Ellen Kushner Books in Order (Updated August 8, 2026)

Ellen Kushner’s bibliography is small enough to look straightforward, but her best-known books create an unusual reading-order problem.

Ellen Kushner Books in Order

The three principal Riverside novels were not published in the order in which their stories occur. The Fall of the Kings was published before The Privilege of the Sword, even though The Privilege of the Sword takes place decades earlier. The collaborative serial Tremontaine goes further back again, roughly fifteen years before Swordspoint.

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Fortunately, there is no need to solve the whole chronology before starting.

For a first reading, begin with Swordspoint. Kushner wrote the Riverside novels so they can stand individually, but Swordspoint is still the clearest introduction to the city, Richard St. Vier, Alec, and the culture of hired swordsmen and aristocratic intrigue.

The Answer in Three Different Orders

There is no single Riverside order that serves every reader equally well.

Best Order for a First Read

  1. Swordspoint
  2. The Privilege of the Sword
  3. The Fall of the Kings
  4. Tremontaine

This keeps Swordspoint as the introduction, then follows the fictional timeline forward before returning to the large prequel serial.

Publication Order of the Riverside Novels

  1. Swordspoint (1987)
  2. The Fall of the Kings (2002)
  3. The Privilege of the Sword (2006)

This preserves the order in which readers originally discovered Kushner’s three novels.

Chronological Riverside Order

  1. Tremontaine
  2. Swordspoint
  3. The Privilege of the Sword
  4. The Fall of the Kings

This is useful for a reread, but it is not my preferred introduction.

Tremontaine was written decades after Swordspoint and deliberately shows younger versions of characters whose later identities already had meaning for existing readers.

Riverside Is Not Really a Trilogy

The three Kushner novels most often grouped as the Swordspoint or Riverside trilogy are:

  1. Swordspoint
  2. The Privilege of the Sword
  3. The Fall of the Kings

Calling them a trilogy is convenient, but increasingly inaccurate.

They share a city, history, families, and recurring characters rather than following one protagonist through three consecutive adventures.

Kushner has also expanded Riverside through short fiction and four complete seasons of Tremontaine. She is working on another novel in the setting.

The better description is the Riverside series or the world of Swordspoint.

Swordspoint

  1. Swordspoint: A Melodrama of Manners (1987)

Included. Best starting point.

Kushner’s first novel introduces the unnamed city commonly associated with Riverside, the dangerous district where master swordsman Richard St. Vier lives with Alec.

The upper classes hire professional swordsmen to settle disputes, while political schemes on the Hill regularly spill into Riverside.

The novel establishes the social rules that make the later books easier to understand.

Even though Tremontaine takes place earlier, start here unless you have a specific reason to prefer chronological order.

Short Stories Around Swordspoint

Several Riverside stories cluster around the period immediately before and after Swordspoint.

Important pieces include:

  1. “A Wild and a Wicked Youth”
  2. “When I Was a Highwayman”
  3. “Red Cloak”
  4. Swordspoint
  5. “The Swordsman Whose Name Was Not Death”
  6. “The Duke of Riverside”

These are Optional for understanding the novels.

Red Cloak

“Red Cloak” takes place immediately before Swordspoint.

It features Richard St. Vier and Alec and was written before the novel.

Readers using the expanded 2003 edition of Swordspoint may already have this story included.

For a first read, it is fine to read the novel before worrying about the shorter pieces.

The Swordsman Whose Name Was Not Death

This story takes place after Swordspoint.

It is also included in some later editions of the novel.

The Duke of Riverside

This later-written story continues the Riverside material after Swordspoint and before The Privilege of the Sword.

It is optional but useful for readers who want more of the relationships surrounding Richard and Alec.

Expanded Editions of Swordspoint

The 2003 Bantam edition of Swordspoint contains the novel plus additional Riverside material:

  1. “Red Cloak”
  2. Swordspoint
  3. “The Swordsman Whose Name Was Not Death”
  4. “The Death of the Duke”
  5. An afterword by Kushner

That edition is therefore more than a simple reprint.

However, it is still fundamentally an edition of Swordspoint, not a separate series installment.

Do not count it as another book after the original 1987 novel.

The Privilege of the Sword

  1. The Privilege of the Sword (2006)

Included. Best second Riverside novel for continuity.

The book takes place roughly fifteen years after Swordspoint.

Its central character is Katherine Talbert, who is summoned to the city by her uncle, the eccentric and politically dangerous Duke Tremontaine.

Readers of Swordspoint will recognize important connections immediately.

Although The Fall of the Kings was published four years earlier, it takes place much later. If you want the smoothest character chronology, put The Privilege of the Sword second.

Can You Start With The Privilege of the Sword?

Yes.

Kushner deliberately wrote the Riverside novels so that each can work independently.

Starting here gives you Katherine’s perspective before you know all the history behind some of the older characters.

That can be an interesting way to encounter the city.

For readers already planning to read everything, however, Swordspoint remains the more natural first book.

What Comes After The Privilege of the Sword?

Several shorter Riverside pieces fall after or around this period.

Kushner’s current chronology includes:

  1. The Privilege of the Sword
  2. “The Sweet Tooth of Angwar Bec”
  3. “On the Island”
  4. City Year, working title
  5. “The Man with the Knives”
  6. “The Death of the Duke”
  7. “Honored Guest”
  8. “The Fall of the Kings”, novella
  9. The Fall of the Kings, novel

Not all of these are necessary to follow the novels.

The important point is that the gap between The Privilege of the Sword and The Fall of the Kings covers many years of fictional history.

The Fall of the Kings

  1. The Fall of the Kings (2002), with Delia Sherman

Included. Later Riverside novel.

Kushner co-wrote this book with Delia Sherman.

It takes place about sixty years after Swordspoint, making it the latest of the three published Riverside novels in internal chronology.

The focus moves toward the University, scholars, aristocrats, the city’s suppressed monarchical history, and the possibility that older forms of magic may not be as dead as society assumes.

Because it occurs much later, readers should not assume that its 2002 publication date makes it the immediate chronological sequel to Swordspoint.

The Fall of the Kings Novella and Novel

There are two works with this title:

  1. “The Fall of the Kings”, a 1997 novella by Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman
  2. The Fall of the Kings, the 2002 novel by Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman

The earlier novella became the foundation for the later full-length novel.

For an ordinary Riverside reading project, choose the novel.

The novella is optional for readers interested in how the project developed.

Do not count them as two consecutive installments.

Tremontaine in Order

Tremontaine is a collaborative Riverside prequel created by Kushner with a team of writers.

It consists of four seasons:

  1. Tremontaine, Season 1
  2. Tremontaine, Season 2
  3. Tremontaine, Season 3
  4. Tremontaine, Season 4

Included for an expanded Riverside read.

The serial ran from 2015 through 2018.

Each season contains thirteen episodes, written by multiple authors working within a coordinated story.

Where Does Tremontaine Fit?

Tremontaine begins about fifteen years before Swordspoint.

It follows characters including Diane, who will become Duchess Tremontaine, as well as Ixkaab Balaam, Tess, Micah Heslop, and younger versions of figures who later appear in the Riverside novels.

Chronologically:

  1. Tremontaine
  2. Swordspoint
  3. The Privilege of the Sword
  4. The Fall of the Kings

For first-time readers:

  1. Swordspoint
  2. The Privilege of the Sword
  3. The Fall of the Kings
  4. Tremontaine

Why put the prequel last?

Because part of the pleasure of Tremontaine is recognizing people, institutions, and social structures before they become what readers know from the novels.

Tremontaine Publication Format

Tremontaine began as serialized digital and audio fiction.

The first season was later released as a print collection.

The later seasons are most readily encountered in digital or audio formats rather than as a matching four-volume print set.

This matters when building a physical collection. A reader should not assume that four standard print novels exist simply because there are four complete seasons.

Complete Riverside Chronology

For readers who want the internal sequence rather than the simplest book order, the major published material runs broadly as follows:

  1. “The Witch in the Wood”, by Delia Sherman
  2. “The Tragedy of King Alexander the Stag”, by Delia Sherman
  3. Tremontaine, Seasons 1 through 4
  4. “A Wild and a Wicked Youth”
  5. “When I Was a Highwayman”
  6. “Red Cloak”
  7. Swordspoint
  8. “The Swordsman Whose Name Was Not Death”
  9. “The Duke of Riverside”
  10. The Privilege of the Sword
  11. “The Sweet Tooth of Angwar Bec”
  12. “On the Island”
  13. “The Man with the Knives”
  14. “The Death of the Duke”
  15. “Honored Guest”
  16. “The Fall of the Kings”, novella
  17. The Fall of the Kings, novel

There is also an unpublished work-in-progress positioned between The Privilege of the Sword and some of the later stories.

That project is currently identified by the working title City Year.

Because it is not yet published, it should not be numbered as an available Riverside book.

Recommended Riverside Order

For most readers, the detailed chronology above is unnecessary.

Use this instead:

  1. Swordspoint
  2. The Privilege of the Sword
  3. The Fall of the Kings
  4. Tremontaine, Seasons 1 through 4
  5. Riverside short fiction, as desired

This order protects the best introductions while keeping the principal novels easy to follow.

Readers who become invested in the world can then use the chronological short-story list for a second pass.

Swords of Riverside

Swords of Riverside is an omnibus edition.

It contains the Riverside novels and associated material rather than providing another story after them.

Do not count an omnibus as a new series installment.

Always check the contents of an edition before buying additional copies because Kushner’s Riverside fiction has frequently been bundled with short stories.

Thomas the Rhymer

  1. Thomas the Rhymer (1990)

Standalone. Separate continuity.

This is Kushner’s major fantasy novel outside Riverside.

It retells the traditional story of Thomas the Rhymer, a minstrel taken into Elfland by its queen.

The book has no relationship to Richard St. Vier, Alec, Tremontaine, or the unnamed Riverside city.

You can read it before or after the Riverside books without affecting continuity.

Is Thomas the Rhymer Part of Swordspoint?

No.

The presence of aristocratic culture, folklore, sexuality, and fantasy in both works does not make them part of one world.

Thomas the Rhymer draws on the traditional Scottish ballad and legend.

Treat it as Separate continuity.

The Golden Dreydl and The Golden Dreidel

  1. The Golden Dreydl (2007)
  2. The Golden Dreidel, later revised edition

These are not two different stories.

Kushner’s children’s fantasy began as a Chanukah stage project inspired in part by The Nutcracker.

The original book appeared under the spelling The Golden Dreydl.

A later edition modernized the title to The Golden Dreidel and added new illustrations.

For an ordinary reading list, count this as one work.

The Golden Dreidel Reading Order

There is only one main story.

  1. The Golden Dreidel

Standalone children’s fantasy.

It follows Sara, whose mysterious golden dreidel takes her into a world shaped by Jewish folklore.

No other Kushner book is required first.

St. Nicholas and the Valley Beyond the World’s Edge

  1. St. Nicholas and the Valley Beyond the World’s Edge (1994)

Standalone children’s book.

Illustrated by Richard Burhans, this is separate from Riverside and Thomas the Rhymer.

It has no sequel requirement.

Ellen Kushner Choose Your Own Adventure Books

Before her adult fantasy novels established her reputation, Kushner wrote several Choose Your Own Adventure gamebooks.

In publication order:

  1. Outlaws of Sherwood Forest (1985)
  2. The Enchanted Kingdom (1986)
  3. Statue of Liberty Adventure (1986)
  4. Mystery of the Secret Room (1986)
  5. Knights of the Round Table (1988)

These books do not form one continuing five-volume story.

Each is an independent interactive book.

Publication order is useful for bibliography purposes only.

Outlaws of Sherwood Forest

  1. Outlaws of Sherwood Forest

Standalone gamebook.

It uses Robin Hood material rather than Kushner’s Riverside setting.

The Enchanted Kingdom

  1. The Enchanted Kingdom

Standalone gamebook.

No relationship to the preceding Choose Your Own Adventure title is required.

Statue of Liberty Adventure

  1. Statue of Liberty Adventure

Standalone gamebook.

Read independently.

Mystery of the Secret Room

  1. Mystery of the Secret Room

Standalone gamebook.

Again, series numbering belongs to the larger Choose Your Own Adventure publishing line, not to an Ellen Kushner fictional continuity.

Knights of the Round Table

  1. Knights of the Round Table

Standalone gamebook.

Its Arthurian subject does not connect it to Thomas the Rhymer.

Welcome to Bordertown

  1. Welcome to Bordertown (2011), edited by Holly Black and Ellen Kushner

Anthology and shared-world project.

This is not a Riverside book.

Bordertown is a shared urban fantasy setting created by Terri Windling and developed by numerous writers.

Kushner co-edited Welcome to Bordertown with Holly Black and also contributed material to the volume.

Readers interested only in Kushner’s novels do not need it.

Kushner’s Bordertown Fiction

Kushner contributed to the broader Bordertown setting in fiction as well.

This material belongs to the shared Bordertown continuity, not to Riverside.

If you want a complete Bordertown reading project, follow the wider multi-author series rather than trying to insert those stories between Kushner’s novels.

Anthologies Edited by Ellen Kushner

Kushner’s editorial bibliography includes:

  1. Basilisk (1980)
  2. The Horns of Elfland (1997), with Delia Sherman and Donald G. Keller
  3. Welcome to Bordertown (2011), with Holly Black
  4. Tremontaine collections and collaborative material

These books have different purposes and do not form an anthology series.

Basilisk

Kushner’s first book publication was as editor rather than novelist.

Basilisk is a fantasy anthology.

It is not her first novel.

The Horns of Elfland

A music-themed fantasy anthology co-edited with Delia Sherman and Donald G. Keller.

Again, it has no place in Riverside continuity.

Ellen Kushner Novels in Publication Order

If you want only her principal traditional novels:

  1. Swordspoint (1987)
  2. Thomas the Rhymer (1990)
  3. The Fall of the Kings (2002), with Delia Sherman
  4. The Privilege of the Sword (2006)

This very short publication list explains why a generic “Ellen Kushner novels in order” page can be misleading.

Only three of these four novels share continuity.

Thomas the Rhymer stands alone.

And within Riverside, publication order differs from chronology.

Major Ellen Kushner Books in Broad Publication Order

For a broader bibliography including children’s books and major edited works:

  1. Basilisk (1980), editor
  2. Outlaws of Sherwood Forest (1985)
  3. The Enchanted Kingdom (1986)
  4. Statue of Liberty Adventure (1986)
  5. Mystery of the Secret Room (1986)
  6. Swordspoint (1987)
  7. Knights of the Round Table (1988)
  8. Thomas the Rhymer (1990)
  9. St. Nicholas and the Valley Beyond the World’s Edge (1994)
  10. The Horns of Elfland (1997), co-editor
  11. The Fall of the Kings (2002), with Delia Sherman
  12. The Privilege of the Sword (2006)
  13. The Golden Dreydl (2007)
  14. Welcome to Bordertown (2011), co-editor
  15. Tremontaine, Season 1 print collection (2017)

The later Golden Dreidel edition is a revised edition of the 2007 children’s story rather than a separate novel.

Tremontaine continued for four seasons in serialized formats.

Ellen Kushner Short Fiction

Kushner has written short fiction both inside and outside Riverside.

Notable stories include:

  1. “Red Cloak”
  2. “The Unicorn Masque”
  3. “The Swordsman Whose Name Was Not Death”
  4. “The Hunt of the Unicorn”
  5. “The Fall of the Kings”, with Delia Sherman
  6. “The Death of the Duke”
  7. “The House of Nine Doors”
  8. “The Man with the Knives”
  9. “The Duke of Riverside”
  10. “A Wild and a Wicked Youth”
  11. “When I Was a Highwayman”
  12. “The Sweet Tooth of Angwar Bec”
  13. “Immortal Coil”

This is not one story series.

Only some of these belong to Riverside.

Readers focused on continuity should use Kushner’s Riverside chronology rather than assuming every short story shares the setting.

Do You Need the Riverside Short Stories?

No.

The novels can be read without them.

The short fiction is most valuable after Swordspoint, when names, relationships, and social structures already have meaning.

A streamlined reading project needs only:

  1. Swordspoint
  2. The Privilege of the Sword
  3. The Fall of the Kings

Add Tremontaine if you want a much larger exploration of the earlier city.

Everything else is enrichment.

Publication Order Versus Chronological Order

Riverside is one of the rare series where the difference genuinely matters.

Publication Order

  1. Swordspoint
  2. The Fall of the Kings
  3. The Privilege of the Sword

This recreates the historical experience of Kushner’s original readers.

Its disadvantage is the sixty-year jump forward followed by a return to only fifteen years after Swordspoint.

Chronological Order

  1. Tremontaine
  2. Swordspoint
  3. The Privilege of the Sword
  4. The Fall of the Kings

This gives the cleanest timeline.

Its disadvantage is that the prequel material was designed after the original world and makes more use of recognition.

Recommended Order

  1. Swordspoint
  2. The Privilege of the Sword
  3. The Fall of the Kings
  4. Tremontaine

This keeps the best introduction, follows the major novels forward in fictional time, and saves the expansive prequel for readers who already know why its younger characters matter.

Is There Magic in Swordspoint?

Swordspoint itself is often described as fantasy of manners despite containing little overt magic.

The later Riverside material makes the world’s deeper fantastical history more visible, especially The Fall of the Kings.

That gradual change is another reason not to begin with the chronologically earliest material simply to make the timeline tidy.

The series develops its understanding of its own past as it goes.

Is The Fall of the Kings a Sequel to Swordspoint?

Yes, in the broad shared-world sense.

It takes place about sixty years later rather than continuing Richard and Alec’s immediate story.

It is therefore a later-generation Riverside novel, not the equivalent of a conventional Book 2 beginning the next morning.

Is The Privilege of the Sword a Sequel to Swordspoint?

Yes, and it is much closer chronologically.

It occurs about fifteen years after Swordspoint and features direct family and character connections.

For that reason, it is the best second novel even though The Fall of the Kings was published first.

Is Tremontaine a Prequel?

Yes.

The complete four-season serial begins about fifteen years before Swordspoint.

It explains earlier stages in the lives of figures and institutions familiar from the novels.

It is collaborative rather than written solely by Kushner.

Are All Four Tremontaine Seasons Complete?

Yes.

The serial ran for four seasons and is complete.

Each season contains thirteen episodes.

Readers looking specifically for matching physical books should be aware that only the first season received the standard print collection associated with the original Serial Box project.

Is Thomas the Rhymer Connected to Riverside?

No.

It is a completely separate novel based on the traditional Thomas the Rhymer legend.

No Riverside reading is necessary.

Is Ellen Kushner Writing Another Riverside Novel?

Yes, Kushner’s current official Riverside page says she is working on another novel.

Her chronology uses the working title:

  1. City Year

The story is positioned approximately fifteen years after The Privilege of the Sword.

However, no confirmed publication date is currently listed.

It should therefore be classified as a work in progress, not a forthcoming book with a reliable release date.

Latest Ellen Kushner Novel

Kushner’s most recently published traditional novel remains:

  1. The Privilege of the Sword (2006)

That statement requires context.

She has published substantial work since then, including Riverside short fiction, the collaborative four-season Tremontaine serial, children’s material in revised editions, anthology work, and other projects.

But The Privilege of the Sword remains her most recent solo full-length novel published in conventional book form.

Latest Riverside Book-Length Project

The most substantial later Riverside project is:

  1. Tremontaine (2015 to 2018)

This was created as a collaborative serial rather than as a conventional Ellen Kushner novel.

Season 1 was collected in print in 2017.

The series completed four seasons.

Latest New Short Fiction

Kushner’s current bibliography lists “Immortal Coil” from 2021 among her newest original short fiction.

A 2024 presentation of “When Two Swordsmen Meet” is a later audio appearance of an earlier story rather than a newly written 2024 work.

Upcoming Ellen Kushner Book

No new Ellen Kushner novel currently has a firm publication date.

The new Riverside project identified by the working title City Year is in progress, but it should not be placed on a dated forthcoming list until publication details are announced.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Ellen Kushner’s first novel?

Swordspoint, published in 1987.

It begins the Riverside world for readers.

What order should I read the Swordspoint books?

For a first read:

  1. Swordspoint
  2. The Privilege of the Sword
  3. The Fall of the Kings

Then read Tremontaine if you want the prequel material.

What is the chronological Riverside order?

For the major book-length works:

  1. Tremontaine
  2. Swordspoint
  3. The Privilege of the Sword
  4. The Fall of the Kings

Why was The Fall of the Kings published before The Privilege of the Sword?

The books were written and completed in a different order from their fictional chronology.

The Fall of the Kings appeared in 2002 but takes place around sixty years after Swordspoint.

The Privilege of the Sword appeared in 2006 but takes place only around fifteen years after Swordspoint.

Can I read The Privilege of the Sword first?

Yes.

Kushner designed the novels to stand independently.

Still, Swordspoint gives the clearest introduction to the city and several characters whose later roles matter.

Can I read The Fall of the Kings first?

Yes, but it is the least natural starting point if you intend to read all of Riverside.

Its historical distance from Swordspoint lets it stand alone, but earlier familiarity with the city adds context.

Is Swordspoint a trilogy?

The three published novels are often called a trilogy for convenience.

That label is no longer especially useful because Riverside also contains extensive short fiction, the four-season Tremontaine prequel, and another novel in development.

How many Riverside novels has Ellen Kushner published?

Three principal novels:

  1. Swordspoint
  2. The Fall of the Kings
  3. The Privilege of the Sword

The Fall of the Kings was co-written with Delia Sherman.

Is Tremontaine written only by Ellen Kushner?

No.

Kushner created and led the project with a team of writers.

It is collaborative Riverside fiction.

Does Tremontaine come before Swordspoint?

Yes.

Its story begins roughly fifteen years earlier.

Is The Fall of the Kings novella the same as the novel?

The 1997 novella is the earlier work from which the 2002 novel developed.

For ordinary reading, choose the full novel.

Is The Golden Dreydl different from The Golden Dreidel?

No.

The later edition uses the spelling Dreidel and new illustrations.

It is the same underlying children’s story.

What is Ellen Kushner’s only standalone adult fantasy novel?

Thomas the Rhymer is her principal standalone adult novel outside Riverside.

It was published in 1990.

Is another Swordspoint novel coming?

Kushner is working on another Riverside novel, currently identified by the working title City Year.

It does not yet have a confirmed publication date.

Conclusion

Ellen Kushner’s bibliography does not need a complicated author-wide reading order. The only continuity that requires real navigation is Riverside.

Begin with Swordspoint. Then read The Privilege of the Sword, which takes place about fifteen years later. Follow it with The Fall of the Kings, set roughly sixty years after Swordspoint.

Save Tremontaine for afterward unless you specifically want chronological order. Its four seasons form a prequel beginning about fifteen years before Swordspoint and gain extra resonance when the later Riverside world is already familiar.

Outside Riverside, Thomas the Rhymer is entirely standalone. The Golden Dreidel, St. Nicholas and the Valley Beyond the World’s Edge, and Kushner’s Choose Your Own Adventure books are also separate works.

The most useful rule is therefore simple: start Riverside with Swordspoint, but do not mistake publication order for fictional chronology.

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Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.

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