Catherynne M. Valente Books in Order

Where to Start with Catherynne M. Valente

Catherynne M. Valente is the queen of "mythpunk"—a term she coined to describe a subgenre of speculative fiction that weaves classical folklore and mythology with postmodern, feminist, and often surrealist elements. Because her style is highly lyrical, dense, and structurally experimental, the best place to start depends entirely on your reading preferences:

• For Whimsical, All-Ages Fantasy: Start with The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making. It is a brilliant, whimsical series in the vein of Neil Gaiman and Lewis Carroll that appeals equally to younger readers and adults.
• For Dark Folklore and History: Start with Deathless. This standalone novel sets the Russian folktale of Marya Morevna and Koschei the Deathless against the stark backdrop of Stalinist Russia and the Siege of Leningrad.
• For Lush, Intricate Nesting Narratives: Start with In the Night Garden (The Orphan's Tales). If you love the puzzle-box storytelling of One Thousand and One Nights, this is Valente at her most structurally ambitious.
• For Quirky, Humorous Sci-Fi: Start with Space Opera. Imagine the Eurovision Song Contest, but on a galactic scale, deciding the fate of humanity in a glittery, high-stakes space adventure.

The Fairyland Series Reading Order

Valente's most famous and beloved series is the Fairyland sequence. It follows a girl named September who is swept away from Omaha by the Green Wind to Fairyland. While the main novels form a clear progression, there are prequel and companion pieces to keep in mind. The recommended order is publication order:

1. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (2011)
2. The Girl Who Ruled Fairyland - For a Little While (2011) – A prequel novella focusing on the character Mallow, explaining how she became the Green Wind's driver. Can be read first, but is best enjoyed after the first novel.
3. The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland and Led the Revels There (2012)
4. The Girl Who Soared Over Fairyland and Cut the Moon in Two (2013)
5. The Boy Who Lost Fairyland (2015) – Shifts focus to a changeling boy named Hawthorn before connecting back to September's journey.
6. The Girl Who Raced Fairyland All the Way Home (2016)
7. The Beasts Who Fought for Fairyland Until the Very End and Further Still (2016) – A short companion prequel written as a political parable, available on the author's blog. Best read after finishing the main series.

The Orphan's Tales

This duology is a masterpiece of modern mythpunk. A young girl with ink-stained eyelids lives in a sultan's garden and tells stories to a lonely prince. The stories are nested within one another like Russian nesting dolls, requiring careful attention but offering incredible rewards. Read them in strict publication order:

1. In the Night Garden (2006)
2. In the Cities of Coin and Spice (2007)

A Dirge for Prester John: The Unfinished Trilogy

This series reimagines the medieval myth of Prester John and his fabled utopian Christian kingdom in the East. While highly acclaimed for its historical depth and gorgeous prose, readers should be aware that the trilogy is currently incomplete:

1. The Habitation of the Blessed (2010)
2. The Folded World (2011)

Note on the Trilogy's Status: The final book, tentatively titled The Spindle of Necessity, remains unreleased. Following a split with the original publisher, Night Shade Books, the rights to the first two novels reverted to Valente. While she has expressed a desire to self-publish or crowdfund the conclusion, no official release date has been set.

The Leningrad Diptych

Despite being marketed or indexed in some databases as the "Leningrad Diptych," this sequence currently consists of just one novel:

• Deathless (2011)

There is no second book in this sequence, and Deathless functions perfectly as a complete, standalone historical fantasy novel.

Space Opera

For readers looking for something completely different, Valente's Space Opera series is a glittery, high-energy homage to Douglas Adams's style of humorous science fiction:

1. Space Opera (2018)
2. Space Oddity (2024)

Notable Standalones and Novellas

Valente has written a massive catalog of shorter fiction and standalone novels that showcase her incredible range:

• Palimpsest (2009): A Lambda Literary Award-winning urban fantasy about a sexually transmitted city that visitors can only enter after sleeping with someone who has been there. Highly adult and deeply poetic.
• Radiance (2015): A decade-spanning decopunk space mystery set in an alternate history where the planets of our solar system are habitable and Hollywood took to the stars.
• The Past Is Red (2021): A post-apocalyptic novella set in "Garbagetown," a floating community made of humanity's trash. It compiles her Hugo-nominated novelette The Future Is Blue (Part I) with a new concluding story (Part II).
• Comfort Me With Apples (2021): A dark, psychological thriller novella set in a gated community called Arcadia Gardens. It is highly recommended to read this book knowing absolutely nothing about the plot beforehand.

Franchise Tie-Ins and Co-authored Books

Valente has also lent her unique voice to established gaming franchises. If you are a fan of these universes, her contributions are must-reads:

• Mass Effect: Annihilation (2018): The third novel in the Mass Effect: Andromeda tie-in book series. It tells the story of the Quarian ark, Keelah Si'yah, and is highly praised by fans for resolving key plot threads left open by the video game.
• Minecraft: The End (2019): The fourth official Minecraft novel. It is a creative, surprisingly emotional fantasy that follows twin Endermen, Fin and Mo, as they defend their home from invading humans.