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How to Train Your Dragon Books in Order

Part ofCressida Cowell Books in Order

See all the How to Train Your Dragon books by Cressida Cowell in order, with plot summaries, series background, reading order help, and ideas on where to start.

Last updated: December 25, 2025

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Publication Order

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21 books

1

How to Fight a Dragon’s Fury

by Cressida Cowell

2015

It is the last day of Yule, when either humans or dragons will face extinction. With Alvin poised to be crowned and the Dragon Rebellion raging, Hiccup must uncover the truth of the Dragon Jewel and decide how far he will go to save two warring species.

2

The Incomplete Book of Dragons

by Cressida Cowell

2014

3

The Incomplete Book of Dragons

by Cressida Cowell

2014

This fictional field guide gathers together the many dragon species from the How to Train Your Dragon world, from tiny hunting dragons to colossal sea serpents. Packed with scribbled notes, diagrams and warnings, it feels like Hiccup’s own handbook for anyone reckless enough to study dragons up close.

4

How to Betray a Dragon's Hero

by Cressida Cowell

2013

5

How to Betray a Dragon's Hero

by Cressida Cowell

2013

Hiccup and his ragtag Company of the Dragonmark are hiding on the cursed Isle of Tomorrow while Alvin the Treacherous prepares for the Day of Doom. Spies, vampiric dragons and a possible traitor in their camp force Hiccup to decide who he can trust as he races to collect the final Lost Things.

6

How to Seize a Dragon's Jewel

by Cressida Cowell

2012

On the run and branded an outcast, Hiccup sneaks into the brutal amber slave mines in search of the legendary Dragon Jewel and his missing friend Fishlegs. Between slave keepers, shapeshifting dragons and a perilous underground monster, becoming a hero has never felt so impossible.

7

How to Steal a Dragon's Sword

by Cressida Cowell

2011

Hiccup travels to the remote sword fighting school of Flashburn to compete against warriors from every Viking tribe. While a Dragon Rebellion gathers outside, he hunts for a lost royal crown beneath the school and discovers how closely his own fate is tied to an ancient prophecy.

8

How to Break a Dragon's Heart

by Cressida Cowell

2009

9

How to Break a Dragon's Heart

by Cressida Cowell

2009

A violent storm leaves Hiccup and the Hairy Hooligans stranded on a hostile shore controlled by the Uglithugs. To save his friend Fishlegs from execution and untangle a mystery involving a throne and a forgotten love story, Hiccup must complete an Impossible Task and face berserk bees and murderous Vikings.

10

How to Ride a Dragon's Storm

by Cressida Cowell

2008

11

How to Ride a Dragon's Storm

by Cressida Cowell

2008

To prove himself a proper Viking, Hiccup enters a dangerous storm riding competition that quickly turns into a shipwreck and kidnapping. Adrift for months with rival tribes, homicidal dragons and an over the top villain, he has to pilot his friends through the worst weather the Barbaric Archipelago can throw at them.

12

A Hero's Guide to Deadly Dragons

by Cressida Cowell

2008

13

A Hero's Guide to Deadly Dragons

by Cressida Cowell

2008

All Hiccup wants is a quiet birthday, but when Toothless eats most of Stoick’s throne he is suddenly in very deep trouble. To fix things, Hiccup, Fishlegs and Camicazi must break into the Meathead Public Library, dodge a terrifying Librarian and recover a banned manual on dragon training.

14

How to Twist a Dragon's Tale

by Cressida Cowell

2007

An outbreak of terrifying Exterminator dragons and a rumbling volcano threaten to destroy the Barbaric Archipelago. Hiccup, Fishlegs and Camicazi race to return the stolen Fire-Stone to Lava-Lout Island, discovering uncomfortable truths about legendary hero Humungous along the way.

15

How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse

by Cressida Cowell

2006

When Fishlegs is fatally poisoned by a Venomous Vorpent, Hiccup discovers that the only cure is a mythical vegetable believed not to exist. To save his friend he must outwit lunatic Hysterics, survive a monstrous sea dragon and somehow cheat a deadly curse.

16

How to Speak Dragonese

by Cressida Cowell

2005

17

How to Speak Dragonese

by Cressida Cowell

2005

A simple boarding exercise goes very wrong when Hiccup and Fishlegs blunder into a Roman fort and are taken prisoner. Teaming up with tiny Bog-Burglar warrior Camicazi, they must escape gladiator school, outwit a mad chieftain and prevent a war, armed mostly with bad disguises and their ability to speak Dragonese.

18

How to Be a Pirate

by Cressida Cowell

2004

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III is sent on a pirate training trip that turns into a hunt for the lost treasure of Grimbeard the Ghastly. With scheming Alvin the Treacherous, deadly Skullion dragons and shipwrecks waiting, Hiccup has to prove that brains can matter more than brawn.

19

How to Train Your Dragon

by Cressida Cowell

2003

20

How to Train Your Dragon

by Cressida Cowell

2003

To join the Hairy Hooligan tribe, Hiccup must capture and train a small dragon like every other Viking boy. Saddled with a tiny, stubborn dragon he names Toothless and an almost useless instruction book, Hiccup has to invent his own way to talk to dragons before a monstrous sea creature destroys his island.

21

Hiccup the Seasick Viking / How To Be A Viking

by Cressida Cowell

1999

Hiccup is a small Viking who is scared of almost everything, especially the sea. When he is forced onto his first ocean voyage and a storm blows the ship off course, Hiccup must face his fears and help the grown ups find their way home.

Series background & context

The How to Train Your Dragon books imagine a wild archipelago of Viking islands where humans and dragons are tangled up in each other’s everyday lives. The stories are told as the long lost memoirs of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, written down years after the events and translated for us by Cressida Cowell. Because of that frame, the series often feels like a funny, slightly chaotic history that might just be true.

Hiccup grows up as the small, thoughtful heir to the Hairy Hooligan tribe. His father, Stoick the Vast, expects him to be loud, fearless, and good at throwing axes, but Hiccup’s strengths are different. He is good at languages, including Dragonese, notices things other people miss, and chooses to solve problems with clever ideas instead of brute force.

In the first novel, How to Train Your Dragon, the boys of the tribe must sneak into a dragon nursery and steal a hatchling as a rite of passage. Hiccup ends up with a tiny, disobedient hunting dragon he names Toothless, and quickly discovers that the official training manual is almost useless. Their attempts to survive dragon training on the Isle of Berk set the tone for the whole series, full of mishaps, narrow escapes, and ridiculous Viking traditions.

As the books go on, the world widens. Hiccup, Toothless, and friends like Fishlegs and Camicazi are drawn into quests for mysterious objects known as the Lost Things of the King. They are pulled into feuds between Viking tribes, storms at sea, and an oncoming Dragon Rebellion that threatens all humans. Books such as A Hero’s Guide to Deadly Dragons, How to Steal a Dragon’s Sword, and How to Fight a Dragon’s Fury show Hiccup slowly realising what kind of leader he wants to become and how much it will cost him.

The tone is a mix of slapstick comedy and real emotion. Pages are packed with Cowell’s scratchy illustrations, hand lettered notes, and maps, which make the series feel like a set of scribbled field notebooks. Hiccup’s older voice interrupts now and then with warnings about what is coming, or with quiet reflections on bravery, loyalty, and the way stories get passed down.

Around the main novels there are shorter pieces and companion books set in the same world. The Day of the Dreader is a quick adventure about a sea dragon menacing Berk, while The Incomplete Book of Dragons and The Complete Book of Dragons act as fictional field guides to dragon species. The larger dragon universe has also inspired the newer How to Train Your Dragon School chapter books and the well known animated film adaptations.

If you are new to the series, it is worth reading in order, starting with How to Train Your Dragon and following Hiccup’s story all the way through to How to Fight a Dragon’s Fury. The books work well as funny read alouds for younger children and as fast, character driven adventures for confident readers who enjoy fantasy with a lot of heart.

Edited by

Richard Reis

Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.

Anurag Ramdasan

Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.

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All 21 How to Train Your Dragon Books in Order (2026)