Lord Kalvan books in order

The Lord Kalvan series begins with H. Beam Piper's Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen, in which a Pennsylvania state trooper is accidentally transported to a medieval parallel timeline and uses his modern knowledge to change history.

Reading order

# Title Published Author Buy on Amazon
1 Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen 1965 Henry H. Beam Piper Buy
2 Great King’s War 1985 Henry H. Beam Piper N/A
3 Great Kings’ War 1985 Henry H. Beam Piper Buy
4 Kalvan Kingmaker 2000 Henry H. Beam Piper Buy
5 The Fireseed Wars 2010 Henry H. Beam Piper Buy
6 Gunpowder God 2012 Henry H. Beam Piper Buy
7 Siege of Tarr-Hostigos 2012 Henry H. Beam Piper Buy
8 The Hos-Blethan Affair 2014 Henry H. Beam Piper Buy
9 Down Styphon! 2016 Henry H. Beam Piper Buy

Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen (1965) is set in the same universe as the Paratime Police stories but reads like a very different kind of book. Calvin Morrison, an ordinary Pennsylvania cop, gets scooped up by a Paratime conveyor and dumped on an alternate Earth where the technology level resembles late medieval Europe. He lands in Hostigos, a small kingdom being squeezed by Styphon’s House, a religious order that controls the secret of gunpowder production.

Morrison introduces his own knowledge of gunpowder chemistry and military strategy to even the odds. The Paratime Police discover what happened but decide to let him be, since he has built a cover story that protects the secret of cross-timeline travel. After Piper’s death, John F. Carr took up the series with several continuation novels, following Kalvan’s ongoing wars and political struggles across this alternate North America.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Lord Kalvan series?

There are nine books in the Lord Kalvan series, published between 1965 and 2016.

What is the first book in the Lord Kalvan series?

The first book in the Lord Kalvan series is Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen, published in 1965.

How does Calvin Morrison become Lord Kalvan?

Calvin Morrison, a Pennsylvania state trooper, is accidentally caught by a Paratime Police conveyor and dropped on an alternate Earth where Aryan migrants settled North America thousands of years ago. He arrives in the small kingdom of Hostigos, which is under threat from the theocratic Styphon’s House. Morrison uses his knowledge of gunpowder manufacturing and military tactics to help Hostigos fight back, and the locals come to call him Lord Kalvan.

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