Morgan Llywelyn’s bibliography stretches from legendary Ireland and the ancient Celtic world through medieval history, revolution, modern Ireland, and even near-future science fiction.
That breadth creates a misleading impression that all of her Irish books form one immense historical series.
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They do not.
Some novels are direct sequels. Others revisit the same historical period through different characters. Still others have been grouped by publishers under labels such as Celtic World even though they were written as independent stories.
The reading order becomes much clearer once those distinctions are made.
The Books That Really Do Form Series
There are five important groups.
Irish Century
- 1916
- 1921
- 1949
- 1972
- 1999
Step by Step
- Drop by Drop
- Inch by Inch
- Breath by Breath
Druids
- Druids
- The Greener Shore
Brian Boru
- Lion of Ireland
- Pride of Lions
Arcana, with Michael Scott
- Silverhand
- Silverlight
Arcana was intended to continue, but no third volume was published.
Most of Llywelyn’s remaining historical and mythological novels can be read separately.
Irish Century Books in Order
The Irish Century is Llywelyn’s clearest long historical series.
Read:
- 1916: A Novel of the Irish Rebellion (1998)
- 1921: The Great Novel of the Irish Civil War (2001)
- 1949: A Novel of the Irish Free State (2003)
- 1972: A Novel of Ireland’s Unfinished Revolution (2005)
- 1999: A Novel of the Celtic Tiger and the Search for Peace (2008)
These five novels trace twentieth-century Irish history through successive generations and connected characters.
This is not simply a set of independent historical novels sharing dates. Later books deliberately carry the family and political history forward.
Read them in numerical order.
1916
1916 begins the sequence around the Easter Rising.
Ned Halloran survives the sinking of the Titanic and returns to Ireland, where his life becomes increasingly entangled with the revolutionary movement and figures associated with the Rising.
This is the required starting point for the Irish Century.
Do not begin with 1921 even if the Irish War of Independence is the historical period that interests you most. The personal history of the series begins in 1916.
1921
1921 is the second Irish Century novel.
It moves the story through the War of Independence and the divisions that lead into civil war.
The book continues the historical and personal consequences established in 1916.
Read it second.
1949
1949 is Book 3.
It follows the next stage in the family story while Ireland develops from revolutionary state into a more established political society.
The book assumes knowledge of events and family relationships from 1916 and 1921.
1972
1972 moves into the period dominated by the Troubles.
By this stage, the series has crossed generations, but it remains one historical family chronicle.
Do not treat the change in period and protagonist emphasis as a fresh starting point.
1999
1999 is the fifth and final Irish Century novel.
It brings the series toward the end of the twentieth century, the peace process, and the political and social changes surrounding modern Ireland.
The complete sequence is therefore:
- 1916
- 1921
- 1949
- 1972
- 1999
Series status: Complete.
Should the Irish Century Be Read Chronologically?
Yes, but there is no special alternate chronology to construct.
The publication order already moves forward through history.
Read the five dates exactly as numbered.
This is one of the few parts of Llywelyn’s bibliography where chronological order, publication order, and recommended order all agree.
Step by Step Books in Order
Late in her career, Llywelyn moved away from historical fiction for a near-future science fiction trilogy.
Read:
- Drop by Drop (2018)
- Inch by Inch (2020)
- Breath by Breath (2021)
The trilogy concerns the residents of Sycamore River as modern civilization begins to fail through a series of increasingly devastating changes.
It must be read in sequence.
Drop by Drop
Drop by Drop begins when plastic starts breaking down and liquefying.
Because modern infrastructure depends heavily on plastics, the change rapidly affects communication, transport, medicine, and everyday life.
This is Step by Step Book 1.
Inch by Inch
Inch by Inch is the second novel.
The survivors have already adapted to the first stage of collapse when another fundamental material begins to disappear.
The book assumes everything that happened in Drop by Drop.
Read it second.
Breath by Breath
Breath by Breath completes the trilogy.
It follows the surviving community after the previous disasters and brings the Step by Step story to its conclusion.
Later paperback editions may carry a 2022 date, but the novel itself first appeared in 2021.
Series status: Complete trilogy.
Is Step by Step Connected to Llywelyn’s Irish Novels?
No.
It is a separate near-future science fiction continuity.
Although Llywelyn again focuses on communities adapting to enormous social change, there is no story connection to the Irish Century or her Celtic historical novels.
Druids Books in Order
Llywelyn’s Druids sequence contains two novels:
- Druids (1991)
- The Greener Shore: A Novel of the Druids of Hibernia (2006)
The gap between publication dates is large, but The Greener Shore is a direct sequel.
Read Druids first.
Druids
Druids follows Ainvar and the Celtic world of Gaul during the period of Roman expansion under Julius Caesar.
It combines historical fiction with the spiritual and mythic worldview of its druid characters.
The novel establishes the people and conflict continued later.
The Greener Shore
The Greener Shore follows survivors who reach Hibernia after the destruction of their former world.
Ainvar returns, making this a genuine continuation rather than another unrelated Celtic novel.
The correct order is therefore:
- Druids
- The Greener Shore
Series status: Complete published duology.
Is The Greener Shore Part of a Larger Celtic World Series?
Publishers sometimes place it near Llywelyn’s other Celtic novels, but its important narrative relationship is with Druids.
Books such as Bard, The Horse Goddess, Finn Mac Cool, and Lion of Ireland do not need to be read before it.
Lion of Ireland and Pride of Lions in Order
These two novels belong together:
- Lion of Ireland (1980)
- Pride of Lions (1996)
Lion of Ireland tells the story of Brian Boru.
Pride of Lions continues after Brian’s death and shifts attention to his children and the struggle over what remains of his political achievement.
Lion of Ireland
Lion of Ireland is Llywelyn’s major novel about Brian Boru, the Irish king associated most famously with the Battle of Clontarf in 1014.
It stands well on its own, but Pride of Lions continues the family history.
Start here.
Pride of Lions
Pride of Lions takes place after the Battle of Clontarf.
Brian’s son Donough becomes a major figure as the surviving family confronts questions of succession, power, loyalty, and Ireland’s political future.
This is a true sequel.
Read:
- Lion of Ireland
- Pride of Lions
Brian Boru: Emperor of the Irish
Readers may also encounter:
Brian Boru: Emperor of the Irish
This is a shorter work written for younger readers.
It retells Brian’s life for a different audience.
It is not Book 1.5 between Lion of Ireland and Pride of Lions.
Readers following the adult novels only can omit it.
1014: Brian Boru and the Battle for Ireland
1014: Brian Boru and the Battle for Ireland is another separate Brian Boru book.
Unlike Lion of Ireland, it is a historical account rather than another sequel in the novel sequence.
Llywelyn returned to Brian Boru after decades of research to examine his life and the Battle of Clontarf more directly.
For readers especially interested in Brian:
- Lion of Ireland
- Pride of Lions
- 1014: Brian Boru and the Battle for Ireland
This is a useful subject-based route, not a three-book fictional series.
The Arcana Books in Order
Morgan Llywelyn and Michael Scott collaborated on the Arcana fantasy series.
The published books are:
- Silverhand (1995)
- Silverlight (1996)
These books form a continuous fantasy story.
Read them in order.
Silverhand
Silverhand begins the Arcana sequence and introduces a far-future world that has taken on many of the appearances and structures of fantasy.
Its heroes become involved in a struggle connected to powerful objects known as the Arcana.
Silverlight
Silverlight continues the same quest.
It is Book 2 and should not be read independently if the complete story is your goal.
Was There Supposed to Be a Third Arcana Book?
Yes.
The project was conceived to continue beyond Silverlight.
A third installment was projected but never published.
That means the correct present status is:
- Silverhand
- Silverlight
- Planned continuation, unpublished
Series status: Incomplete.
Readers who avoid unfinished series should know this before beginning.
What Is the Celtic World of Morgan Llywelyn?
Current Macmillan editions use Celtic World of Morgan Llywelyn as a series label for several of her historical and mythological novels.
Titles grouped there include books such as:
- The Horse Goddess
- Bard: The Odyssey of the Irish
- Finn Mac Cool
- Lion of Ireland
- Pride of Lions
- The Wind from Hastings
Some retailer listings add or arrange further books differently.
This should not be treated like the Irish Century.
The books move among different centuries, legends, historical figures, and countries. They do not follow one continuous protagonist or family.
The label is best understood as a thematic historical and mythological collection.
Do You Need to Read the Celtic World Books in Numbered Order?
No.
Retailer numbering for Celtic World is not a reliable narrative reading order.
A list that places The Horse Goddess before Bard, then jumps to Finn Mac Cool, Brian Boru, and Norman England may reflect thematic or catalog organization rather than story continuity.
Choose these books according to the historical period that interests you.
The important exception is:
- Lion of Ireland
- Pride of Lions
Those two really are connected.
Morgan Llywelyn’s Ancient and Mythological Ireland Books
Several of Llywelyn’s best-known novels reinterpret Ireland’s mythic past.
They can be approached independently.
Bard: The Odyssey of the Irish
Bard: The Odyssey of the Irish was published in 1984.
It draws on traditions concerning the Milesians and their arrival in Ireland, including Amergin and encounters with the Tuatha Dé Danann.
It does not require The Horse Goddess first.
Status: Standalone.
Red Branch
Red Branch was published in 1989.
It reimagines Cú Chulainn and the Ulster Cycle.
It is separate from Bard.
Readers interested in Irish mythology can read:
- Bard
- Red Branch
- Finn Mac Cool
as a broad movement through different legendary traditions, but that order is thematic rather than a continuing plot.
Finn Mac Cool
Finn Mac Cool was published in 1994.
It draws on the Fenian Cycle and the legendary warrior Fionn mac Cumhaill.
It stands independently.
You do not need Red Branch or Bard beforehand.
Only the Stones Survive
Only the Stones Survive was published in 2016.
It again mixes Irish mythology, migration traditions, and imagined history.
It is not a sequel to Bard even though both engage with the legendary settlement of Ireland.
Treat it as its own novel.
The Horse Goddess
The Horse Goddess was published in the early 1980s.
The novel draws on the Celtic horse goddess Epona and a world in which historical reconstruction and mythology overlap.
It is independent of Llywelyn’s Irish Century and Brian Boru books.
Status: Standalone historical fantasy.
The Wind from Hastings
The Wind from Hastings was Llywelyn’s first published novel, appearing in 1978.
It deals with the aftermath of the Norman Conquest of England and the historical world surrounding William the Conqueror.
Despite its inclusion in some Celtic World collections, it does not begin a continuous series leading to Lion of Ireland or Finn Mac Cool.
Status: Standalone historical novel.
Grania
Grania: She-King of the Irish Seas was published in 1986.
It tells the story of Grace O’Malley, the famous Irish maritime leader.
It is a standalone adult historical novel.
Llywelyn later returned to Grace O’Malley for younger readers in Granuaile: Pirate Queen.
The two books should not be treated as consecutive installments.
Granuaile: Pirate Queen and Pirate Queen
These titles refer to the same younger-reader work.
The book appeared as:
Granuaile: Pirate Queen
and was later republished as:
Pirate Queen
Do not count them separately.
It is also different from the adult novel Grania.
For Grace O’Malley readers:
- Grania, adult historical novel
- Granuaile: Pirate Queen, younger-reader retelling
There is no story need to read both.
The Last Prince of Ireland
The Last Prince of Ireland is a historical novel centered on the O’Sullivan resistance following the Battle of Kinsale and the final years of Gaelic resistance to Elizabethan power.
It stands alone.
It is not part of the Irish Century, which begins centuries later.
O’Sullivan’s March
Llywelyn also wrote O’Sullivan’s March.
Because both titles concern O’Sullivan history, bibliographies can make them appear like a straightforward numbered series.
For practical reading, treat the material as closely related historical subject matter rather than assuming a broad multi-volume saga beyond the explicitly connected works.
Brendan
Brendan: The Remarkable Life and Voyage of Brendan of Clonfert was published in 2010.
It reimagines the life and legendary travels of Saint Brendan.
It is standalone.
No Finn Mac Cool, Druids, or Brian Boru reading is required.
After Rome
After Rome was published in 2013.
It is set in Britain after the withdrawal of Roman authority and follows two cousins responding very differently to the collapse of the old order.
The novel is separate from Druids.
Although both occupy the broad transition from Roman power toward medieval societies, they do not share a required plot sequence.
Is After Rome a King Arthur Book?
Not in the sense of being a conventional Arthurian retelling.
It deals with post-Roman Britain and the social conditions from which later medieval Britain develops.
Treat it as historical fiction with its own characters rather than part of a larger Arthurian series.
The Elementals
The Elementals is an ecological fantasy that spans a very long period of human history.
The book is constructed around humanity’s relationship with elemental forces and the Earth.
It is not the first volume of Llywelyn’s Step by Step trilogy.
The later Step by Step books also deal with environmental catastrophe, but the two projects are separate.
Status: Standalone fantasy.
Other Morgan Llywelyn Collaborations
Llywelyn collaborated several times with Irish writer Michael Scott.
Arcana
- Silverhand
- Silverlight
This is the main continuing collaboration.
19 Railway Street
19 Railway Street is a separate collaborative work.
It does not belong to Arcana.
Etruscans
Etruscans is another collaboration by Llywelyn and Scott.
Again, it is separate from Silverhand and Silverlight.
Ireland: A Graphic History
Llywelyn and Scott also collaborated on Ireland: A Graphic History.
This is not a novel and has no place inside the Arcana reading order.
Morgan Llywelyn Books for Younger Readers
Llywelyn wrote a substantial group of historical books for younger audiences.
Important titles include:
- Brian Boru: Emperor of the Irish
- Strongbow: The Story of Richard and Aoife
- Star Dancer
- The Vikings in Ireland
- Granuaile: Pirate Queen, later Pirate Queen
- The Young Rebels
- Cave of Secrets
These do not form one continuous children’s series.
They cover different historical periods and characters.
Brian Boru: Emperor of the Irish
This younger-reader book tells the story of Brian Boru.
It is separate from the much larger adult novel Lion of Ireland.
Choose according to audience rather than continuity.
Strongbow: The Story of Richard and Aoife
Strongbow concerns Richard de Clare and Aoife during the Norman invasion of Ireland.
It can be read independently.
It does not continue Brian Boru: Emperor of the Irish.
Star Dancer
Star Dancer moves away from Llywelyn’s usual Irish history and draws on her experience with horses and equestrian competition.
It is standalone.
The Vikings in Ireland
The Vikings in Ireland explores the Norse presence in Ireland.
It is not a fictional sequel to Brian Boru.
Treat it separately as historical reading for younger audiences.
The Young Rebels
The Young Rebels deals with young characters caught up in the revolutionary era around the Easter Rising.
It is not Irish Century Book 0.
Readers following the adult Irish Century novels do not need it before 1916.
Cave of Secrets
Cave of Secrets was published in 2012.
It is set in seventeenth-century Ireland and involves smuggling, piracy, family pressure, and hidden secrets.
It stands alone.
A Historical Route Through Morgan Llywelyn
Readers sometimes want Llywelyn’s Irish books arranged roughly by historical setting rather than by publication.
That can be useful, as long as it is not mistaken for one connected series.
A broad route would move through books such as:
- The Horse Goddess
- Bard: The Odyssey of the Irish
- Only the Stones Survive
- Red Branch
- Finn Mac Cool
- Druids
- The Greener Shore
- Brendan
- Lion of Ireland
- Pride of Lions
- Strongbow
- Grania
- The Last Prince of Ireland
- 1916
- 1921
- 1949
- 1972
- 1999
This is a historical-interest route only.
Some books mix myth and history, and several legendary figures cannot be assigned a precise historical position with the certainty implied by an ordinary chronology.
For a first read, series order is more important than forcing every Celtic novel onto one timeline.
The Best Order for Llywelyn’s Irish Mythology Novels
If your interest is primarily legendary Ireland, a useful progression is:
- Bard: The Odyssey of the Irish
- Red Branch
- Finn Mac Cool
Then add:
- Only the Stones Survive
This lets you move among some of Ireland’s major mythic traditions without suggesting that the novels share protagonists.
The order is optional.
The Best Order for Llywelyn’s Historical Ireland Novels
For readers more interested in documented history than mythology, choose individual eras.
Brian Boru
- Lion of Ireland
- Pride of Lions
Druids and Roman Expansion
- Druids
- The Greener Shore
Revolutionary and Modern Ireland
- 1916
- 1921
- 1949
- 1972
- 1999
Grace O’Malley
Read Grania as the adult novel.
Use Granuaile: Pirate Queen if you prefer the younger-reader version.
There is no need to read every earlier historical period before moving to the twentieth century.
Morgan Llywelyn’s Main Novels in Broad Publication Order
A broad career chronology includes:
- The Wind from Hastings (1978)
- Lion of Ireland (1980)
- The Horse Goddess (1983)
- Bard: The Odyssey of the Irish (1984)
- Grania: She-King of the Irish Seas (1986)
- The Isles of the Blest (1989)
- Red Branch (1989)
- Druids (1991)
- The Last Prince of Ireland (1992)
- The Elementals (1993)
- Finn Mac Cool (1994)
- Silverhand (1995), with Michael Scott
- Silverlight (1996), with Michael Scott
- Pride of Lions (1996)
- 1916 (1998)
- Etruscans (2000), with Michael Scott
- 1921 (2001)
- 1949 (2003)
- 1972 (2005)
- The Greener Shore (2006)
- 1999 (2008)
- Brendan (2010)
- After Rome (2013)
- Only the Stones Survive (2016)
- Drop by Drop (2018)
- Inch by Inch (2020)
- Breath by Breath (2021)
This list focuses on major adult fiction and does not mix every children’s book, history title, graphic work, and reissue into the same sequence.
It is useful for following Llywelyn’s career, not for following one story.
Why Publication Order Is Usually Not the Best Reading Strategy
Strict publication order would make you leave Brian Boru after Lion of Ireland, read numerous unrelated novels, and return to his family sixteen years later with Pride of Lions.
It would also separate Druids from The Greener Shore by fifteen years.
A reader gains little from preserving those publication gaps.
Keep genuine continuities together:
- Lion of Ireland, then Pride of Lions
- Druids, then The Greener Shore
- all five Irish Century novels
- all three Step by Step novels
- Silverhand, then Silverlight
Choose the standalones independently.
What Was Morgan Llywelyn’s First Novel?
The Wind from Hastings was her first published novel, appearing in 1978.
It established the historical-fiction approach that would become central to much of her career.
Her breakthrough Brian Boru novel, Lion of Ireland, followed in 1980.
What Is Morgan Llywelyn’s Latest Novel?
As of August 9, 2026, the newest original novel I could reliably confirm is:
Breath by Breath
It first appeared in 2021 and concludes the Step by Step trilogy.
A current Tor paperback carries a 2022 publication date, but that is a later edition rather than a new novel.
No later original Morgan Llywelyn novel with a reliable publication record was identified during the current bibliography check.
Are New Morgan Llywelyn Books Scheduled?
No new 2026 novel with a confirmed title and release date was found.
Current publisher catalogs continue to sell and reissue Llywelyn’s earlier historical fiction, mythology, children’s books, and Step by Step novels.
A new paperback date should not automatically be treated as a new story.
Morgan Llywelyn Books in Order FAQs
What Morgan Llywelyn book should I read first?
For historical fiction, Lion of Ireland is a strong introduction.
For twentieth-century Ireland, begin with 1916.
For mythology, try Bard: The Odyssey of the Irish.
For science fiction, begin with Drop by Drop.
What order is the Irish Century series?
Read:
- 1916
- 1921
- 1949
- 1972
- 1999
The series is complete.
Are the Irish Century books connected?
Yes.
They form a multi-generational historical sequence rather than five unrelated novels named after dates.
Read them in order.
What order is the Step by Step trilogy?
Read:
- Drop by Drop
- Inch by Inch
- Breath by Breath
The trilogy is complete.
Is The Elementals part of Step by Step?
No.
Both use environmental themes, but they are separate fictional projects.
What order are the Druids books?
Read:
- Druids
- The Greener Shore
The Greener Shore is a direct sequel.
Is Lion of Ireland part of a series?
It has one direct sequel:
- Lion of Ireland
- Pride of Lions
Is Brian Boru: Emperor of the Irish a sequel to Lion of Ireland?
No.
It is a shorter treatment of Brian Boru written for younger readers.
Is 1014: Brian Boru and the Battle for Ireland another novel in the series?
No.
It is a later historical account of Brian and the Battle of Clontarf, not a third fictional sequel.
What order are the Arcana books?
Read:
- Silverhand
- Silverlight
The planned continuation was never published, so the series remains incomplete.
Did Morgan Llywelyn write Arcana alone?
No.
She coauthored Silverhand and Silverlight with Michael Scott.
Is Celtic World of Morgan Llywelyn a real series?
It is a publisher grouping of related Celtic historical and mythological fiction.
It should not be treated as one continuous numbered narrative.
Do I need The Horse Goddess before Bard?
No.
They are separate stories.
Is Red Branch connected to Finn Mac Cool?
They draw on different cycles of Irish mythology.
Neither is a sequel to the other.
Is Only the Stones Survive a sequel to Bard?
No.
Both engage with legendary Irish origins, but they are separate novels.
Are Grania and Pirate Queen the same book?
No.
Grania is the adult historical novel about Grace O’Malley.
Granuaile: Pirate Queen, later shortened to Pirate Queen, is a separate younger-reader treatment of the same historical figure.
Are Granuaile: Pirate Queen and Pirate Queen different books?
No.
Those are alternate titles or editions of the same younger-reader work.
Is The Young Rebels part of Irish Century?
No.
It deals with revolutionary Ireland for younger readers but is not an Irish Century installment.
Is After Rome part of Druids?
No.
It is a separate historical novel about post-Roman Britain.
What is Morgan Llywelyn’s newest novel?
As of August 9, 2026, the newest original novel reliably confirmed is Breath by Breath, the third Step by Step book.
A Reading Plan That Respects the History Without Inventing a Saga
Morgan Llywelyn’s books invite chronological sorting because so many of them explore different stages of Celtic and Irish history.
That is useful for choosing a period. It is less useful as a mandatory reading order.
Start with the genuine sequences.
For twentieth-century Ireland:
- 1916
- 1921
- 1949
- 1972
- 1999
For Brian Boru:
- Lion of Ireland
- Pride of Lions
For the Druids:
- Druids
- The Greener Shore
For near-future science fiction:
- Drop by Drop
- Inch by Inch
- Breath by Breath
For Arcana:
- Silverhand
- Silverlight
Then choose Bard, Red Branch, Finn Mac Cool, Grania, Brendan, The Wind from Hastings, After Rome, Only the Stones Survive, and the other historical novels according to the era or legend that interests you.
The most important distinction is between a historical sequence and a publisher’s historical grouping. Irish Century really is a series. Step by Step really is a trilogy. Druids and Lion of Ireland each have genuine sequels. The larger Celtic World label, however, is a bookshelf of related history and mythology, not one continuous story.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.