Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Divine Death of Jirella Martigore | 2017 | Alex Marshall | N/A |
| 2 | Beasts of the Burnished Chain | 2017 | Alex Marshall | N/A |
| 3 | A Crown for Cold Silver | 2015 | Alex Marshall | Buy |
| 4 | Blut aus Silber | 2015 | Alex Marshall | N/A |
| 5 | A Blade of Black Steel | 2016 | Alex Marshall | Buy |
| 6 | A War in Crimson Embers | 2017 | Alex Marshall | Buy |
The Crimson Empire trilogy starts with A Crown for Cold Silver, which introduces Zosia, once called Cold Cobalt and feared as a warrior-queen, now living under a false name in a small village. When that village is destroyed by soldiers bearing her old banner, she sets out across a well-drawn and morally complicated secondary world to find out who used her legend as a weapon and why. The book has a large cast, multiple storylines, and a dark comic energy that distinguishes it from more po-faced grimdark.
A Blade of Black Steel and A War in Crimson Embers continue and conclude Zosia’s story, ratcheting up the scale without losing sight of the characters who make the world worth caring about. The trilogy is a complete story and does not end on a cliff-hanger. The Divine Death of Jirella Martigore and Beasts of the Burnished Chain are shorter pieces connected to the Crimson Empire world, listed in the series for completeness; they can be read alongside or after the main three novels.