Infinity Alchemist Books in Order

The Infinity Alchemist series is a YA fantasy about magic, class, power, and the people who decide who is allowed to use knowledge. It takes place in a world where alchemy can do remarkable things, but legal access to it is tightly controlled by wealthy institutions and powerful families.

The first book, Infinity Alchemist, follows Ash Woods, a gifted young alchemist who has been shut out of formal training. He works as a groundskeeper at Lancaster College and secretly teaches himself from the school's resources, knowing that being caught could bring serious consequences. Ash wants more than a trick or a shortcut. He wants the chance to practice openly and build a future on his own terms.

That plan changes when Ramsay Thorne catches him. Instead of reporting Ash, Ramsay offers a deal: help find the legendary Book of Source, and receive the training Ash has been denied. The search pulls Ash into old rivalries, dangerous magic, and a world where many people want the Book's power for themselves.

Magic comes with a price.

Ash's growing relationship with Ramsay is a major part of the series, as are his connections with Callum and the wider circle of young people caught up in the conflict. Their relationships make the stakes feel personal, especially as the characters work out trust, desire, and what they owe one another in a world built to divide them.

Chaos King picks up after the first book's crisis, with Ash trying to live with the consequences of confronting his father and protecting New Anglia. Haunted by nightmares and worried that a new threat is forming, he faces rising anti-alchemist violence and competing ideas about who should lead the fight for alchemists' rights. His choices put both the wider movement and his closest relationships under pressure.

Expect action, secrets, political tension, and a romance-centered cast that includes queer, trans, and polyamorous characters. Start with Infinity Alchemist, then read Chaos King to follow Ash's story as the conflict grows larger and more dangerous.