Christopher Golden Books in Order

Where Should You Start Reading Christopher Golden?

With a career spanning over three decades, Christopher Golden has written everything from vampire urban fantasy to survival horror and massive comic book tie-ins. If you are new to his work, we recommend starting with one of these three entry points based on your reading preferences:

• For Supernatural Suspense: Start with Ararat (2017). This Bram Stoker Award-winning novel kicks off the Ben Walker series, blending archaeological discovery with ancient, claustrophobic terror.
• For Classic Gothic Action: Start with Of Saints and Shadows (1994). This is Golden's debut novel and the beginning of his acclaimed Shadow Saga, perfect for readers who love dark, high-stakes vampire conspiracies.
• For a Quick Standalone Thrill: Start with Road of Bones (2022) or Snowblind (2014). These standalone horror novels showcase his ability to turn freezing winter landscapes into characters of pure, atmospheric dread.

1. The Ben Walker Series

The Ben Walker books follow an investigator who works for a secret government department tasked with analyzing anomalous, potentially supernatural phenomena. It is best read in order of publication as Walker's character evolves through his encounters with ancient, world-threatening forces:

1. Ararat (2017) – A team of researchers discovers a mysterious cave high on Mount Ararat containing an ancient, horned coffin.
2. The Pandora Room (2019) – Walker is called to a subterranean city in Turkey where archaeologists have discovered a jar that matches the mythic description of Pandora's Box.
3. Red Hands (2020) – A viral outbreak in New England leaves victims with a deadly touch, turning a small town into a quarantined war zone.

2. The Shadow Saga (Peter Octavian)

This series reimagines vampires not just as nocturnal predators, but as an ancient race embroiled in a secret war with the Catholic Church and dark magical cabals. The protagonist, Peter Octavian, is a vampire who seeks to master magical arts to protect humanity. Read this series in strict publication order:

1. Of Saints and Shadows (1994)
2. Angel Souls and Devil Hearts (1995)
3. Of Masques and Martyrs (1998)
4. The Gathering Dark (2003)
5. The Graves of Saints (2013)
6. King of Hell (2014)

Note: The series is occasionally listed as a five-book saga in older prints because of the decade-long gap between the fourth and fifth volumes, but The Graves of Saints and King of Hell officially conclude Octavian's journey.

3. The Outerverse (Co-Created with Mike Mignola)

For fans of dark, atmospheric gothic horror, Golden's collaborations with Hellboy creator Mike Mignola are legendary. Together, they forged the Outerverse, a shared universe distinct from Hellboy. It is split into two primary threads that can be read sequentially:

The Baltimore Saga

Set during a plague-ridden alternate World War I, Lord Henry Baltimore hunts the high vampire who destroyed his life. Start with the prose novel, then transition into the graphic novel series:

• Baltimore, or, The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire (2007) – The core prose novel that introduces Lord Baltimore.
• Baltimore: The Graphic Novels (2011–2017) – A series of graphic novels starting with The Plague Ships and concluding with The Red Kingdom. They fill in the gaps of the novel and continue Baltimore's grim crusade.

The Joe Golem Saga

Set roughly 50 years after the events of Baltimore, this story takes place in a flooded, alternate-history New York City (known as the Drowning City). It follows Joe Golem, an occult detective with a mysterious past.

• Joe Golem and the Drowning City (2012) – The core prose novel.
• Joe Golem: Occult Detective (2016–2020) – Comic runs (starting with The Rat Catcher and the Sunken Dead) that expand Joe's mysteries.

Reading Tip: You can also read Lady Baltimore: The Witch Queens (2021) as a direct follow-up to the Baltimore comics, continuing the fight against supernatural threats in World War II-era Europe.

4. The Veil Trilogy

If you prefer dark portal fantasy, this trilogy explores a barrier between our world and the Myth, where creatures of folklore exist in terrifying reality. This should be read in chronological order:

1. The Myth Hunters (2006)
2. The Borderkind (2007)
3. The Lost Ones (2008)

5. Standalone Novels and Notable Tie-Ins

Golden is a prolific media tie-in writer and collaborator. If you want to jump around, these standalone novels and franchise works can be read at any point:

Chilling Standalones

• Snowblind (2014) – A ghostly blizzard haunts a New England town.
• Road of Bones (2022) – A documentary crew travels Siberia's Kolyma Highway only to find themselves chased by ancient spirits.
• All Hallows (2023) – Set on Halloween night in 1984, two families are hunted by forest-dwelling entities.
• The House of Last Resort (2024) – A couple buys a historic home in Italy for a single Euro, only to uncover church secrets buried in the basement.

Popular Franchise Work

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Golden wrote many of the early spin-off novels, including the fan-favorite The Gatekeeper Trilogy (1999) and The Lost Slayer serial novel (2001). These are best enjoyed if you have watched the first few seasons of the TV series.
• Alien: Golden wrote Alien: River of Pain (2014) and Alien: Sea of Sorrows (2014), which expand on the lore of the movie franchise.
• Hellboy Prose: Novels like The Lost Army (2001) and The Bones of Giants (2001) are canonical prose adventures featuring Mignola's famous character.