Robin Hobb Books in Order
Explore Robin Hobb and Megan Lindholm books in order, with reading guides, short summaries and Elderlings world background to help you pick where to start.
Last updated: June 7, 2026
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Robin Hobb books in publication order
25 books
Assassin's Apprentice
by Robin Hobb
1995
Taken from his mother to the royal keep, the bastard boy Fitz is trained in secret as an assassin while learning he carries two dangerous magics. As Outislander raiders terrorize the coasts, his loyalty to the Farseers is tested again and again.
Royal Assassin
by Robin Hobb
1996
Fitz returns to Buckkeep still damaged from poison, bound more deeply than ever to his wolf Nighteyes and to the king. As Red Ship raids escalate, treachery at court forces him to juggle secret assassinations, forbidden Wit magic and a doomed love.
Assassin's Quest
by Robin Hobb
1997
Raised from the edge of death, Fitz escapes the usurper king and sets out across mountains and legend to find his missing king in waiting. His journey toward the Elderling road and stone dragons will decide the fate of the Six Duchies and his own.
Ship of Magic
by Robin Hobb
1998
In Bingtown, merchant heir Althea Vestrit expects to inherit her family's newly awakened liveship Vivacia, only to see it handed to her brutal brother in law. Cast adrift, she fights to reclaim the ship as Vivacia is drawn into piracy, slavery and sea serpent haunted waters.
The Mad Ship
by Robin Hobb
1999
With Vivacia under the sway of the pirate Kennit, Althea and Brashen gamble everything on restoring the unstable liveship Paragon. In Bingtown and the Rain Wilds, rebellion and earthquakes expose buried dragon secrets while sea serpents circle restlessly offshore.
Ship of Destiny
by Robin Hobb
2000
Bingtown reels from fire and war as the Vestrit family, Paragon and Vivacia converge on a final confrontation. Political upheaval, pirate ambitions and the truth about wizardwood reshape alliances at sea and on shore, changing the fate of traders, serpents and dragons alike.
Fool's Errand
by Robin Hobb
2001
Fifteen years after the Red Ship War, Fitz lives in seclusion with his wolf Nighteyes and foster son Hap. When Prince Dutiful disappears on the eve of his betrothal, the Fool returns to drag Fitz back into court intrigue, Wit politics and a perilous rescue.
Golden Fool
by Robin Hobb
2002
Disguised as the servant Tom Badgerlock, Fitz returns to Buckkeep to secretly train Prince Dutiful in the Skill. As Outislander envoys arrive and Witted ambassadors seek acceptance at court, Fitz must balance loyalty, old wounds and his complex bond with the Fool.
Fool's Fate
by Robin Hobb
2003
Fitz joins Dutiful's quest to the frozen isle of Aslevjal to slay the legendary dragon Icefyre and win an Outislander bride. Old prophecies, the Pale Woman's schemes and Fitz's tangled loyalty to the Fool collide in a brutal, world shaping journey.
Shaman's Crossing
by Robin Hobb
2005
Noble born Nevare Burvelle is destined, by strict Gernian tradition, to become a cavalry officer and help expand his king's road through hostile lands. An encounter with the forest dwelling Specks infects him with alien magic, slowly derailing his ordered life and loyalties.
Forest Mage
by Robin Hobb
2006
After plague ravages his military academy, Nevare returns home changed in body and mind, his expanding weight and strange dreams marking him as cursed. Cast out by his family, he is drawn ever deeper into Speck magic and the battle over Gernia's encroaching road.
Renegade's Magic
by Robin Hobb
2007
Condemned for crimes he barely understands, Nevare finally gives in to the Speck magic that shares his body, watching as another self fights to stop Gernia's destruction of the ancestor forest. His struggle becomes a reckoning with colonial guilt, identity and obligation.
Dragon Keeper
by Robin Hobb
2009
Malformed young dragons languish on the toxic shores of the Rain Wild River, too weak to fend for themselves. A mismatched group of outcast keepers, a dragon obsessed scholar and the river barge Tarman set out to escort them upstream in search of the lost city Kelsingra.
Dragon Haven
by Robin Hobb
2010
Still traveling upriver with the starving dragons, the keepers and crew of Tarman face treacherous floods, predators and simmering rivalries. As human and dragon bodies begin to change in unsettling ways, the dream of reaching Kelsingra tests every loyalty and secret desire.
City of Dragons
by Robin Hobb
2011
The weakened dragon flock and their keepers finally glimpse the abandoned towers of Kelsingra across the swollen Rain Wild River. While they struggle to unlock the city's magic and survive, distant plots for dragon parts and political power push the wider world toward conflict.
The Inheritance
by Robin Hobb
2011
The Inheritance & Other Stories
by Robin Hobb
2011
This collection gathers tales written as both Robin Hobb and Megan Lindholm, ranging from Rain Wild settlers and Six Duchies folk to near future and urban fantasy. The stories explore family, sacrifice and small acts of magic that quietly change lives.
Words Like Coins
by Robin Hobb
2012
In a drought stricken corner of the Six Duchies, hedge witch apprentice Mirrifen struggles with her own fears when tiny, dangerous pecksies move into the farmstead. Their bargains and tempers force her to weigh the power of promises, etiquette and the literal weight of words.
Blood of Dragons
by Robin Hobb
2013
In Kelsingra, dragons and their transforming human companions race to rediscover lost Elderling arts, including the vital silver that keeps dragons healthy. Enemies close in from Bingtown and Chalced, forcing the new Elderlings to decide how fiercely they will defend dragonkind.
Dangerous Women
by George R. R. Martin, Megan E. Abbott, Cecelia Holland, Melinda Snodgrass, Jim Butcher, Carrie Vaughn, Joe R Lansdale, Robin Hobb, Lawrence Block, Brandon Sanderson, Sharon Kay Penman, Lev Grossman, Nancy Kress, Diana Rowland, Diana Gabaldon, Sherrilyn Kenyon, SM Stirling, Sam Sykes, Pat Cadigan, Caroline Spencer, Joe Abercrombie & Gardner Dozois
2013
A cross-genre anthology edited by George RR Martin and Gardner Dozois, built around women who are dangerous in different ways. The lineup ranges from fantasy and science fiction to historical and crime tales, each centered on agency, risk, and consequences.
The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince
by Robin Hobb
2013
Set long before Fitz's time, this tale follows lowborn Felicity, companion to headstrong Princess Caution, who loves a Witted stableman. When Caution bears a piebald marked son, courtly fear of the Wit and buried truths about his birth ignite a deadly legend.
Fool's Assassin
by Robin Hobb
2014
FitzChivalry Farseer has hidden for years as Tom Badgerlock, tending the country estate of Withywoods with his wife and grown children. A troubling messenger, an impossible late pregnancy and the return of the broken Fool shatter his hard won quiet.
Fool's Quest
by Robin Hobb
2015
Believing his daughter Bee dead, Fitz follows the Fool toward distant Clerres to punish the secretive Servants. At Buckkeep, politics and old magic complicate the search as Bee endures captivity among people who see her as the key to their prophecies.
Assassin's Fate
by Robin Hobb
2017
Bee is dragged toward Clerres while learning to wield a frightening power of her own, and Fitz sails south on the liveship Paragon with the Fool, driven by grief and vengeance. Their paths and the dragons of Kelsingra collide in a final reckoning.
Unfettered III: New Tales By Masters of Fantasy
by Shawn Speakman, Naomi Novik, Brandon Sanderson, Robert Jordan, Tad Williams, Mark Lawrence, Robin Hobb, Lev Grossman, Seanan McGuire, John Gwynne, David Anthony Durham, Callie Bates, Jason Denzel, Carrie Vaughn, Deborah A. Wolf, Anna Stephens, Patrick Swenson, Patrick Terrell, Peter Orullian, Delilah S Dawson, Cat Rambo, Anna Smith Spark, Marc Turner, Scott Sigler, Robert V. S. Redick, Ken Scholes, Brian Herbert, Kevin J Anderson, Terry Brooks, Todd Lockwood & Ramón Terrell
2019
The third Unfettered anthology collects original stories from many fantasy authors, including a return to Osten Ard from Tad Williams, new tales by Mark Lawrence, Brian Herbert, Anna Smith Spark, and others, all in support of a fund that helps writers facing medical debt.
Where to start with Robin Hobb
If you want to follow Fitz from the beginning: Assassin's Apprentice → Royal Assassin → Assassin's Quest.
If you prefer seafaring epics and pirates: Ship of Magic → The Mad Ship → Ship of Destiny.
If you like Fitz and the Fool most of all: Fool's Errand → Golden Fool → Fool's Fate → Fool's Assassin → Fool's Quest → Assassin's Fate.
If you want a fresh world beyond the Elderlings: Shaman's Crossing → Forest Mage → Renegade's Magic.
If you are curious about Megan Lindholm's early work: Harpy's Flight → The Windsingers → The Limbreth Gate → Luck of the Wheels.
Robin Hobb sub-series and character series
Farseer books in order
Explore this seriesFitz and The Fool Trilogy books in order
Explore this seriesLiveship Traders books in order
Explore this seriesRain Wild Chronicles books in order
Explore this series
Dragon Keeper
by Robin Hobb
2009Rain Wilds Chronicles, Book 1
Dragon Haven
by Robin Hobb
2010Rain Wild Chronicles, Book 2
City of Dragons
by Robin Hobb
2011Rain Wild Chronicles, Book 4
The Inheritance
by Robin Hobb
2011Rain Wild Chronicles, Book 3
The Inheritance & Other Stories
by Robin Hobb
2011Rain Wild Chronicles, Book 3
Blood of Dragons
by Robin Hobb
2013Rain Wild Chronicles, Book 5
Rain Wild Chronicles books in chronological order
Soldier Son Trilogy books in order
Explore this seriesTawny Man books in order
Explore this seriesRobin Hobb collections, short stories, and related book types
Standalone Robin Hobb books

Dangerous Women
by George R. R. Martin, Megan E. Abbott, Cecelia Holland, Melinda Snodgrass, Jim Butcher, Carrie Vaughn, Joe R Lansdale, Robin Hobb, Lawrence Block, Brandon Sanderson, Sharon Kay Penman, Lev Grossman, Nancy Kress, Diana Rowland, Diana Gabaldon, Sherrilyn Kenyon, SM Stirling, Sam Sykes, Pat Cadigan, Caroline Spencer, Joe Abercrombie & Gardner Dozois
2013
Unfettered III: New Tales By Masters of Fantasy
by Shawn Speakman, Naomi Novik, Brandon Sanderson, Robert Jordan, Tad Williams, Mark Lawrence, Robin Hobb, Lev Grossman, Seanan McGuire, John Gwynne, David Anthony Durham, Callie Bates, Jason Denzel, Carrie Vaughn, Deborah A. Wolf, Anna Stephens, Patrick Swenson, Patrick Terrell, Peter Orullian, Delilah S Dawson, Cat Rambo, Anna Smith Spark, Marc Turner, Scott Sigler, Robert V. S. Redick, Ken Scholes, Brian Herbert, Kevin J Anderson, Terry Brooks, Todd Lockwood & Ramón Terrell
2019Unfettered, Book 2
Author bio
Robin Hobb is the pen name of Margaret Astrid Lindholm Ogden, an American fantasy writer born in Berkeley, California in 1952. She grew up between California and Alaska, and the cold, remote landscapes of the north have never really left her imagination.
Her family moved to Fairbanks when she was a child, into a life that involved big gardens, hunting, fishing and long winters. That mix of self reliance and close attention to weather, animals and wilderness later fed straight into her stories of harsh coasts, deep forests and dangerous seas.
She married young and spent years in coastal Alaska, raising children while her husband worked at sea. In between shifts as a waitress and other jobs, she wrote poems and short pieces for local newspapers and children’s magazines, learning how to fit writing into every spare corner of the day.
Under the name Megan Lindholm she began selling speculative short fiction in the late 1970s, then moved into novels with the Ki and Vandien books, the prehistoric Reindeer People duology and standalones like Wizard of the Pigeons and Alien Earth. Those stories often blended magic with everyday worries about money, family and belonging rather than distant kings and prophecies.
In the mid 1990s she chose a new byline, Robin Hobb, for a different kind of project, an epic fantasy told as the memoir of a royal bastard raised as an assassin. Assassin's Apprentice introduced FitzChivalry Farseer and the Realm of the Elderlings, a world of coastal duchies, pirate isles, toxic river cities and long vanished dragon linked Elderlings.
Across the Farseer, Liveship Traders, Tawny Man, Rain Wild Chronicles and Fitz and the Fool series she followed that world for more than twenty years. Some books stay close to Fitz’s first person voice, charting the cost of loyalty, trauma and magic on a single life. Others pull back into broader sagas about traders, dragons and revolution, but the focus on flawed, believable people never really shifts.
Readers often talk about a handful of titles as touchstones. Assassin's Apprentice captures the loneliness of a boy who is both needed and unwanted at court. Ship of Magic dives into seafaring politics, slavery and sentient ships off the coast of Bingtown. Shaman's Crossing and its sequels move to a new continent, using fantasy to examine colonial expansion, disease and the weight of inherited duty. As Megan Lindholm, Wizard of the Pigeons set a fragile urban wizard among the homeless of Seattle decades before urban fantasy became a familiar label.
Certain themes run quietly through all of it, the fear and necessity of change, the way power marks bodies, the tension between human needs and the nonhuman world, and a deep interest in people who live at the edge of their societies. Her fiction returns often to chosen families, difficult friendships and relationships that have to weather years of damage.
She and her husband, Fred Ogden, have made their home in rural Washington for many years, on a small, damp farm with poultry, garden rows and dogs underfoot. They raised four children there, and now have several grandchildren. Hobb still writes under both her Robin Hobb and Megan Lindholm names, and in 2021 she received a World Fantasy Life Achievement award recognizing the long arc of that work.
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