Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Under My Hat: Tales from the Cauldron | 2012 | Ellen Kushner | N/A |
| 2 | Arrivals | 2015 | Ellen Kushner | N/A |
| 3 | Fireworks | 2016 | Ellen Kushner | N/A |
| 4 | The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, Volume 4 | 2010 | Ellen Kushner | N/A |
| 5 | Swordspoint | 1987 | Ellen Kushner | Buy |
| 6 | Red-Cloak | - | Ellen Kushner | N/A |
| 7 | The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, September 1991 | 1991 | Ellen Kushner | N/A |
| 8 | Naked City: Tales of Urban Fantasy | 2011 | Ellen Kushner | N/A |
| 9 | The Fall of the Kings | 2002 | Ellen Kushner | Buy |
| 10 | The Man with the Knives | 2010 | Ellen Kushner | Buy |
| 11 | The Death of the Duke | - | Ellen Kushner | N/A |
| 12 | The Coyote Road | 2007 | Ellen Kushner | N/A |
| 13 | Bending the Landscape: Fantasy | 1997 | Ellen Kushner | N/A |
| 14 | The Privilege of the Sword | 2006 | Ellen Kushner | Buy |
| 15 | Swords of Riverside | 2006 | Ellen Kushner | Buy |
The World of Riverside is set in an unnamed city where professional swordsmen fight duels on behalf of scheming nobles. Ellen Kushner first introduced this world in Swordspoint (1987), a novel that reads like an Alexandre Dumas adventure filtered through Jane Austen’s social awareness. The city has no overt magic; instead, the story runs on political ambition, personal loyalty, and the threat of violence that hangs over every dinner party and back-alley encounter.
The series grew over the years through novels, short stories, and appearances in anthologies. The Privilege of the Sword (2006) follows a young woman who is forced to train as a swordsman by her uncle, the Mad Duke. The Fall of the Kings (2002), co-written with Delia Sherman, moves the timeline forward and introduces elements of real magic into a world that had previously done without it. Various short stories fill in corners of the world, exploring minor characters and side plots.
This list includes the novels, the omnibus edition Swords of Riverside, and the short fiction set in or connected to this world. Some of the short stories originally appeared in anthologies like Naked City and The Coyote Road before being associated with the Riverside setting. Readers new to the series should start with Swordspoint, which requires no background knowledge and stands well on its own.