Marjorie M. Liu is an American novelist and comics writer whose work spans paranormal romance, urban fantasy, superhero fiction, dark fantasy, horror, and middle grade graphic novels.
Her bibliography falls into two distinct periods. Her earlier book-length fiction is dominated by the Dirk & Steele and Hunter Kiss series. Her later career includes major comics and graphic novel projects such as Monstress, The Night Eaters, and the Wingbearer Saga.
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These are separate continuities.
Readers interested only in Liu’s novels can stay entirely within Dirk & Steele or Hunter Kiss. Readers coming from Monstress do not need to read any prose novels first.
The Reading Orders That Should Not Be Rearranged
Three Liu sequences have especially clear narrative progression.
Hunter Kiss
- The Iron Hunt
- Darkness Calls
- A Wild Light
- The Mortal Bone
- Labyrinth of Stars
Add the Hunter Kiss novellas in their appropriate positions if you want the complete version.
The Night Eaters
- She Eats the Night
- Her Little Reapers
- Their Kingdom Come
This graphic novel trilogy is complete.
Wingbearer Saga
- Wingbearer
- Wingborn
Read these in order.
Dirk & Steele is slightly more flexible because individual novels center on different romantic leads, but publication order is still the safest choice.
Dirk & Steele Books in Order
Dirk & Steele is Liu’s long-running paranormal romance series about a covert organization whose members possess supernatural or psychic abilities.
The principal novels are:
- Tiger Eye (2005)
- Shadow Touch (2006)
- The Red Heart of Jade (2006)
- Eye of Heaven (2006)
- Soul Song (2007)
- The Last Twilight (2008)
- The Wild Road (2008)
- The Fire King (2009)
- In the Dark of Dreams (2010)
- Within the Flames (2011)
There are also important shorter works associated with the series.
Dirk & Steele is not structured like one ten-part quest with a single protagonist. Different books focus on different characters and romances within the same supernatural world.
That makes the series more forgiving than Hunter Kiss, but publication order remains preferable because organizations, relationships, and recurring characters accumulate over time.
Where Does A Dream of Stone & Shadow Fit?
A Dream of Stone & Shadow is a Dirk & Steele novella.
It was originally published in the anthology Dark Dreamers and is now also available separately.
The usual placement is after The Red Heart of Jade and before Eye of Heaven:
- Tiger Eye
- Shadow Touch
- The Red Heart of Jade
- A Dream of Stone & Shadow
- Eye of Heaven
Status: Included novella for completionists, optional for the core novel sequence.
Where the Heart Lives
Where the Heart Lives is another story associated with Dirk & Steele.
It was originally published in My Big Fat Supernatural Honeymoon.
Unlike the central contemporary novels, it explores earlier family history connected to the series.
Because it was published later and gains context from familiarity with the wider Dirk & Steele world, it is better treated as supplemental reading than as Book 0.
Status: Optional related fiction.
Recommended Dirk & Steele Reading Order
For a complete first pass:
- Tiger Eye
- Shadow Touch
- The Red Heart of Jade
- A Dream of Stone & Shadow
- Eye of Heaven
- Soul Song
- The Last Twilight
- The Wild Road
- The Fire King
- In the Dark of Dreams
- Within the Flames
- Where the Heart Lives as optional additional material
This preserves publication development without forcing every shorter story into an artificial numerical slot.
Can You Start Dirk & Steele in the Middle?
Individual romances make that possible, but it is not ideal.
Each novel generally has its own central couple, so a reader who finds Soul Song or The Fire King first can still follow the immediate story.
However, recurring characters and the organization behind the series become more meaningful when read from Tiger Eye onward.
For a planned series read, begin with Tiger Eye.
Hunter Kiss Books in Order
Hunter Kiss is Liu’s more tightly serialized urban fantasy series.
It follows Maxine Kiss, the last in a line of demon hunters. During the day, supernatural beings exist as living tattoos on her body. At night, they detach and become her demonic protectors.
The main novels are:
- The Iron Hunt (2008)
- Darkness Calls (2009)
- A Wild Light (2010)
- The Mortal Bone (2011)
- Labyrinth of Stars (2014)
Unlike Dirk & Steele, these should be read consecutively.
Maxine’s identity, powers, relationships, and the mythology surrounding the demons develop directly across the five novels.
Hunter Kiss Novellas in Order
The series actually begins in shorter fiction before The Iron Hunt.
The important related works are:
- Hunter Kiss
- Armor of Roses
- The Silver Voice
Hunter Kiss
The novella Hunter Kiss originally appeared in the anthology Wild Thing.
It predates The Iron Hunt and introduces Maxine.
Chronologically, it belongs before the first novel.
For a completionist reading:
- Hunter Kiss
- The Iron Hunt
- Darkness Calls
However, The Iron Hunt remains a perfectly workable starting point for readers who want the novels only.
Armor of Roses
Armor of Roses originally appeared in the anthology Inked.
It belongs after Darkness Calls and before A Wild Light.
The Silver Voice
The Silver Voice is another Hunter Kiss story and belongs later in Maxine’s chronology.
It can be read after A Wild Light and before or around the later novels.
The two novellas were also issued together as Armor of Roses and the Silver Voice.
Complete Hunter Kiss Reading Order
For the fuller sequence:
- Hunter Kiss
- The Iron Hunt
- Darkness Calls
- Armor of Roses
- A Wild Light
- The Silver Voice
- The Mortal Bone
- Labyrinth of Stars
Readers interested only in the novels can use:
- The Iron Hunt
- Darkness Calls
- A Wild Light
- The Mortal Bone
- Labyrinth of Stars
Is Hunter Kiss Connected to Dirk & Steele?
No.
Both series combine contemporary settings with supernatural powers, but they have different mythologies, protagonists, and continuities.
Do not read Tiger Eye as preparation for The Iron Hunt.
Continuity: Separate.
A Taste of Crimson
A Taste of Crimson was published in 2005 as part of the multi-author Crimson City series.
It is the second book in that shared series.
Liu did not write the entire Crimson City sequence, so it should not be inserted between her Dirk & Steele novels simply because it appeared during the same period.
Readers following Crimson City should use that multi-author series order.
Readers following only Liu can treat A Taste of Crimson as her individual contribution to a shared universe.
Status: Multi-author franchise series.
X-Men: Dark Mirror
X-Men: Dark Mirror is a prose novel set in Marvel’s X-Men universe.
It was published in 2005, before Liu later became closely associated with Marvel through her comics work.
The book is not connected to Dirk & Steele, Hunter Kiss, or Monstress.
Status: Standalone licensed prose fiction.
No Liu novel needs to be read first.
The Tangleroot Palace
The Tangleroot Palace was published as a collection in 2021.
It gathers seven fantasy stories from Liu’s shorter fiction, including the title story.
The material spans different settings and styles rather than forming another serialized universe.
Several stories had appeared previously in anthologies.
Status: Standalone short fiction collection.
Readers interested in Liu’s prose but not ready to commit to a long paranormal romance series can begin here without continuity concerns.
Other Marjorie Liu Short Fiction
Liu’s shorter work has appeared in numerous anthologies.
Notable stories include:
- Six
- Minotaur in Stone
- The Robber Bride
- The Tangleroot Palace
- Call Her Savage
- Sympathy for the Bones
Some were later collected in The Tangleroot Palace.
The major exception to their standalone status is the material explicitly tied to Dirk & Steele or Hunter Kiss.
Monstress Collected Volumes in Order
Monstress is Liu’s creator-owned dark fantasy comic series with artist Sana Takeda.
For readers using trade paperback collections, read:
- Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening
- Monstress, Vol. 2: The Blood
- Monstress, Vol. 3: Haven
- Monstress, Vol. 4: The Chosen
- Monstress, Vol. 5: Warchild
- Monstress, Vol. 6: The Vow
- Monstress, Vol. 7: Devourer
- Monstress, Vol. 8: Inferno
- Monstress, Vol. 9: The Possessed
- Monstress, Vol. 10: Hollow Gods
This is a continuous story.
Do not skip volumes.
Is Monstress Finished?
No.
Monstress remains ongoing as of August 9, 2026.
Volume 10, Hollow Gods, collects issues through #60.
New individual issues resumed in 2026, including issues #61, #62, and #63. Issue #64 is scheduled for September 16, 2026.
Liu has also confirmed that she is writing material for Volume 11.
Series status: Ongoing.
Monstress Hardcover Editions
Readers may also encounter large hardcover collections.
Monstress Book One
Collects material from Volumes 1 through 3.
Monstress Book Two
Collects the next major group of volumes.
Monstress Book Three
Collects Volumes 7 through 9.
These are alternative collected formats, not additional chapters after the numbered paperback volumes.
Check the contents before buying both formats to avoid duplication.
Monstress Compendium
A large Monstress compendium was released in 2025 collecting Volumes 1 through 8.
It is another repackaging of material already available in the numbered trades.
Status: Omnibus edition.
It does not replace Volumes 9 and 10 if you want to continue the story.
Best Monstress Reading Order
For most readers, the numbered trades are simplest:
- Awakening
- The Blood
- Haven
- The Chosen
- Warchild
- The Vow
- Devourer
- Inferno
- The Possessed
- Hollow Gods
Then continue with Volume 11 when it is eventually collected.
The Night Eaters Books in Order
Liu and Sana Takeda also created the graphic novel horror trilogy The Night Eaters.
Read:
- The Night Eaters #1: She Eats the Night (2022)
- The Night Eaters #2: Her Little Reapers (2023)
- The Night Eaters #3: Their Kingdom Come (2025)
The trilogy follows Chinese American twins Milly and Billy and their parents, Ipo and Keon, whose family history is far stranger than the twins realize.
The three books form one continuous story.
Is The Night Eaters Complete?
Yes.
Their Kingdom Come, published April 15, 2025, is the third and concluding volume.
Read all three in numerical order.
Series status: Complete.
Is The Night Eaters Connected to Monstress?
No.
Both are collaborations between Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda, but they have different settings, characters, and mythology.
Monstress is an ongoing epic fantasy comic.
The Night Eaters is a completed contemporary horror graphic novel trilogy.
Continuity: Separate.
Wingbearer Saga Books in Order
Liu’s middle grade graphic novel series follows Zuli, a girl raised among bird spirits in the branches of the Great Tree.
Read:
- Wingbearer
- Wingborn
Wingbearer begins the story and establishes Zuli’s identity, the Great Tree, and the danger facing her magical world.
Wingborn continues that storyline and should not be read first.
Is the Wingbearer Saga Complete?
Two volumes have been published:
- Wingbearer
- Wingborn
Liu’s official site continues to describe Wingbearer as a series or saga.
No third volume with a firmly confirmed title and publication date was identified for this August 2026 update.
Status: Two books published, further status not firmly confirmed.
Marvel Comics by Marjorie Liu
Liu has written extensively for Marvel.
Her principal runs include work on:
- NYX
- Dark Wolverine
- Daken: Dark Wolverine
- X-23
- Black Widow
- Astonishing X-Men
- Han Solo
These belong to Marvel continuity rather than one Marjorie Liu universe.
A reader should follow each title’s issue or collected-volume numbering.
X-23
Liu became particularly closely associated with Laura Kinney, also known as X-23.
Her work includes the X-23 solo series and related Marvel stories.
These comics are part of the wider X-Men continuity.
They should not be placed before or after X-Men: Dark Mirror as though the prose novel and comics form one Liu-authored sequence.
Status: Marvel shared continuity.
Daken and Dark Wolverine
Liu co-wrote significant portions of Dark Wolverine and Daken: Dark Wolverine, including work with Daniel Way.
These series are connected to Marvel’s Wolverine and X-Men continuity.
Readers concentrating only on Liu’s contribution can use the collected editions in numbered order, but a complete Daken chronology includes comics by other writers.
Astonishing X-Men
Liu wrote an extended run on Astonishing X-Men.
It belongs to the larger X-Men universe and includes established Marvel characters whose stories begin long before her run.
No Marjorie Liu prose novel is required.
Status: Licensed shared continuity.
Han Solo
Liu wrote the Marvel Han Solo limited series.
The story belongs to Star Wars continuity and was later collected as a graphic novel.
It is self-contained enough to read as Liu’s individual Star Wars contribution, but it is not connected to her original fiction.
Status: Licensed Star Wars continuity.
BRZRKR: The Bleeding Tide
Liu contributed a story to the BRZRKR universe with artist Garry Brown.
This is another licensed or shared comics project rather than a new Liu-created series.
Status: Separate shared continuity.
Prose and Comics Should Stay Separate
There is no overarching chronology connecting:
- Dirk & Steele
- Hunter Kiss
- The Tangleroot Palace
- Monstress
- The Night Eaters
- Wingbearer
- Marvel
- Star Wars
Recurring interests in monsters, transformation, identity, supernatural power, and family do not establish a shared fictional universe.
Each group should retain its own reading order.
Recommended Marjorie Liu Reading Order
A complete reader does not need to alternate between novels and comics by publication year.
A clearer route is to finish one body of work at a time.
Paranormal Romance
- Tiger Eye
- Shadow Touch
- The Red Heart of Jade
- A Dream of Stone & Shadow
- Eye of Heaven
- Soul Song
- The Last Twilight
- The Wild Road
- The Fire King
- In the Dark of Dreams
- Within the Flames
Urban Fantasy
- Hunter Kiss
- The Iron Hunt
- Darkness Calls
- Armor of Roses
- A Wild Light
- The Silver Voice
- The Mortal Bone
- Labyrinth of Stars
Dark Fantasy Comics
Read Monstress Volumes 1 through 10 in numerical order, then continue with later volumes as they are collected.
Horror Graphic Novels
- She Eats the Night
- Her Little Reapers
- Their Kingdom Come
Middle Grade Fantasy
- Wingbearer
- Wingborn
This approach preserves every continuity without pretending the different genres connect.
Publication Order or Series Order?
Series order is considerably more useful for Liu.
A strict career chronology would repeatedly move from Dirk & Steele to Hunter Kiss, anthology fiction, Marvel comics, and later creator-owned work.
There is no narrative benefit to those jumps.
Keep each series intact.
Within Dirk & Steele, publication order is preferred but individual books have some flexibility.
Within Hunter Kiss, Monstress, The Night Eaters, and Wingbearer, numerical order matters much more.
Is There a Chronological Order?
No single chronology applies to Liu’s bibliography.
Her supernatural romance novels, urban fantasy, creator-owned comics, children’s fantasy, and licensed superhero stories occupy different worlds.
Even the paranormal prose series should not be combined.
A global chronological list would create relationships the books do not establish.
Latest Marjorie Liu Book
The answer depends on format.
Liu’s newest completed creator-owned graphic novel is The Night Eaters #3: Their Kingdom Come, published April 15, 2025.
The newest collected Monstress volume is Monstress, Vol. 10: Hollow Gods, published in late 2025.
Her current serial work is newer still: Monstress #63 was published July 29, 2026, with issue #64 scheduled for September 16, 2026.
No newer prose novel than the completed Hunter Kiss and Dirk & Steele books was identified in the current author catalog.
What Is Marjorie Liu Writing Now?
Monstress remains active.
Liu has confirmed that she is writing Volume 11, while Image Comics continues publishing new individual issues in 2026.
The Night Eaters has reached its planned ending with Their Kingdom Come.
Wingbearer currently has two published books, Wingbearer and Wingborn, with no third volume carrying a firm publication date in the records checked for this update.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Marjorie Liu book should I read first?
For prose paranormal romance, begin with Tiger Eye.
For urban fantasy, begin with The Iron Hunt, or read the earlier Hunter Kiss novella first if you want the complete sequence.
For comics, begin with Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening.
What order are the Dirk & Steele books?
Begin with:
- Tiger Eye
- Shadow Touch
- The Red Heart of Jade
Then continue in publication order through Within the Flames.
A Dream of Stone & Shadow is an optional novella that fits after The Red Heart of Jade.
Is Dirk & Steele complete?
No newly announced Dirk & Steele novel with a confirmed publication date was identified for this update.
The most recent principal novel remains Within the Flames.
What order are the Hunter Kiss books?
The five main novels are:
- The Iron Hunt
- Darkness Calls
- A Wild Light
- The Mortal Bone
- Labyrinth of Stars
Should I read the Hunter Kiss novella first?
It is useful but not mandatory.
It introduces Maxine before The Iron Hunt, so completionists can begin there.
Is Hunter Kiss connected to Dirk & Steele?
No.
They are separate supernatural universes.
What order should I read Monstress?
Read the numbered collected volumes from Awakening through Hollow Gods.
Do not skip volumes because the story is continuous.
Is Monstress finished?
No.
The comic remains ongoing in 2026.
What is the newest Monstress volume?
Monstress, Vol. 10: Hollow Gods is the newest collected trade as of this update.
Volume 11 material is currently being published and written.
What order are The Night Eaters books?
Read:
- She Eats the Night
- Her Little Reapers
- Their Kingdom Come
Is The Night Eaters trilogy complete?
Yes.
Their Kingdom Come concludes the trilogy.
Is The Night Eaters related to Monstress?
Only through the creative team.
Both are by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda, but the stories occupy separate continuities.
What order are the Wingbearer books?
Read:
- Wingbearer
- Wingborn
Is Wingborn a sequel?
Yes.
It continues Zuli’s story from Wingbearer.
Is The Tangleroot Palace part of a series?
No.
It is a collection of shorter fantasy fiction.
Is X-Men: Dark Mirror connected to Liu’s X-Men comics?
Both use Marvel characters, but they should not be treated as consecutive volumes of one Liu series.
They belong to the larger Marvel franchise.
Where to Begin
Marjorie M. Liu has several valid entry points because her major bodies of work are independent.
Readers interested in her early paranormal romance should begin with Tiger Eye. Those wanting a more continuous urban fantasy storyline should choose The Iron Hunt, with the Hunter Kiss novella as optional preliminary reading.
For her comics career, Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening begins her longest-running creator-owned series. Readers who prefer a completed graphic novel story can instead choose The Night Eaters: She Eats the Night and continue through its two sequels.
The important boundary is between those worlds. Dirk & Steele, Hunter Kiss, Monstress, The Night Eaters, and Wingbearer each have their own continuity, so the best reading order is the one that keeps each sequence together.
Frank is the editor of BookSeries.blog, focusing on publication order, chronological timelines, and spoiler-free reading guides for book series and fictional universes.