Craft Sequence Reading Order#
| # |
Title |
Year |
Buy on Amazon |
| 1 |
Three Parts Dead |
2012 |
Buy |
| 2 |
Two Serpents Rise |
2013 |
Buy |
| 3 |
Full Fathom Five |
2014 |
Buy |
| 4 |
Last First Snow |
2015 |
Buy |
| 5 |
Four Roads Cross |
2016 |
Buy |
| 6 |
The Ruin of Angels |
2017 |
Buy |
Max Gladstone is an American fantasy author and essayist best known for the Craft Sequence series, six urban fantasy novels about gods, magic, and commerce published between 2012 and 2017. He holds an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College and studied in China for three years, working as a teacher and observing how modern bureaucratic systems function at scale.
The Craft Sequence began with Three Parts Dead, introducing a world where the God Wars ended with gods defeated by human lawyers who bound them in contracts. Gods now operate as corporations, with priests as lawyers and miracles as binding agreements. The magic system is built on legal precedent and financial structure rather than arcane gestures and mystic words. Characters navigate theological disputes through courtroom arguments and contractual negotiations.
Publication order matters. Each book features a different protagonist in a different city, with recurring characters and plot threads weaving through. Last First Snow is a prequel, but it explains concepts in a way that makes most sense after reading two earlier books. Ruin of Angels brings threads together for a finale. Hugo and Nebula nominations followed the series, with Gladstone becoming known for his fresh take on urban fantasy.
Gladstone co-authored Saints and Machine with Amal El-Mohtar, a novella prequel to Emma Newman’s Planetfall series. He’s written essays and reviews for Tor.com, The Atlantic, and NPR on topics including translation, gaming, and genre fiction. He taught creative writing at Catapult and other institutions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Max Gladstone?
Max Gladstone is an American fantasy author and essayist known for the Craft Sequence series. He’s also co-author of Emma Newman’s Planetfall prequels and has written essays for Tor.com, The Atlantic, and other publications. He holds an MFA from Sarah Lawrence and studied in China for several years.
What is the Craft Sequence about?
A secondary world urban fantasy series where gods lost a war to human Craftsmen who bound them in legal and financial structures. Gods now operate as corporations, priests serve as lawyers, and magic functions through contractual agreement rather than raw power. Six books published 2012-2017 follow different protagonists across cities wrestling with revolution, bureaucracy, and the costs of power.
Why read the Craft Sequence in publication order rather than chronological order?
Book 4, Last First Snow, is a prequel set before book 2’s events, but Gladstone designed it to be read fourth. The prequel teaches concepts in a way that only makes sense after experiencing how the world works in earlier books. Publication order preserves authorial intent and reveals information as designed.
Has Gladstone written anything else?
Gladstone co-authored Saints and Machine, a novella prequel to Emma Newman’s Planetfall series, with Amal El-Mohtar. He’s written numerous essays and reviews for publications including Tor.com, The Atlantic, and NPR. He’s also published short fiction and taught creative writing workshops.
What inspired the Craft Sequence?
Gladstone studied and lived in China for years, where he observed how bureaucracy and governance function at massive scale. He wanted to write about gods and magic in a way that reflected modern concerns about corporate power, financial systems, and legal structures, rather than medieval tropes.