Drew Hayes Books in Order

Where to Start with Drew Hayes

Drew Hayes is master of subverting classic fantasy and superhero tropes with a signature blend of warmhearted humor, complex world-building, and relatable underdogs. Because his series are completely independent of one another, you can start with whichever premise hooks you first. However, two series stand out as the absolute best entry points for new readers:

• For Superhero & Coming-of-Age Fans: Start with Super Powereds: Year 1. It follows five 'Powereds' (people with uncontrollable abilities) who undergo a experimental procedure to gain control and enter a brutal college superhero certification program.
• For Cozy & Comedic Fantasy Fans: Start with The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant. It stars a mild-mannered accountant who is turned into a vampire but decides to keep doing taxes anyway, slowly building an eccentric found family of supernatural clients and allies.

Super Powereds Reading Order

The Super Powereds series is a fan favorite, but navigating it requires one crucial detour. Drew Hayes wrote a spin-off novel called Corpies that runs parallel to the events of Super Powereds: Year 3. While it focuses on a different set of characters (specifically Titan, a veteran hero working in the corporate, non-combat hero division), it introduces critical lore and character arcs that directly impact the climax of the main series. To avoid massive spoilers and confusion, you must read it before beginning the final book.

The recommended reading order is:

1. Super Powereds: Year 1 (2013)
2. Super Powereds: Year 2 (2013)
3. Corpies (2016) — Note: While some readers read this after Year 3, the safest and most spoiler-free placement is right after Year 2.
4. Super Powereds: Year 3 (2015)
5. Super Powereds: Year 4 (2018)

Fred, the Vampire Accountant Reading Order

Unlike the superhero books, Fred's adventures are episodic but follow a strict chronological timeline. Each book consists of several smaller, interconnected cases that push Fred's career and personal life forward. You should read these in exact publication order. The series officially concluded with the publication of the ninth book in 2025.

1. The Utterly Uninteresting and Unadventurous Tales of Fred, the Vampire Accountant (2014)
2. Undeath and Taxes (2015)
3. Bloody Acquisitions (2016)
4. The Fangs of Freelance (2017)
5. Deadly Assessments (2018)
6. Undeading Bells (2019)
7. Out of House and Home (2021)
8. Posthumous Education (2022)
9. All Accounts Settled (2025)

Spells, Swords, & Stealth Reading Order

For fans of tabletop roleplaying games like Dungeons & Dragons, this LitRPG-adjacent series is a must-read. The story begins in a fantasy world where a group of classic RPG player characters die mid-game, forcing a group of local Non-Player Characters (NPCs) to take up their gear and pretend to be the heroes to save their town from destruction. Read them in publication order:

1. NPCs (2014)
2. Split the Party (2015)
3. Going Rogue (2016)
4. Siege Tactics (2018)
5. Noble Roots (2022)

Villains' Code Reading Order

If you loved Super Powereds but want a darker, more morally gray spin on superheroes, Villains' Code is set in a completely separate universe where the villains are organized under a strict guild. It follows Tori, a young meta-human thief recruited into the guild as an apprentice. Along with the main novels, Hayes has published short story anthologies (Vignettes) that flesh out the supporting cast.

1. Forging Hephaestus (2017)
2. Bones of the Past (2020)
3. Villains' Vignettes: Volume I (2020) — A collection of companion short stories.
4. Chilling Reflections (2025)
5. Villains' Vignettes: Volume II (2025)

5-Minute Sherlock Reading Order

This comedic mystery series features Sherry, a brilliant but highly dysfunctional detective who can only focus his enhanced mind for exactly five minutes at a time. The series is particularly popular in its audiobook format, narrated by Vance Bast. It should be read in order:

1. The Case of the Damaged Detective (2019)
2. The Case of the Haunted Haunted House (2021)
3. The Case of the Felonious Faire (2023)

Roverpowered Series

One of Hayes's newer ventures is Roverpowered, a lighthearted progression fantasy series. It follows Wanda, an aspiring alchemist, and her overwhelmingly powerful dog, Wumble. This series is published in a more frequent, episodic format and should be read in chronological sequence starting with Book 1 (2024) through the subsequent numbered entries.

Standalone Novels & Short Story Collections

If you want a quick, self-contained taste of Drew Hayes's writing, he has penned several excellent standalone projects:

• Pears and Perils (2013): A cozy mystery set in a small Texas town.
• Second Hand Curses (2017): A dark, witty reimagining of classic fairy tales following a crew of mercenaries who deal with the collateral damage of fairy godmothers' curses.
• A Decade of Death and Decisions (2024): A cohesive novel compiled from ten years of interactive Halloween 'Choose Your Own Adventure' style web serials hosted on Hayes's blog.

The Shingles Books

Drew Hayes is a key contributor to the Shingles series, which is a collection of collaborative, highly satirical, comedic pulp-horror novellas co-authored with other members of the Pen and Cape Society and the Authors & Dragons podcast group. These books feature absurd, over-the-top premises (like Aliens Wrecked Our Kegger or the recurring G.I.R.L. series). They do not require a strict reading order, though multi-part subseries like G.I.R.L. should be read in numerical order.