D. J. Butler Books in Order (Updated August 8, 2026)

D. J. Butler, also published as Dave Butler, is an American fantasy and science fiction author whose bibliography includes alternate history, historical fantasy, planetary adventure, time travel, young adult science fiction, middle grade fantasy, and collaborative novels.

His books are spread across more separate continuities than a quick bibliography suggests. The Witchy War novels, Cunning Man books, Indrajit & Fix adventures, Time Trials, Buza System, Clockwork Charlie trilogy, and Rock Band Fights Evil serial all have their own reading orders.

The name on the cover also matters. Most of Butler’s adult speculative fiction appears as D. J. Butler. His Extraordinary Journeys of Clockwork Charlie books were published as Dave Butler.

First, Identify the Series

Readers looking for a specific Butler book can use this map before moving into the full bibliography.

Witchy War: Begin with Witchy Eye.

Cunning Man: Begin with The Cunning Man.

Indrajit & Fix: Begin with In the Palace of Shadow and Joy.

Time Trials: Begin with Time Trials.

Buza System: Begin with Crecheling.

Clockwork Charlie: Begin with The Kidnap Plot.

Rock Band Fights Evil: Begin with Hellhound on My Trail, or use the Band on the Run omnibus.

These continuities are independent. There is no master chronology connecting them.

Witchy War Books in Order

The Witchy War sequence is Butler’s alternate American fantasy series, combining nineteenth century inspired politics with folklore, magic, and a substantially reimagined North America.

Read the novels in publication order:

1. Witchy Eye (2017)
2. Witchy Winter (2018)
3. Witchy Kingdom (2019)
4. Serpent Daughter (2020)

This is a continuing narrative, so order matters.

Sarah Calhoun’s political position, family history, allies, enemies, and understanding of the larger magical conflict develop from book to book. Starting with Witchy Kingdom or Serpent Daughter would reveal outcomes from the earlier novels.

Is Witchy Eye the Same as Witchy Eye, Second Edition?

Yes.

Witchy Eye, Second Edition is a later edition of the first Witchy War novel, not another installment.

Readers should count either edition as Book 1.

Where Does Dei Britannici Fit?

Dei Britannici is a short work identified as a prologue to Witchy Eye.

It expands the background of the Witchy War world but is not necessary before the first novel.

For new readers, the safer sequence is:

1. Witchy Eye
2. Witchy Winter
3. Witchy Kingdom
4. Serpent Daughter
5. Dei Britannici as optional background reading

Reading the novels first preserves the introductory role of Witchy Eye.

Status: Optional related short fiction.

Cunning Man Books in Order

The Cunning Man series is co-written by D. J. Butler and Aaron Michael Ritchey.

It follows Hiram Woolley, whose practical knowledge and folk magic place him in supernatural mysteries set against Depression era Utah and the American West.

The order is:

1. The Cunning Man (2019)
2. The Jupiter Knife (2021)
3. The Familiar Spirit (2025)

Publication order is also the recommended order.

The later novels continue Hiram’s story and family relationships, so this is not a sequence to rearrange.

Is The Familiar Spirit a Cunning Man Book?

Yes.

The Familiar Spirit, published October 7, 2025, is a confirmed novel in the Cunning Man series.

Readers should place it after The Jupiter Knife.

Who Wrote the Cunning Man Series?

Both D. J. Butler and Aaron Michael Ritchey are credited as authors.

This makes the entire sequence collaborative rather than a Butler solo series with occasional guest contributions.

Indrajit & Fix Books in Order

The Indrajit & Fix stories take place around Kish, a vast city in a far future setting where the two title characters work as jobbers, investigators, guards, problem solvers, and reluctant heroes.

For book length reading, use:

1. In the Palace of Shadow and Joy (2020)
2. Between Princesses and Other Jobs (2023)
3. Among the Gray Lords (2024)

In the Palace of Shadow and Joy

This is the best entry point for Indrajit and Fix.

It establishes the pair, Kish, and the kind of work that repeatedly lands them in dangerous situations.

Status: Recommended starting point.

Between Princesses and Other Jobs

This volume collects continuing adventures of Indrajit and Fix.

Because the characters and world have already been introduced, it fits most naturally after In the Palace of Shadow and Joy.

Status: Included.

Among the Gray Lords

Among the Gray Lords continues Indrajit and Fix’s adventures and was published January 2, 2024.

It should come after the earlier books for readers following character development and the accumulating dangers around the Protagonists.

Status: Included.

Indrajit & Fix Short Fiction

Butler has also written shorter Indrajit & Fix material.

One example is Sacrifices, which features the pair outside the principal novels.

These stories expand the world but should not be allowed to complicate a first reading unnecessarily.

The core route remains:

1. In the Palace of Shadow and Joy
2. Between Princesses and Other Jobs
3. Among the Gray Lords

Add individual stories afterward if you want more time in Kish.

Status: Optional shorter fiction.

Time Trials Books in Order

The Time Trials series is written by M. A. Rothman and D. J. Butler.

The current order is:

1. Time Trials (2023)
2. Ice Trials (2024)

Ice Trials is explicitly the second book and continues the journey begun in Time Trials.

Do not begin with the second volume.

Time Trials

Time Trials introduces Marty Cohen and a group whose archaeological discoveries lead into a much larger struggle involving humanity’s distant past.

It was published March 7, 2023.

Ice Trials

Ice Trials was published December 3, 2024.

It continues with Marty and his companions after the events of the first book.

Reading status: Both books belong to the same continuing series.

Is There a Third Time Trials Book?

No third volume with a confirmed publication date was found in the current publisher catalog as of August 8, 2026.

The safest current list therefore contains two published books.

The Quail Runs

The Quail Runs is a short story set in the world of Time Trials.

It is supplementary material rather than a replacement for either novel.

For a first reading, begin with Time Trials itself.

Status: Optional series short fiction.

Buza System Books in Order

The Buza System is Butler’s darker young adult science fiction sequence.

The order is:

1. Crecheling (2013)
2. Urbane (2016)

Urbane follows Dyan and Jak after the events of Crecheling, so the books should remain in that order.

Crecheling

Crecheling introduces Dyan and the brutal social structure of Buza System.

Status: Book 1.

Urbane

Urbane takes Dyan and Jak back toward Buza System and continues consequences established in the first novel.

Status: Book 2.

No third Buza System novel could be reliably confirmed in the current records checked for this update.

Extraordinary Journeys of Clockwork Charlie Books in Order

These middle grade novels were published under the name Dave Butler rather than D. J. Butler.

The complete trilogy is:

1. The Kidnap Plot
2. The Giant’s Seat
3. The Library Machine

The publisher identifies The Library Machine as the third and final installment.

This is a genuine continuing trilogy. Charlie’s discoveries about himself, his father, and the forces pursuing him carry from one book into the next.

The Kidnap Plot

This begins Charlie’s story and introduces the central mystery surrounding his father and Charlie’s own nature.

Status: Required Book 1.

The Giant’s Seat

The second volume continues directly from Charlie’s earlier discoveries and separates him from some of his companions while expanding the wider fantasy world.

Status: Required Book 2.

The Library Machine

This is the conclusion of the Clockwork Charlie trilogy.

Do not use it as a standalone entry point.

Status: Required Book 3 and series finale.

D. J. Butler or Dave Butler?

They are the same author.

The distinction is useful mainly for finding the correct books in catalogs.

The adult novels such as Witchy Eye, The Cunning Man, and In the Palace of Shadow and Joy generally use D. J. Butler.

The Clockwork Charlie trilogy uses Dave Butler.

Readers building a complete Butler bibliography should include both names.

Rock Band Fights Evil Books in Order

Rock Band Fights Evil began as a pulp fiction serial.

The six principal installments are:

1. Hellhound on My Trail
2. Snake Handlin’ Man
3. Crow Jane
4. Devil Sent the Rain
5. This World Is Not My Home
6. The Good Son

This is one connected serial, so numerical order is preferable.

Band on the Run

Band on the Run collects the first three installments:

1. Hellhound on My Trail
2. Snake Handlin’ Man
3. Crow Jane

Readers with this omnibus do not need those three installments separately.

Status: Omnibus of Books 1 to 3.

The Road to Hell

The Road to Hell collects installments four through six:

1. Devil Sent the Rain
2. This World Is Not My Home
3. The Good Son

Together, Band on the Run and The Road to Hell provide a convenient two volume route through the six part serial.

Status: Omnibus of Books 4 to 6.

Do Not Confuse Rock Band Fights Evil With Hell on Wheels

Butler has a much newer book titled Hell on Wheels, co-written with David J. West.

Despite the supernatural subject matter and the older Rock Band Fights Evil titles involving Hell, Hell on Wheels should not be inserted as installment seven of that serial.

It is a separate 2026 novel featuring Silas Danger, a 1975 Pontiac GTO, the ghost of his sister, and a dangerous journey across a magically altered America.

Status: Separate continuity.

Hell on Wheels

Hell on Wheels was published June 2, 2026 and is co-written by D. J. Butler and David J. West.

It follows Silas Danger, who cannot remain in one place for long without being caught by the demonic force pursuing him.

Current publisher material presents the book as a supernatural road adventure in an alternate America.

No earlier D. J. Butler novel is required before it.

Status: Separate continuity.

Because no confirmed second volume with a firm publication date was identified during this update, it is safest to treat Hell on Wheels as the current entry point rather than list an unannounced sequel.

City of the Saints

City of the Saints was published as a book in 2015.

Set in an alternate 1859, it brings figures including Samuel Clemens, Richard Burton, Brigham Young, and Edgar Allan Poe into a steampunk political conflict centered on the Kingdom of Deseret.

It does not belong to Witchy War despite both series using alternate versions of American history.

That similarity is thematic, not evidence of shared continuity.

Status: Standalone novel.

Abbott in Darkness

Abbott in Darkness was published in 2022.

It follows John Abbott and his family after his decision to take a job on the distant colony world Samovar.

The novel is not an Indrajit & Fix story and is not part of Time Trials.

Status: Standalone science fiction novel.

Window on Samovar

Butler also wrote the short story Window on Samovar.

Because it is connected with the Samovar setting, readers who want supplemental material around Abbott in Darkness may wish to seek it out.

It is not necessary before the novel.

Status: Optional related short fiction.

Other Short Fiction

Butler has published a substantial number of stories in magazines, publisher features, and anthologies.

For a books in order page, only stories with a clear relationship to one of his novel continuities need to affect the reading sequence.

The most useful examples are:

1. Dei Britannici, Witchy War related
2. Sacrifices, Indrajit & Fix
3. The Quail Runs, Time Trials world
4. Window on Samovar, Samovar related

None needs to be read before its corresponding first novel.

Publication Order or Series Order?

For Butler, series order is more useful.

His bibliography alternates rapidly among unrelated worlds. Reading everything strictly by publication date would mean repeatedly leaving one story in the middle and entering another continuity.

For example, a publication order marathon could move among Witchy War, Cunning Man, Indrajit & Fix, and standalone science fiction even though those stories have nothing to do with one another.

A new reader should finish or catch up with one sequence before switching.

Is There a Chronological Reading Order?

There is no chronological order covering all D. J. Butler books.

The alternate America of Witchy War is separate from City of the Saints. Cunning Man occupies another historical fantasy setting. Indrajit & Fix takes place in a far future world. Time Trials uses its own time travel framework.

Trying to place all of these on one timeline would create connections that the books do not establish.

Within each continuing series, publication order already provides the most dependable route.

A Better Way to Read the Complete Bibliography

Instead of jumping by publication date, organize Butler’s work by the kind of story you want.

For Alternate American Fantasy

Read:

1. Witchy Eye
2. Witchy Winter
3. Witchy Kingdom
4. Serpent Daughter

Then try City of the Saints as a separate alternate America.

For Historical Folk Fantasy

Read:

1. The Cunning Man
2. The Jupiter Knife
3. The Familiar Spirit

For Far Future Adventure

Read:

1. In the Palace of Shadow and Joy
2. Between Princesses and Other Jobs
3. Among the Gray Lords

For Time Travel Science Fiction

Read:

1. Time Trials
2. Ice Trials

For Younger Readers

Choose either:

1. Crecheling
2. Urbane

Or, under the Dave Butler name:

1. The Kidnap Plot
2. The Giant’s Seat
3. The Library Machine

For Supernatural Pulp

Read the six Rock Band Fights Evil installments, or use:

1. Band on the Run
2. The Road to Hell

For Butler’s newer supernatural road fiction, read Hell on Wheels separately.

Latest D. J. Butler Book

As of August 8, 2026, Butler’s newest confirmed published novel is Hell on Wheels, co-written with David J. West.

It was published June 2, 2026.

The book is separate from the similarly infernal titles in the older Rock Band Fights Evil serial.

Recent Series Releases

Several Butler series have also received relatively recent installments.

The Familiar Spirit was published October 7, 2025 as the third Cunning Man novel.

Ice Trials was published December 3, 2024 as the second Time Trials book.

Among the Gray Lords was published January 2, 2024 in the Indrajit & Fix series.

No later Witchy War novel than Serpent Daughter was confirmed in the publisher records checked for this update.

Frequently Asked Questions

What D. J. Butler book should I read first?

For Butler’s best established epic fantasy sequence, begin with Witchy Eye.

It opens Witchy War and provides a natural introduction to his alternate history fantasy work.

Readers who prefer historical folk horror and fantasy can begin with The Cunning Man instead.

What order do the Witchy War books go in?

Read:

1. Witchy Eye
2. Witchy Winter
3. Witchy Kingdom
4. Serpent Daughter

Do not count Witchy Eye, Second Edition as an additional book.

Is Serpent Daughter Book 4?

Yes.

It follows Witchy Kingdom and continues Sarah Calhoun’s story.

Is Dei Britannici a Witchy War book?

It is related short fiction and is described as a prologue to Witchy Eye.

It is optional rather than a required first installment.

How many Cunning Man books are there?

Three novels are confirmed as of August 8, 2026:

1. The Cunning Man
2. The Jupiter Knife
3. The Familiar Spirit

All are co-written with Aaron Michael Ritchey.

What order should I read Indrajit and Fix?

Use:

1. In the Palace of Shadow and Joy
2. Between Princesses and Other Jobs
3. Among the Gray Lords

Additional short fiction can be added afterward.

Is Between Princesses and Other Jobs the first Indrajit & Fix book?

No.

In the Palace of Shadow and Joy was published first and is the better introduction to the characters and Kish.

What comes after Time Trials?

Ice Trials.

It is explicitly the second book in the series.

Is Ice Trials a standalone?

No.

It continues characters and events from Time Trials, so begin with the first book.

Is Crecheling part of a series?

Yes.

It begins the Buza System sequence and is followed by Urbane.

What are the Clockwork Charlie books in order?

Under the name Dave Butler, read:

1. The Kidnap Plot
2. The Giant’s Seat
3. The Library Machine

The third book completes the trilogy.

Are Dave Butler and D. J. Butler the same author?

Yes.

Dave Butler is the name used on the Clockwork Charlie books, while D. J. Butler appears on much of his adult fantasy and science fiction.

Is Hell on Wheels part of Rock Band Fights Evil?

No.

The 2026 Hell on Wheels, co-written with David J. West, is a separate work.

Rock Band Fights Evil consists of six earlier serial installments collected in Band on the Run and The Road to Hell.

What is D. J. Butler’s newest book?

Hell on Wheels, with David J. West, is his newest confirmed published novel as of August 8, 2026.

It was published June 2, 2026.

The Reading Order That Avoids the Most Confusion

D. J. Butler is easiest to read by series rather than by year.

Begin Witchy War with Witchy Eye. Begin Cunning Man with The Cunning Man. Start Indrajit & Fix with In the Palace of Shadow and Joy, and read Time Trials before Ice Trials.

For younger readers, remember that the Clockwork Charlie trilogy is filed under Dave Butler. For older WordFire releases, the two Rock Band Fights Evil omnibuses are simpler than tracking down all six serial installments separately.

Most importantly, keep the separate alternate Americas separate. Witchy Eye, City of the Saints, the Cunning Man novels, and 2026’s Hell on Wheels may all use American history or folklore in imaginative ways, but they should not be merged into one continuity.