the difficulties of governing Dara and the arrival of the Lyucu threat.
3. The Veiled Throne (2021): Continue into the succession struggle and the experiences of characters shaped by war and occupation.
4. Speaking Bones (2022): Complete the history of the dynasty and the contest over Dara’s future.

The short story collections are separate and do not contain required bridges between these novels.

Dandelion Dynasty Editions and Split Translations

Some international editions divide the longer English-language novels into multiple physical books.

A translated edition labeled as two volumes may still represent one original novel. This is especially important when buying The Wall of Storms, The Veiled Throne, or Speaking Bones in languages that split large books for publication.

Follow the English titles and their position in the four-book sequence rather than counting every physical volume as a separate installment.

Boxed sets may contain the first two books or all four novels. No companion novel is required to complete the story.

The Julia Z Books in Order

The Julia Z sequence is a near-future techno-thriller series separate from the Dandelion Dynasty.

It is planned as a trilogy involving artificial intelligence, international crime, digital systems, hackers, and questions about how technology changes art and identity.

Only the first volume had been published by August 6, 2026.

All That We See or Seem

All That We See or Seem (2025): Julia Z is a gifted young hacker with an unusual ability to understand and redirect artificial intelligence systems.

She has tried to withdraw from public attention, but the disappearance of a celebrated artist pulls her into an investigation involving digital art, organized crime, technological manipulation, and powerful people operating across national borders.

The novel begins a new thriller sequence. It requires no knowledge of Liu’s fantasy series or short stories.

Readers interested in current artificial intelligence, creative ownership, surveillance, and cybercrime should begin here rather than with The Grace of Kings.

Future Julia Z Books

The Julia Z sequence was acquired as a three-novel project.

1. All That We See or Seem (2025): Julia investigates the disappearance of an artist and enters a wider technological conspiracy.
2. Untitled Julia Z Novel Two (Forthcoming): The second thriller is planned but had no confirmed title or release date by August 6, 2026.
3. Untitled Julia Z Novel Three (Forthcoming): The contracted third novel also remains untitled and unscheduled.

No speculative retailer title or placeholder date should be treated as official.

Is the Julia Z Series Complete?

No.

All That We See or Seem is the only published volume. It begins a broader sequence rather than completing the full planned trilogy.

Readers who prefer a finished series should choose the Dandelion Dynasty. Readers comfortable beginning an ongoing thriller can start with Julia Z.

Ken Liu Short Story Collections in Order

Liu’s short fiction is central to his career. Many of his best-known works were first published in magazines, anthologies, or online venues before being gathered into collections.

The collections are not one continuing series. They can be read independently, although publication order shows the development of his themes and style.

The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories

The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories (2016): This collection brings together stories involving immigration, parenthood, memory, war, cultural translation, artificial intelligence, and alternative history.

The title story follows a boy whose mother brings folded paper animals to life through a form of magic. As he grows older, shame and cultural distance alter his relationship with both his mother and the animals.

Other stories move through historical China, imagined futures, courtroom testimony, technological reconstruction, and private grief.

This is the strongest short-fiction starting point because it contains many of Liu’s most widely recognized early works.

The Hidden Girl and Other Stories

The Hidden Girl and Other Stories (2020): This collection gives greater attention to machine intelligence, uploaded consciousness, surveillance, climate change, corporate power, and digital existence.

Several stories share ideas or settings involving people whose minds are transferred into technological systems. These connections later helped inspire the animated series Pantheon.

The book is not a direct sequel to The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories. It can be read first, but the earlier collection provides a broader introduction to Liu’s range.

The Passing of the Dragon and Other Stories

The Passing of the Dragon and Other Stories (Forthcoming September 8, 2026): This announced collection will gather more recent short fiction by Ken Liu.

It had not yet been published on August 6, 2026 and should remain labeled forthcoming.

The collection is scheduled to become Liu’s newest book. It is not a new Dandelion Dynasty novel or the second Julia Z thriller.

Recommended Short Fiction Order

1. The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories (2016): Begin with Liu’s broadest collection of award-winning early fiction.
2. The Hidden Girl and Other Stories (2020): Continue into stories more heavily focused on digital consciousness and technological futures.
3. The Passing of the Dragon and Other Stories (Forthcoming September 8, 2026): Add the new collection after publication.

There is no important continuity reason to preserve this order, but it gives the clearest progression through Liu’s published collections.

The Legends of Luke Skywalker

Separate continuity

The Legends of Luke Skywalker (2017): Passengers traveling aboard a cargo ship exchange six different accounts of Luke Skywalker.

Each storyteller presents a different version of Luke, including heroic, comic, exaggerated, skeptical, and possibly supernatural interpretations. The book examines the difference between documented history and the stories people build around famous figures.

The novel belongs to the official Star Wars continuity and was published as part of the lead-up to The Last Jedi.

It can be read after the original Star Wars trilogy or before The Last Jedi. It does not require any Ken Liu novel.

The Legends of Luke Skywalker Manga

The Legends of Luke Skywalker: The Manga (2020): Multiple manga creators adapt selected stories from Liu’s prose book into graphic form.

This is an adaptation rather than a sequel. It does not contain a new second set of Luke Skywalker legends.

Readers can choose the original prose book for the complete version or the manga for a visual interpretation of selected material.

Books Edited and Translated by Ken Liu

These books are often placed beside Liu’s original fiction, but he did not write every story in them.

He selected, translated, introduced, or edited work by Chinese science fiction authors for English-language readers.

Invisible Planets

Invisible Planets: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation (2016): This anthology presents stories by several Chinese science fiction writers, translated and edited by Ken Liu.

The collection includes different authors, settings, and styles rather than one shared universe. Liu also provides contextual material about Chinese science fiction and the risks of treating a national literature as a single unified tradition.

This is the best starting point for readers interested in his work as a translator and editor.

Broken Stars

Broken Stars: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation (2019): Liu’s second major translated anthology gathers another group of Chinese speculative stories.

The selections move between science fiction, satire, alternate history, mythology, social speculation, and experimental forms.

Broken Stars is not Volume Two of one continuous story, but it is a natural follow-up to Invisible Planets.

The Best Order for Liu’s Anthologies

1. Invisible Planets (2016): Begin with the earlier overview of contemporary Chinese science fiction.
2. Broken Stars (2019): Continue with a broader and often more formally varied second selection.

Each story stands independently. The order matters only as an introduction to Liu’s editorial work.

Novels Translated by Ken Liu

Translations should be credited to both the original author and the translator.

The Three-Body Problem

The Three-Body Problem (2014), by Liu Cixin, translated by Ken Liu: A scientist’s experiences during China’s Cultural Revolution connect decades later to an investigation involving physics, a mysterious game, and possible contact with an alien civilization.

This is the first Remembrance of Earth’s Past novel. Liu translated the first and third books of the English-language trilogy, while Joel Martinsen translated the second.

Death’s End

Death’s End (2016), by Liu Cixin, translated by Ken Liu: Humanity confronts the long-term consequences of cosmic deterrence as technological advances and existential threats reshape civilization across immense spans of time.

This is the third Remembrance of Earth’s Past novel. Read The Dark Forest, translated by Joel Martinsen, before it.

The Waste Tide

The Waste Tide (2019), by Chen Qiufan, translated by Ken Liu: Workers on an island devoted to electronic waste processing become caught between corporate interests, local power, environmental damage, and experimental technology.

The novel stands alone and can be read without any other translated work.

Vagabonds

Vagabonds (2020), by Hao Jingfang, translated by Ken Liu: A group of young people from Mars returns from Earth and becomes caught between competing political systems, cultural expectations, and ideas of freedom.

The novel is a standalone work despite its large interplanetary setting.

Remembrance of Earth’s Past in English Translation Order

Ken Liu did not translate the entire trilogy, but readers must still follow the complete series order:

1. The Three-Body Problem (2014), by Liu Cixin, translated by Ken Liu: Scientific deaths and an unusual virtual world reveal a threat with origins beyond Earth.
2. The Dark Forest (2015), by Liu Cixin, translated by Joel Martinsen: Humanity develops secret strategies for confronting the approaching Trisolaran fleet.
3. Death’s End (2016), by Liu Cixin, translated by Ken Liu: The conflict expands across centuries and into the larger dangers of the universe.

Do not move directly from The Three-Body Problem to Death’s End. The Dark Forest is the essential second novel even though it has a different English translator.

Laozi’s Dao De Jing

Laozi’s Dao De Jing: A New Interpretation for a Transformative Time (2023): Ken Liu presents a personal English interpretation of the classical Chinese philosophical text.

The book combines translation with commentary and reflection. It is not fiction and does not belong to any of Liu’s speculative series.

Readers interested in the philosophical ideas behind governance, language, power, humility, and transformation may find connections with themes in the Dandelion Dynasty, but the books do not share continuity.

Translation, Editing, and Authorship Boundaries

Ken Liu’s name can appear prominently on books he did not originally write.

Written by Ken Liu: The Dandelion Dynasty, All That We See or Seem, The Legends of Luke Skywalker, and his short story collections.

Translated by Ken Liu: The Three-Body Problem, Death’s End, The Waste Tide, Vagabonds, and numerous shorter works.

Edited and translated by Ken Liu: Invisible Planets and Broken Stars.

Interpreted and translated by Ken Liu: Laozi’s Dao De Jing.

These categories matter because a complete Ken Liu bibliography is not the same as a list of novels authored by him.

Ken Liu Books in Publication Order

The following list combines his principal authored books with his major edited and translated volumes. Each entry identifies his role.

1. The Three-Body Problem (2014), translation: Liu Cixin’s first-contact novel introduces the Trisolaran crisis through science, history, and an unusual virtual game.
2. The Grace of Kings (2015), novel: Kuni Garu and Mata Zyndu lead a rebellion before becoming rivals over Dara’s future.
3. The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories (2016), collection: Liu’s early speculative fiction examines family, culture, memory, technology, and loss.
4. The Wall of Storms (2016), novel: Kuni’s new dynasty faces political division and invasion from beyond Dara.
5. Death’s End (2016), translation: Liu Cixin’s trilogy concludes through a vast story of deterrence, survival, and cosmic danger.
6. Invisible Planets (2016), edited translation anthology: Chinese science fiction writers appear in English through stories selected and translated by Liu.
7. The Legends of Luke Skywalker (2017), franchise novel: Six accounts offer competing versions of Luke’s reputation and legacy.
8. Broken Stars (2019), edited translation anthology: A second major selection presents varied Chinese speculative fiction.
9. The Waste Tide (2019), translation: Chen Qiufan’s novel explores electronic waste, labor exploitation, environmental damage, and biotechnology.
10. The Hidden Girl and Other Stories (2020), collection: Stories about digital minds and technological futures expand Liu’s interest in human and machine identity.
11. Vagabonds (2020), translation: Hao Jingfang examines ideological conflict between Earth and Mars through returning students.
12. The Legends of Luke Skywalker: The Manga (2020), adaptation: Selected stories from Liu’s Star Wars novel receive manga interpretations.
13. The Veiled Throne (2021), novel: A new generation enters the political and cultural struggle over Dara.
14. Speaking Bones (2022), novel: The Dandelion Dynasty reaches its final resolution.
15. Laozi’s Dao De Jing (2023), translation and interpretation: Liu offers a contemporary engagement with the classical philosophical text.
16. All That We See or Seem (2025), novel: Hacker Julia Z investigates a missing artist and an international technological conspiracy.
17. The Passing of the Dragon and Other Stories (Forthcoming September 8, 2026), collection: Liu’s next collection will gather more recent original short fiction.

This list does not include every translated short story, magazine publication, essay, limited edition, or anthology contribution.

Latest Ken Liu Book Status

The latest published Ken Liu novel is:

All That We See or Seem (2025): Julia Z enters a near-future investigation involving artificial intelligence, digital art, and organized crime.

His next confirmed book is:

The Passing of the Dragon and Other Stories (September 8, 2026): The collection is scheduled for release one month after this article’s update date.

The Julia Z series is planned to continue, but no title or release date for Book Two had been officially confirmed by August 6, 2026.

The Dandelion Dynasty is complete and does not currently require a fifth novel.

Which Ken Liu Series Are Complete?

The Dandelion Dynasty

Complete at four novels:

1. The Grace of Kings (2015): The Xana Empire falls.
2. The Wall of Storms (2016): The new dynasty faces invasion.
3. The Veiled Throne (2021): The next generation struggles over Dara’s political inheritance.
4. Speaking Bones (2022): The history of the dynasty reaches its conclusion.

Julia Z

Ongoing:

1. All That We See or Seem (2025): The first Julia Z investigation begins the planned thriller trilogy.
2. Book Two (Forthcoming): No confirmed title or date.
3. Book Three (Forthcoming): No confirmed title or date.

Short Story Collections

These are independent collections, not a series with one plot:

1. The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories (2016): Major early stories.
2. The Hidden Girl and Other Stories (2020): Later stories with stronger digital and technological themes.
3. The Passing of the Dragon and Other Stories (Forthcoming September 8, 2026): A new selection of recent work.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Ken Liu book should I read first?

Begin with The Grace of Kings (2015) for epic fantasy.

Begin with The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories (2016) for the broadest introduction to his themes and styles.

Begin with All That We See or Seem (2025) for a contemporary technological thriller.

Is the Dandelion Dynasty complete?

Yes.

Speaking Bones is the fourth and final volume.

Is the Dandelion Dynasty a trilogy or a quartet?

It is a quartet.

It was originally planned or described as a trilogy, but the final part was divided into The Veiled Throne and Speaking Bones.

Should I read The Veiled Throne and Speaking Bones together?

Yes.

They are separate novels, but they form the two-part conclusion of the larger story.

Are there Dandelion Dynasty prequels?

No separate prequel novel had been published by August 6, 2026.

Begin with The Grace of Kings.

Is All That We See or Seem part of the Dandelion Dynasty?

No.

It begins the unrelated Julia Z techno-thriller series.

Is the Julia Z series complete?

No.

Only All That We See or Seem has been published. Two more novels are planned.

What is Ken Liu’s newest published book?

All That We See or Seem (2025): This is his newest published original novel as of August 6, 2026.

What is Ken Liu’s next book?

The Passing of the Dragon and Other Stories: The collection is scheduled for September 8, 2026.

Is The Legends of Luke Skywalker canon?

It was published as part of the official Star Wars line associated with The Last Jedi.

The individual tales are presented as stories told by characters, so their exact reliability varies within the book itself.

Did Ken Liu write The Three-Body Problem?

No.

Liu Cixin wrote the novel in Chinese. Ken Liu translated it into English.

Did Ken Liu translate the entire Three-Body trilogy?

No.

Ken Liu translated The Three-Body Problem and Death’s End. Joel Martinsen translated The Dark Forest.

Should I skip The Dark Forest because Ken Liu did not translate it?

No.

The Dark Forest is the second novel and is required before Death’s End.

Are Invisible Planets and Broken Stars Ken Liu story collections?

No.

They are multi-author Chinese science fiction anthologies edited and largely translated by Ken Liu.

Is The Hidden Girl connected to Pantheon?

Several stories associated with uploaded intelligence and digital minds contributed material adapted into the animated series Pantheon.

The collection itself remains prose fiction and can be read independently of the television adaptation.

Where should I start with Ken Liu’s translation work?

Begin with Invisible Planets (2016) for a range of authors.

Begin with The Three-Body Problem (2014) for a full novel and continuing trilogy.

The Clearest Ken Liu Reading Plan

For original novels, begin with The Grace of Kings and complete all four Dandelion Dynasty books in order. The sequence moves forward through generations and does not require side stories or prequels.

For shorter fiction, read The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories before The Hidden Girl and Other Stories. Add The Passing of the Dragon and Other Stories after its scheduled September 2026 publication.

For Liu’s newest fictional world, begin with All That We See or Seem and follow the Julia Z books as later volumes are officially announced.

Keep translated works on a separate shelf. The Three-Body Problem, Death’s End, The Waste Tide, and Vagabonds were written by other authors, while Invisible Planets and Broken Stars are multi-author anthologies shaped by Liu’s work as translator and editor.