Guardians of the Flame books in order

The Guardians of the Flame series by Joel Rosenberg follows college students transported into their fantasy role-playing game, where the stakes are suddenly and permanently real.

Reading order

# Title Published Author Buy on Amazon
1 The Sleeping Dragon 1983 Joel Rosenberg Buy
2 The Sword and the Chain 1984 Joel Rosenberg Buy
3 The Silver Crown 1985 Joel Rosenberg Buy
4 The Heir Apparent 1987 Joel Rosenberg Buy
5 The Warrior Lives 1988 Joel Rosenberg Buy
6 The Road to Ehvenor 1991 Joel Rosenberg Buy
7 Guardians of the Flame: To Home and Ehvenor 2004 Joel Rosenberg N/A
8 The Road Home 1995 Joel Rosenberg Buy
9 Not Exactly the Three Musketeers 1999 Joel Rosenberg Buy
10 Not Quite Scaramouche 2001 Joel Rosenberg Buy
11 Not Really The Prisoner of Zenda 2003 Joel Rosenberg Buy

Guardians of the Flame starts with a premise that sounds like wish fulfillment: a group of college students playing a role-playing game find themselves actually transported into their game world. But Joel Rosenberg quickly makes clear that living in a fantasy world means facing real danger, real violence, and real moral choices that don’t come with a reset button.

The eleven-book series follows the characters as they go from confused outsiders to active participants in their new world, eventually taking on causes like the abolition of slavery. The series was ahead of its time in treating the portal fantasy concept with genuine weight and consequence.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Guardians of the Flame series?

There are eleven books in the Guardians of the Flame series, published between 1983 and 2004.

What is the first book in the Guardians of the Flame series?

The first book in the Guardians of the Flame series is The Sleeping Dragon, published in 1983.

Is Guardians of the Flame a light portal fantasy?

Despite the role-playing game premise, the series is darker and more serious than readers might expect. Rosenberg explores real consequences including slavery, war, and death, making it an early example of portal fantasy that takes its premise seriously.

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