Dan Jolley Books in Order

Where to Start Reading Dan Jolley

Dan Jolley is an incredibly versatile writer whose work spans traditional novels, comic books, interactive fiction, and video game scripts. Because his catalog is so diverse, your best starting point depends on what genre you enjoy most:

• For Noir Superheroes: Start with the Gray Widow Trilogy. It is set in modern Atlanta and offers a dark, thrilling take on vigilante justice.
• For Young Adult Sci-Fi: Dive into the Alex Unlimited trilogy, which features a teenage spy who can summon parallel-universe versions of herself.
• For Middle-Grade Urban Fantasy: Pick up The Five Elements series, a fast-paced elemental adventure set in San Francisco.
• For Fantasy Detective Mysteries: Start The Demon-Sleuth Scrolls, where a non-human investigator must use logic to solve crimes in a magic-reliant empire.

The Gray Widow Trilogy

This urban sci-fi superhero noir series is set in Georgia. It follows Janey Sinclair, a grieving woman who uses her unique shadow-teleportation powers and a suit of military armor to clean up the streets of Atlanta. The books should be read in order of publication, as they follow a continuous narrative arc:

1. Gray Widow's Walk (2016)
2. Gray Widow's Web (2017)
3. Gray Widow's War (2018)

The Five Elements Series

This middle-grade fantasy series features four friends in San Francisco who accidentally bind themselves to elemental forces (fire, earth, air, and water) and magick. They must master their powers to stop a cult from merging Earth with a nightmare realm called Arcadia. Read these in sequential order:

1. The Emerald Tablet (2016)
2. The Shadow City (2017)
3. The Crimson Serpent (2018)

Alex Unlimited Series

This fast-paced young adult sci-fi series centers on Alexandra "Alex" Benno, a clumsy teen who can pull highly competent alternate versions of herself ("Alex Primes") from other dimensions. The trilogy should be read in chronological order:

1. The Vosarak Code (2007)
2. Split-Second Sight (2007)
3. True Chemistry (2008)

The Demon-Sleuth Scrolls

This high-fantasy mystery series is set in the Valconian Empire, where the first non-human investigator, Nysska Stonegate, solves complex crimes. The series should be read in order of release:

1. The Runemaster Homicide (2021)
2. The Black-Horned Grave (2023)
3. The Runebearer Curse (2024)

Licensed Tie-Ins and Multi-Author Universes

Dan Jolley has contributed individual books and story arcs to several major franchise universes. When browsing these series, keep in mind that he did not write the entire run:

• Star Trek: Starfleet Corps of Engineers (S.C.E.): Dan Jolley co-wrote a single installment, Some Assembly Required (S.C.E. #12, 2002), in collaboration with Scott Ciencin.
• Angel (Buffyverse): Jolley co-authored Vengeance (2002) with Scott Ciencin, which fits into the larger Angel expanded universe.
• My Boyfriend Is a Monster: This multi-author graphic novel series contains two entries penned by Jolley: My Boyfriend Bites (Book 3, 2011) and Wrapped Up in You (Book 6, 2012).
• G.I. Joe and Transformers: Jolley wrote the graphic novels for G.I. Joe: Frontline (Volumes 1–4, 2004) and served as a writer for the crossover comics G.I. Joe vs. The Transformers (Volumes 1–2).
• Twisted Journeys: For these choose-your-own-adventure style graphic gamebooks, Jolley wrote several popular standalones, including The Time Travel Trap, Captured by Pirates, Terror in Ghost Mansion, Alien Incident on Planet J, Vampire Hunt, Agent Mongoose and the Hypno-beam Scheme, and Escape from Pyramid X.

Standalone Novels & Graphic Novels

If you want a complete, self-contained story without committing to a series, Jolley has written several standalone works:

• The Storm (2018) – A standalone disaster thriller.
• House of Teeth (2019) – A horror standalone.
• Bloodhound Volume 2: Crowbar Medicine (2014) – A graphic novel continuation of his acclaimed DC/Dark Horse superhero-detective comic series, Bloodhound.