October Daye Books in Order

Where to Start the October Daye Series

For the best experience, you should start reading the series with the very first novel, Rosemary and Rue. Seanan McGuire constructs a highly continuous narrative arc where characters grow, age, die, and change permanently. Unlike episodic mystery series where you can jump in at any point, the emotional weight and complex political alliances in the October Daye books build directly on the events of previous volumes. Starting anywhere else will leave you spoiled on major plot twists and confused by the extensive web of fae relationships.

October Daye Publication Order

Here is the list of novels and major entries in their publication order. Follwing this sequence is the author's recommended way to experience the saga:

1. Rosemary and Rue (2009): The book that introduces us to October 'Toby' Daye, a changeling knight and former PI who is dragged back into the fae world after a fourteen-year exile spent as a koi fish. She must solve the murder of Countess Evening Winterrose under the threat of a dying curse.
2. A Local Habitation (2010): Toby is sent to the County of Tamed Lightning, a tech-heavy fae enclave in Silicon Valley, to investigate a series of mysterious deaths targeting her liege's niece.
3. An Artificial Night (2010): When human and changeling children are stolen by the fae boogeyman Blind Michael, Toby must venture into his realm and risk her own soul to bring them back.
4. Late Eclipses (2011): Toby faces deadly poisons, family secrets, and the rising threat of a conspiracy aimed at her and her loved ones in the San Francisco courts.
5. One Salt Sea (2011): A conflict between land-dwelling and sea-dwelling Fae threatens to break into open war when the sons of the Duchess of the Undersea go missing.
6. Ashes of Honor (2012): Still recovering from devastating personal loss, Toby is hired by a Duke to locate his daughter, a changeling with the unique ability to teleport.
7. Chimes at Midnight (2013): A highly addictive and lethal drug called goblin fruit is sweeping through the changeling population. Toby must take on the Queen of the Mists to shut down the supply.
8. The Winter Long (2014): Toby faces ancient enemies and long-buried secrets of the high courts when characters from her past return to upend her life.
9. A Red-Rose Chain (2015): Toby acts as a diplomat to the Kingdom of Silences, navigating dangerous courtly intrigue to prevent a full-scale war.
10. Full of Briars (2016): This is a companion novella that focuses on Toby's squire, Quentin Sollys, as his parents, the High King and Queen of the Westlands, arrive to inspect his progress.
11. Once Broken Faith (2016): Fae monarchs gather to debate a permanent cure for goblin fruit addiction, but the conference is thrown into chaos by an assassination attempt.
12. The Brightest Fell (2017): Toby is coerced by her mother, the legendary creator Amandine, to search for her long-lost sister, leading to dark family revelations.
13. Night and Silence (2018): After a tragic event, Toby's human-raised daughter Gillian is kidnapped, forcing Toby to confront the human world she left behind.
14. The Unkindest Tide (2019): Toby must travel to the Luidaeg’s home waters to pay an ancient debt and attempt to restore the Selkies, a lost race of Fae.
15. A Killing Frost (2020): To save her found family, Toby embarks on a quest to find her father, which uncovers deep secrets about the origin of the fae.
16. When Sorrows Come (2021): Toby and Tybalt, the King of Cats, finally prepare to walk down the aisle, but their wedding is disrupted by traditional fae trials.
17. Be the Serpent (2022): A dark and tragic entry in the series where a close, trusted ally betrays Toby, leaving her world shattered and setting up a major confrontation.
18. Sleep No More (2023): Toby finds herself trapped in a twisted, idealized illusion of her life created by Titania, completely unaware of her real history.
19. The Innocent Sleep (2023): This book runs concurrently with Sleep No More, retelling the same timeframe but from the perspective of Tybalt as he fights to break the spell and rescue Toby.
20. Silver and Lead (2025): Following the confrontation with Titania, this novel marks the series' transition to Tor Publishing Group as Toby handles the political fallout.

Key Chronological Caveats and Companion Pieces

While publication order is the easiest path, there are two major areas where chronological deviations occur:

The Quentin Novella: Full of Briars

Although published in 2016 (between A Red-Rose Chain and Once Broken Faith), the novella Full of Briars takes place chronologically immediately after the events of Chimes at Midnight (Book 7) and before The Winter Long (Book 8). Reading it in its chronological slot gives you a deeper look at Quentin's background before he plays a major role in later novels, though reading it in publication order works perfectly fine as well.

The Concurrent Novels: Sleep No More & The Innocent Sleep

Books 17 and 18, Sleep No More and The Innocent Sleep, are companion novels that tell the same story from two different perspectives. Sleep No More follows Toby's point of view inside Titania's illusion, while The Innocent Sleep follows Tybalt's point of view in the real world. Readers should always read Sleep No More first. Starting with The Innocent Sleep will spoil the mystery and the jarring nature of Toby's experience in the illusion.

Short Stories and Patreon Fiction

Seanan McGuire has written over fifty short stories and novellas set in the October Daye universe. Many of these were originally published as bonus material in the back of the print editions of the novels. While they offer rich backstories for characters like the Luidaeg, Tybalt, and Quentin, they are not strictly necessary to understand the main plot. For a complete list of short stories, fan-curated reading guides on the October Daye Wiki are the best resource.