Kate Elliott is the best-known pen name of American fantasy and science fiction author Alis A. Rasmussen.
Her bibliography ranges from seven-volume epic fantasy and planetary science fiction to young adult competition stories, historical fantasy, space opera, novellas, and licensed Magic: The Gathering fiction.
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Several series have important connections. The Highroad trilogy and the Jaran novels share one science fiction universe. Black Wolves continues the world of the Crossroads trilogy. Spiritwalker has its own companion stories and collection.
Everything else should be treated as a separate continuity unless noted otherwise.
Pick Your Route Before You Start
- Choose King’s Dragon for a completed medieval epic spanning seven books.
- Choose Cold Magic for alternate-history fantasy with revolution, family secrets, and a central romantic partnership.
- Choose Jaran for character-focused science fiction set within a larger interstellar civilization.
- Choose Spirit Gate for a completed epic fantasy trilogy involving reeves, giant eagles, trade routes, and political collapse.
- Choose Court of Fives for young adult fantasy about family, class, athletic competition, and imperial power.
- Choose Unconquerable Sun for military space opera inspired by Alexander the Great.
- Choose The Witch Roads for a completed two-book fantasy journey involving couriers, court officials, hidden identities, and a fungal ghost plague.
Kate Elliott Series in the Simplest Order
Crown of Stars
- King’s Dragon
- Prince of Dogs
- The Burning Stone
- Child of Flame
- The Gathering Storm
- In the Ruins
- Crown of Stars
The Jaran Novels
- Jaran
- An Earthly Crown
- His Conquering Sword
- The Law of Becoming
The Highroad Trilogy
- A Passage of Stars
- Revolution’s Shore
- The Price of Ransom
Crossroads
- Spirit Gate
- Shadow Gate
- Traitors’ Gate
- Black Wolves
Black Wolves begins an unfinished continuation and currently has no published sequel.
Spiritwalker
- Cold Magic
- Cold Fire
- Cold Steel
Court of Fives
- Night Flower
- Court of Fives
- Poisoned Blade
- Bright Thrones
- Buried Heart
For first-time readers, Court of Fives should still be read before the prequel novella Night Flower.
The Sun Chronicles
- Unconquerable Sun
- Furious Heaven
- Lady Chaos
Lady Chaos remains forthcoming.
The Witch Roads
- The Witch Roads
- The Nameless Land
Crown of Stars Books in Order
Crown of Stars is a completed seven-book epic fantasy.
The series follows several characters across a world inspired by early medieval Europe. Political succession, religious authority, invasion, forbidden magic, and the return of ancient powers all develop across one continuous narrative.
1. King’s Dragon
King’s Dragon (1997): Liath, a young woman hiding dangerous knowledge, and Alain, an orphan drawn into war, become caught in a kingdom threatened by invasion and a disputed royal succession.
The novel introduces King Henry, his children, the church hierarchy, the Eika raiders, and the magical history underlying the political conflict.
This is the only appropriate starting point for Crown of Stars.
2. Prince of Dogs
Prince of Dogs (1998): War spreads across Wendar while Liath, Alain, Sanglant, and Rosvita face captivity, military danger, and the increasingly visible consequences of supernatural forces.
The second novel expands the conflict rather than resolving the first book’s separate storylines.
Read it directly after King’s Dragon.
3. The Burning Stone
The Burning Stone (1999): Liath searches for the truth about her ancestry while political rebellion, forbidden sorcery, and the struggle against the Eika reshape the kingdom.
The series begins revealing more of its ancient cosmology here.
The characters’ decisions depend heavily on the losses and alliances established in the first two books.
4. Child of Flame
Child of Flame (2000): Liath enters a dangerous new stage of her magical development as Sanglant attempts to protect his claim, his family, and a realm divided by competing loyalties.
This volume pushes the personal and supernatural plots closer together.
It is not a new phase that can be read independently.
5. The Gathering Storm
The Gathering Storm (2003): The return of an ancient disaster approaches while war, royal ambition, religious conflict, and hidden magic divide the people who might be able to stop it.
The book continues the wider crisis established in Child of Flame.
Readers should not confuse it with Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson’s later Wheel of Time novel of the same title.
6. In the Ruins
In the Ruins (2005): Survivors face a transformed political and physical world after catastrophe strikes, forcing old enemies and divided allies to reconsider what can still be saved.
The book deals with the immediate consequences of the series’ largest supernatural event.
It leads directly into the conclusion.
7. Crown of Stars
Crown of Stars (2006): The surviving characters enter the final struggle over kingship, faith, human survival, and the ancient powers that have shaped the entire conflict.
This completes the seven-book series.
No sequel is required to finish the central Crown of Stars story.
Crown of Stars Short Fiction
Everything in the World Wants Something
Everything in the World Wants Something (2017): This brief prequel story revisits the Crown of Stars world through an earlier incident involving desire, exchange, and the forces shaping human choices.
It is optional.
Read it after King’s Dragon or after completing the full series, since the novel provides the stronger introduction to the world.
Is Crown of Stars Complete?
Yes.
Crown of Stars concludes the central story in the seventh volume.
The series should be read straight through from King’s Dragon to Crown of Stars. The rotating viewpoints and large cast are part of one continuous epic rather than separate subseries.
The Jaran Books in Order
The Jaran novels combine science fiction, romance, politics, and cultural anthropology.
They take place in the same broad universe as the Highroad trilogy, although the Jaran series can be read independently.
1. Jaran
Jaran (1992): Tess Soerensen travels to the planet Rhui, joins a nomadic people called the jaran, and becomes involved with their leader, Ilya Bakhtiian, while hiding her connection to an interstellar ruling family.
The novel contrasts the low-technology cultures of Rhui with a much larger spacefaring civilization.
It is the essential introduction to Tess, Ilya, the jaran, and the political forces surrounding the planet.
2. An Earthly Crown
An Earthly Crown (1993): Tess and Ilya’s relationship develops as the jaran campaign against settled kingdoms and Tess’s powerful brother becomes more directly involved in Rhui’s future.
The sequel increases both the military stakes and the pressure created by Tess’s concealed identity.
Read it immediately after Jaran.
3. His Conquering Sword
His Conquering Sword (1993): Ilya’s expanding campaign faces resistance, internal disagreement, and the growing possibility that outside powers will interfere with Rhui.
Tess must continue balancing her loyalties to the jaran and her responsibilities beyond the planet.
The title refers to conquest, but the novel remains strongly focused on culture, relationships, and political legitimacy.
4. The Law of Becoming
The Law of Becoming (1994): The next stage of the Rhui conflict brings the jaran, Tess’s family, and the wider interstellar order into increasingly direct contact.
This is the fourth and latest published Jaran novel.
It provides a major stopping point, although the larger universe and some character futures remain open.
Are the Jaran Novels Complete?
The four published books form the available Jaran sequence.
The Law of Becoming closes important arcs but does not function as a final ending to every element of the wider setting. No fifth Jaran novel had a confirmed publication date as of August 6, 2026.
Readers should approach the series as a substantial four-book sequence with an open-ended universe.
The Highroad Trilogy Books in Order
Kate Elliott originally published the Highroad trilogy under the name Alis A. Rasmussen.
The trilogy belongs to the same science fiction universe as Jaran, but it follows different characters and a different conflict.
1. A Passage of Stars
A Passage of Stars (1990): Lily Ransome becomes caught in an interstellar struggle after violence disrupts her ordinary life and forces her into contact with hidden political factions.
The novel begins a fast-moving science fiction adventure involving identity, power, and survival.
No Jaran background is required.
2. Revolution’s Shore
Revolution’s Shore (1990): Lily’s journey continues as rebellion and political change spread across the worlds connected to the Highroad.
The second book assumes knowledge of the alliances and discoveries made in A Passage of Stars.
It should not be read as an independent revolution story.
3. The Price of Ransom
The Price of Ransom (1990): Lily and her allies face the final cost of the conflict as competing powers attempt to control both individuals and the future of the interstellar order.
This concludes the Highroad trilogy.
Read all three books in publication order.
Should Highroad Be Read Before Jaran?
Either sequence can come first.
Highroad was published before Jaran and introduces parts of the larger science fiction setting through a more direct adventure story.
Jaran is the more widely known entry and gives readers a deeper view of Rhui, Tess, and the Chapalii-dominated political order.
A practical shared-universe route is:
- A Passage of Stars
- Revolution’s Shore
- The Price of Ransom
- Jaran
- An Earthly Crown
- His Conquering Sword
- The Law of Becoming
Readers primarily interested in Tess and Ilya can begin directly with Jaran.
Crossroads Books in Order
The Crossroads trilogy is a completed epic fantasy set in the Hundred.
Black Wolves takes place in the same world many years later and begins an unfinished sequel sequence.
1. Spirit Gate
Spirit Gate (2006): The reeves who once maintained justice across the Hundred struggle against decline as invading armies, corrupt authorities, and supernatural forces destabilize the region.
The novel follows several characters, including reeves who ride giant eagles and travelers caught inside the expanding crisis.
It establishes the Hundred’s political system and the mystery behind its collapse.
2. Shadow Gate
Shadow Gate (2008): The invaders tighten their control while the surviving reeves, local rulers, and displaced people attempt to understand the powers working behind the war.
The separate character paths begin converging more clearly.
Read it directly after Spirit Gate because the political occupation and supernatural revelations continue without a reset.
3. Traitors’ Gate
Traitors’ Gate (2009): Resistance to the occupying forces reaches its decisive phase as betrayals, divided loyalties, and the true nature of the Guardians shape the future of the Hundred.
This concludes the original Crossroads trilogy.
The central war receives a resolution, although the world continues later in Black Wolves.
Black Wolves
Black Wolves (2015): Decades after the Crossroads trilogy, retired warrior Kellas is drawn back into the royal court when old political compromises threaten a new generation.
The novel examines how victories become official history and how rulers reshape the memory of inconvenient allies.
It is set in the Crossroads world and contains spoilers for the original trilogy.
Is Black Wolves the Fourth Crossroads Book?
It is best understood as a later continuation in the same universe.
Black Wolves was intended to begin its own trilogy, followed by Dead Empire and Demon War.
The original publisher cancelled the second and third books before publication. Kate Elliott later recovered the rights to the entire planned trilogy, but no release dates for the continuation had been confirmed as of August 6, 2026.
Read Black Wolves only after Traitors’ Gate, and expect an unresolved larger story.
The Correct Crossroads and Black Wolves Order
- Spirit Gate (2006): The reeves and the Hundred face political collapse and invasion.
- Shadow Gate (2008): Occupation and supernatural danger deepen across the region.
- Traitors’ Gate (2009): The original conflict reaches its conclusion.
- Black Wolves (2015): A later generation confronts the altered history and politics created by the trilogy.
Black Wolves is included for readers exploring the full world, but it begins an unfinished arc.
Spiritwalker Books in Order
The Spiritwalker trilogy blends alternate history, political revolution, family mystery, magic, and romance.
The world differs sharply from our own. An extended ice age, powerful cold mages, Phoenician-descended communities, spirit courts, and industrial change all shape the setting.
1. Cold Magic
Cold Magic (2010): Catherine Bell Barahal is unexpectedly taken from her family by a cold mage whose marriage contract conceals political motives and dangerous secrets about her ancestry.
The novel introduces Cat, Bee, Andevai, the mansa, cold magic, the spirit world, and the revolutionary unrest spreading across Europa.
This is the only starting point for the trilogy.
2. Cold Fire
Cold Fire (2011): Cat is separated from familiar allies and drawn into the politics, magic, and revolutionary struggles of an alternate Caribbean.
Her relationship with Andevai develops while new information changes how she understands her family and abilities.
The sequel begins from consequences established at the end of Cold Magic.
3. Cold Steel
Cold Steel (2013): Cat, Bee, Andevai, and their allies enter the final struggle over revolution, magical authority, imperial ambition, and control of the spirit world.
This concludes the main trilogy.
Its ending provides a firm resolution while leaving room for shorter stories in the same universe.
Spiritwalker Companion Books and Stories
The Secret Journal of Beatrice Hassi Barahal
The Secret Journal of Beatrice Hassi Barahal (2013): Bee’s illustrated observations record clothes, people, places, and events from the Spiritwalker world through her own confident and sometimes selective viewpoint.
This is a companion rather than a fourth novel.
Read it after Cold Steel to avoid visual and character spoilers.
Bloom
Bloom (2018): A standalone Spiritwalker story explores another corner of the world through characters facing power, desire, and social expectation.
The story does not continue Cat’s main narrative.
It can be read after Cold Magic, though later placement provides more world context.
A Compendium of Architecture and the Science of Building
A Compendium of Architecture and the Science of Building (2018): This Spiritwalker story uses construction, technical knowledge, and social position to explore another part of the alternate world.
It is optional and does not occupy a numbered position between the trilogy novels.
“I Am a Handsome Man,” Said Apollo Crow
“I Am a Handsome Man,” Said Apollo Crow (2017): A self-confident swordsman enters a Spiritwalker adventure where appearance, reputation, and reality do not necessarily agree.
The story expands the universe through a different protagonist.
Read it after the main trilogy for the clearest understanding of the setting.
The History of the World Begins in Ice
The History of the World Begins in Ice: Stories and Essays from the Cold Magic Universe (2024): This collection gathers Spiritwalker fiction, essays, and background material, including pieces previously published in other venues.
It is the most convenient companion volume for readers who want the wider setting.
Read it after Cold Steel.
Is Spiritwalker Complete?
Yes.
Cold Magic, Cold Fire, and Cold Steel form a completed trilogy.
The later collection and short fiction add other perspectives and background without reopening the principal conflict.
Court of Fives Books in Order
Court of Fives is a completed young adult fantasy trilogy.
The series follows Jessamy Tonor, a young athlete from a family divided by class, ancestry, and the demands of an imperial society.
1. Court of Fives
Court of Fives (2015): Jessamy secretly competes in the Fives, a dangerous athletic contest, while her father’s military ambitions and her family’s mixed social status place them in political danger.
The novel introduces the Fives course, the Patron class, the Commoners, Jes’s sisters, and Lord Gargaron’s influence.
This should be read before the chronological prequel Night Flower.
2. Poisoned Blade
Poisoned Blade (2016): Jes uses her growing status as a Fives competitor while attempting to protect her family and survive an expanding military campaign.
The sequel widens the story beyond the arena.
Its emotional and political conflicts begin directly from the ending of Court of Fives.
3. Buried Heart
Buried Heart (2017): Jessamy and her allies enter the final struggle against imperial power, family manipulation, and a social order built on conquest.
This concludes the trilogy.
The ending resolves the central family and political arcs.
Court of Fives Novellas
Night Flower
Night Flower (2016): Jes’s parents, Kiya and Esladas, meet and begin the relationship that will later place their daughters between two social worlds.
The story takes place before Court of Fives.
Read it after the first novel because the significance of their choices is clearer once Jes’s family situation is known.
Bright Thrones
Bright Thrones (2017): A companion story follows characters and political developments connected to the later stages of the Court of Fives conflict.
It is commonly placed between Poisoned Blade and Buried Heart.
The novella is optional, but it adds perspective before the trilogy’s conclusion.
The Best Court of Fives Order
- Court of Fives (2015): Jessamy enters the dangerous athletic competition and threatens the social boundaries controlling her family.
- Night Flower (2016): Her parents’ earlier relationship explains the origins of the family’s divided position.
- Poisoned Blade (2016): Jes’s athletic career and family struggle become part of a wider military crisis.
- Bright Thrones (2017): A companion viewpoint expands the politics before the finale.
- Buried Heart (2017): The trilogy’s family and imperial conflicts reach their conclusion.
Readers wanting only the main narrative can read the three novels without the novellas.
The Sun Chronicles Books in Order
The Sun Chronicles is a space opera inspired by the career and conquests of Alexander the Great.
It follows Princess Sun, heir to the Republic of Chaonia and daughter of the formidable Queen-Marshal Eirene.
1. Unconquerable Sun
Unconquerable Sun (2020): Princess Sun survives assassination attempts, political rivalry, military command, and the pressure of being heir to a ruler whose achievements dominate the republic.
The novel introduces Sun’s companions, enemies, family politics, and the interstellar struggle between Chaonia and the Phene Empire.
This is the required first volume.
2. Furious Heaven
Furious Heaven (2023): Sun launches an ambitious military campaign while rival factions, personal loyalties, propaganda, and imperial resistance threaten her plans.
The sequel expands the scale of the war considerably.
It assumes full knowledge of the political relationships and companion group established in Unconquerable Sun.
3. Lady Chaos
Lady Chaos (Forthcoming): The third Sun Chronicles novel is planned to continue and conclude the conflict surrounding Princess Sun’s campaigns, succession, and struggle against imperial power.
Kate Elliott has confirmed that she is working on the book.
No firm publication date had been announced as of August 6, 2026.
Is The Sun Chronicles Complete?
No.
Unconquerable Sun and Furious Heaven are published. Lady Chaos is the planned third volume.
Readers should expect an unfinished series after Furious Heaven until the final book is released.
The Witch Roads Books in Order
The Witch Roads is a completed fantasy duology.
Its story follows a deputy courier ordered to guide high-ranking court officials through a dangerous back-country route where political secrets, old grievances, and supernatural infection threaten the journey.
1. The Witch Roads
The Witch Roads (2025): Deputy courier Elen is forced to guide arrogant court officials along a neglected route where a fungal ghost plague and hidden identities turn an ordinary assignment into a political crisis.
The novel introduces the road system, the empire’s social hierarchy, Elen’s past, and the dangers spreading outside court control.
It ends with major issues still unresolved.
2. The Nameless Land
The Nameless Land (2025): Elen and her companions continue through dangerous territory as the journey’s political mission, family secrets, and supernatural threat move toward their conclusion.
This completes the duology.
It must be read after The Witch Roads because the same journey and relationships continue directly.
Is The Witch Roads Complete?
Yes.
The Witch Roads and The Nameless Land form one completed two-volume story.
Paperback and audiobook editions released in 2026 do not create additional installments.
Standalone Fantasy Novellas
Servant Mage
Servant Mage (2022): Fellian, a mage kept in servitude because of her class, is recruited by rebels who need her fire magic for a dangerous rescue.
The novella examines revolution, hierarchy, and the way political groups use people whose power they claim to value.
It is a complete standalone story.
The Keeper’s Six
The Keeper’s Six (2023): Esther emerges from retirement after her son is kidnapped and gathers her former adventuring team for a rescue involving dragons, magical contracts, and dangerous travel between worlds.
The story centers on an older heroine with extensive experience and complicated family responsibilities.
It is not connected to Servant Mage or Spiritwalker.
The Labyrinth Gate
The Labyrinth Gate (1988): A newly married couple enters an alternate Victorian world where tarot symbolism, political conflict, and dangerous social rules shape their attempt to return home.
This was Elliott’s first published novel and originally appeared under the name Alis A. Rasmussen.
It is a standalone fantasy.
Later editions may display Kate Elliott’s name more prominently, but they contain the same novel.
The Golden Key
The Golden Key (1996): Generations of the Grijalva family use magically empowered paintings to influence court politics, preserve secrets, and shape the history of a kingdom.
Kate Elliott wrote the novel with Melanie Rawn and Jennifer Roberson.
The finished work is one continuous multigenerational story rather than three separate novellas.
Is The Golden Key Part of a Series?
The Golden Key tells a complete story.
Melanie Rawn later published The Diviner in the same world. That novel was not written by Kate Elliott and is not required to complete The Golden Key.
Proposed companion novels by Elliott and Roberson were not published.
Magic: The Gathering Fiction
Kate Elliott has written licensed fiction set within Magic: The Gathering.
These stories do not connect to her original series.
Chronicle of Bolas
Chronicle of Bolas (2018): This serialized story explores the history of the dragon Nicol Bolas, his twin Ugin, and the events that shaped their rivalry across the Multiverse.
The story was published in eight online installments.
It is best read by people familiar with Magic’s planeswalkers and wider mythology, but no Kate Elliott novel is required.
Throne of Eldraine: The Wildered Quest
Throne of Eldraine: The Wildered Quest (2019): Royal twins Rowan and Will search for their missing father in the fairy-tale-inspired plane of Eldraine while court politics and magical dangers threaten the realm.
The novella introduces its central conflict clearly.
It belongs to Magic: The Gathering continuity rather than Spiritwalker or Crown of Stars.
The Flower Court
The Flower Court (Scheduled for January 12, 2027): Servant Kyuri enters the imperial Flower Court to search for a missing noblewoman, forcing her into an uneasy alliance with Sulia amid rival princes and a fungal ghost plague.
The novel is a new fantasy story involving palace intrigue and a developing relationship between its two central women.
It remained upcoming as of August 6, 2026.
No earlier Kate Elliott novel is required before it.
Other Announced Work
Kate Elliott has discussed additional contracted and independent projects.
Only books with firm publisher listings should be included in a formal release schedule.
The Court of Venus
The Court of Venus (Announced): A moon-blessed magician is summoned back to a dangerous Tudor-inspired magical court she once escaped.
The book has an official publisher listing, but a stable publication date was not confirmed for this article.
It should remain outside the published reading order until release details are firm.
Black Wolves Continuations
Dead Empire (Unpublished): The planned second Black Wolves novel would continue the political and historical conflicts introduced in Black Wolves.
Demon War (Unpublished): The planned third volume would conclude the Black Wolves trilogy.
Kate Elliott has recovered the rights to these projects, but neither book had a confirmed publication date as of August 6, 2026.
The Very Best of Kate Elliott
The Very Best of Kate Elliott (2015): This collection gathers short fantasy and science fiction from across Elliott’s career, including standalone pieces and stories that display her interest in culture, gender, history, and power.
The stories do not form one shared sequence.
Readers can approach the collection independently, although individual pieces connected to a larger setting may carry more meaning after the relevant novels.
Other Notable Short Fiction
Riding the Shore of the River of Death
Riding the Shore of the River of Death (2009): A warrior confronts duty, social expectations, and mortal danger in a story that combines personal choice with larger cultural obligations.
The story stands alone.
It is included in The Very Best of Kate Elliott.
Leaf and Branch and Grass and Vine
Leaf and Branch and Grass and Vine (2013): A young woman becomes caught in a dangerous journey where survival depends on understanding people, landscape, and the expectations surrounding her.
This is independent fantasy short fiction.
It is not a missing chapter from Crown of Stars.
My Voice Is in My Sword
My Voice Is in My Sword (1994): Actors performing Shakespeare become entangled in violence and supernatural danger as the boundary between role and reality breaks down.
The story is standalone.
It was later included in Elliott’s collected short fiction.
The Long Walk
The Long Walk (2020): A dragon-centered story explores endurance, obligation, and the long consequences of choices made within a fantastical society.
It was published in a multi-author anthology.
The story does not belong to Elliott’s established novel series.
Barnacle
Barnacle (2022): A science fiction story examines survival, attachment, and identity through characters living within an unusual future environment.
It was published as a Tor Original.
It is standalone short fiction rather than the beginning of a novel sequence.
Kate Elliott Books in Broad Publication Order
This list focuses on novels, novellas, and major collections. It mixes unrelated continuities.
- The Labyrinth Gate (1988): A married couple enters a tarot-shaped alternate Victorian world.
- A Passage of Stars (1990): Lily Ransome becomes involved in an interstellar political struggle.
- Revolution’s Shore (1990): Rebellion expands across the Highroad universe.
- The Price of Ransom (1990): Lily’s trilogy reaches its final confrontation.
- Jaran (1992): Tess joins the nomadic jaran on the planet Rhui.
- An Earthly Crown (1993): Tess and Ilya face war and increasing outside interference.
- His Conquering Sword (1993): Ilya’s campaign expands while Tess balances divided loyalties.
- The Law of Becoming (1994): Rhui and the interstellar political order move toward direct contact.
- The Golden Key (1996): Magical painters shape generations of court history in a collaborative fantasy.
- King’s Dragon (1997): Liath and Alain enter a kingdom threatened by invasion and hidden magic.
- Prince of Dogs (1998): War and captivity widen the Crown of Stars conflict.
- The Burning Stone (1999): Liath investigates her ancestry while rebellion and sorcery intensify.
- Child of Flame (2000): Sanglant and Liath face the political and supernatural consequences of earlier events.
- The Gathering Storm (2003): An ancient catastrophe approaches the divided kingdoms.
- In the Ruins (2005): Survivors confront a world transformed by disaster.
- Crown of Stars (2006): The seven-book epic reaches its conclusion.
- Spirit Gate (2006): Reeves and travelers face the collapse of order in the Hundred.
- Shadow Gate (2008): Occupation and supernatural conflict deepen across Crossroads.
- Traitors’ Gate (2009): Resistance reaches its decisive confrontation.
- Cold Magic (2010): Cat is forced into a magical marriage and discovers dangerous family secrets.
- Cold Fire (2011): Cat enters the politics and magic of an alternate Caribbean.
- Cold Steel (2013): Revolution and spirit-world conflict conclude the Spiritwalker trilogy.
- The Secret Journal of Beatrice Hassi Barahal (2013): Bee records the Spiritwalker world through illustrated observations.
- The Very Best of Kate Elliott (2015): A career-spanning collection gathers fantasy and science fiction stories.
- Court of Fives (2015): Jessamy secretly enters an athletic competition that challenges imperial class divisions.
- Black Wolves (2015): A retired warrior returns to court decades after the Crossroads trilogy.
- Night Flower (2016): Jes’s parents meet in a prequel to Court of Fives.
- Poisoned Blade (2016): Jes’s family conflict expands into war and imperial politics.
- Bright Thrones (2017): A companion story adds another viewpoint before the Court of Fives finale.
- Buried Heart (2017): Jessamy’s trilogy reaches its political and family conclusion.
- Chronicle of Bolas (2018): Nicol Bolas and Ugin’s history unfolds across serialized Magic fiction.
- Throne of Eldraine: The Wildered Quest (2019): Rowan and Will search for their missing father in Eldraine.
- Unconquerable Sun (2020): Princess Sun faces assassination, political rivalry, and interstellar war.
- Servant Mage (2022): An indentured fire mage joins a revolutionary rescue mission.
- The Keeper’s Six (2023): A retired adventurer reunites her team to rescue her kidnapped son.
- Furious Heaven (2023): Princess Sun launches an ambitious military campaign.
- The History of the World Begins in Ice (2024): Spiritwalker stories and essays are collected in one companion volume.
- The Witch Roads (2025): A deputy courier guides officials through a haunted and politically dangerous route.
- The Nameless Land (2025): The journey and supernatural crisis reach their conclusion.
- The Flower Court (Scheduled for 2027): Two servants investigate a disappearance within an imperial palace threatened by intrigue and supernatural infection.
Lady Chaos is excluded from the dated publication sequence because its release date had not been confirmed.
Latest Kate Elliott Book
Kate Elliott’s latest published novel as of August 6, 2026 is The Nameless Land, originally released in November 2025.
The Nameless Land (2025): Elen and her companions continue through dangerous territory as hidden loyalties, court politics, and the fungal ghost plague converge in the conclusion to The Witch Roads duology.
The latest 2026 releases connected to the duology are new paperback and audiobook editions rather than new novels.
Her next firmly dated novel is The Flower Court, scheduled for January 12, 2027.
Current Series Status
Crown of Stars
Complete
All seven books are published, ending with Crown of Stars.
Highroad
Complete trilogy
The Price of Ransom concludes Lily Ransome’s sequence.
Jaran
Four published novels
The Law of Becoming is the latest installment. No fifth book has a confirmed date.
Crossroads
Complete original trilogy
Traitors’ Gate concludes the original conflict.
Black Wolves
Unfinished continuation
Only Black Wolves is published. Dead Empire and Demon War remain unpublished.
Spiritwalker
Complete trilogy
Cold Steel concludes the main story. Companion fiction remains available.
Court of Fives
Complete trilogy
Buried Heart concludes the principal story.
The Sun Chronicles
Ongoing
Unconquerable Sun and Furious Heaven are published. Lady Chaos is forthcoming.
The Witch Roads
Complete duology
The Nameless Land concludes the story.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Kate Elliott book should I read first?
Begin with King’s Dragon for traditional epic fantasy, Cold Magic for historical fantasy and romance, or Unconquerable Sun for science fiction.
Jaran is also a strong choice for readers who prefer cultural worldbuilding and character-focused planetary science fiction.
Is Kate Elliott her real name?
Kate Elliott is the pen name of Alis A. Rasmussen.
Her earliest books, including The Labyrinth Gate and the Highroad trilogy, were first published under the Rasmussen name.
Are Highroad and Jaran connected?
Yes.
They occupy the same science fiction universe, although they follow different central characters and can be read independently.
Should Highroad be read before Jaran?
Publication order places Highroad first.
Beginning with Jaran is still entirely reasonable because it introduces its own cast, planet, and immediate political conflict.
Is Crown of Stars complete?
Yes.
The seven-book sequence ends with Crown of Stars.
Is Crown of Stars connected to Crossroads?
No.
They are separate epic fantasy worlds.
Is Black Wolves part of Crossroads?
Yes.
It takes place in the same world decades later and contains spoilers for the original trilogy.
Is Black Wolves complete?
No.
It was planned as the first book of a trilogy, but the next two volumes were cancelled by the original publisher and remain unpublished.
Can I read Black Wolves first?
It is not recommended.
The novel assumes knowledge of the earlier political order and reveals what happened after Traitors’ Gate.
Is Spiritwalker complete?
Yes.
Cold Magic, Cold Fire, and Cold Steel form a finished trilogy.
What is The History of the World Begins in Ice?
It is a Spiritwalker collection containing fiction, essays, and background material.
Read it after Cold Steel.
Where does Night Flower fit?
Night Flower occurs before Court of Fives.
Read it after the first novel because the family and social context are clearer once Jessamy’s story has begun.
Where does Bright Thrones fit?
Read it after Poisoned Blade and before Buried Heart.
It is optional companion material rather than a full numbered novel.
Is Court of Fives complete?
Yes.
Buried Heart concludes the trilogy.
Is The Sun Chronicles complete?
No.
The first two books are published. Lady Chaos is planned as book three and does not yet have a confirmed publication date.
Is The Witch Roads complete?
Yes.
The Witch Roads and The Nameless Land form a complete duology.
Is Servant Mage part of a series?
No.
It is a standalone fantasy novella.
Is The Keeper’s Six connected to Servant Mage?
No.
They are separate worlds and stories.
Did Kate Elliott write The Golden Key alone?
No.
She coauthored it with Melanie Rawn and Jennifer Roberson.
Is The Diviner a Kate Elliott book?
No.
The Diviner is by Melanie Rawn and uses the Golden Key setting.
Are Kate Elliott’s Magic books connected to her original fiction?
No.
Chronicle of Bolas and The Wildered Quest belong to Magic: The Gathering.
What is Kate Elliott’s latest novel?
The Nameless Land is her latest published novel as of August 6, 2026.
What is her next book?
The Flower Court is scheduled for January 12, 2027.
Is Lady Chaos coming before The Flower Court?
A publication date for Lady Chaos had not been confirmed.
The Flower Court is therefore the next reliably dated novel.
The Reading Plan That Preserves Continuity
For epic fantasy, begin with King’s Dragon and complete all seven Crown of Stars books without interruption.
For the Crossroads world, read Spirit Gate, Shadow Gate, and Traitors’ Gate before Black Wolves. Stop there knowing that the Black Wolves continuation remains unfinished.
For Spiritwalker, read Cold Magic, Cold Fire, and Cold Steel, then add The History of the World Begins in Ice.
For young adult fantasy, begin with Court of Fives, place Night Flower after it, and insert Bright Thrones between Poisoned Blade and Buried Heart.
For science fiction, read the Highroad trilogy before or after the four Jaran novels. Begin The Sun Chronicles with Unconquerable Sun, continue with Furious Heaven, and wait for Lady Chaos before treating that trilogy as complete.
For Elliott’s newest finished story, read The Witch Roads followed immediately by The Nameless Land.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.