Geniuses Books in Order

The Geniuses series is Michael Dante DiMartino’s middle-grade fantasy about art, magic, and the danger of being creative in a place that fears imagination. It begins with Rebel Genius, which follows Giacomo, a twelve-year-old orphan surviving in the sewers of the Zizzolan Empire.

In Giacomo’s world, some artists are born with Geniuses, birdlike spirits that embody their creative power. A Genius can help an artist make magical geometric forms, but having one is also dangerous. The empire has outlawed art and hunts people with Geniuses, treating creativity as a threat to control.

Giacomo discovers that he has a Genius of his own. Instead of finding safety, he becomes a target. He is taken in by a hidden studio where young artists learn to use sacred geometry, drawing, and teamwork as tools for survival. The training is part art class, part magic system, and part preparation for a fight they cannot avoid.

The larger story follows Giacomo and his friends as they try to keep three powerful Sacred Tools out of the hands of Nerezza, a ruler determined to spread her control even further. Their journey takes them beyond the Italian Renaissance-inspired streets of Zizzola and into other cultures and regions, where they meet new allies, new forms of Genius magic, and old conflicts that have not gone away.

Art is treated as a real force here.

That idea gives the series its heart. Giacomo is not a polished hero when the story begins. He is hungry, wary, and used to being alone. He has to learn how to trust people, accept help, and use his talent without letting fear or anger control him. His friends have their own gifts and doubts, so the group’s victories usually depend on listening as much as fighting.

The books are fast-moving fantasy adventures, but they also make room for questions about prejudice, power, and what happens when a government decides some kinds of people should not be allowed to exist openly. DiMartino includes his own black-and-white illustrations, which help bring Giacomo’s world and the magical designs to life.

Start with Rebel Genius. Warrior Genius expands the world and raises the stakes around the Sacred Tools. Sacred Geniuses continues the larger struggle between young artists, their companions, and the forces trying to silence them.