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The Thrifty Reader

The Twelve Kingdoms books in order

The Twelve Kingdoms by Fuyumi Ono has 30 books, published 1991–2019. Reading all of them takes about 94 hours (5,126 pages). 3 can be borrowed free from Open Library.

0The Demonic Child 1Shadow of the Moon,… 1-2The Twelve Kingdoms… 2Shadow of the Moon,… 3Sea of Wind, Shore… 3-4Sea of Wind, Shore… 4Sea of Wind, Shore… 5Sea God in the East… 5.5Drifting Ship 6A Thousand Miles of… 6-7The Twelve Kingdoms… 7A Thousand Miles of… 8The Aspiring Wings 9The Shore at Twilig… 9-10The Shore at Twilig… 10The Shore at Twilig… 11The Dream of Prospe… 11.1Winter Glory 11.2Ally of the Moon 11.3A Letter 11.4Prosperity 11.5Home to the Mountain 12The Birds of Hisho 12.1The Birds of Hisho 12.2A Courtroom in the… 12.3A Green-Veined Orch… 12.4Tidings on the Wind 13Silver Ruins, Black… 13-16The Silver Ruins, T… 14Silver Ruins, Black…
Spines are sized by page count. The orange dot marks a free ebook.

Reading order

  1. Book 0 · 1991

    The Demonic Child

    430 pages, about 7.9 hours 2.0★ (1)

  2. Book 1 · 1992

    Shadow of the Moon, Shadow of the Sea, Part 1

    270 pages, about 5 hours

  3. Book 1-2 · 2007

    The Twelve Kingdoms: Sea of Shadow

    464 pages, about 8.5 hours 5.0★ (2)

  4. Book 2 · 1992

    Shadow of the Moon, Shadow of the Sea, Part 2

    277 pages, about 5.1 hours

  5. Book 3 · 1993

    Sea of Wind, Shore of the Labyrinth 1

    193 pages, about 3.5 hours

  6. Book 3-4 · 2008

    Sea of Wind, Shore of the Labyrinth

    377 pages, about 6.9 hours 4.5★ (2)

  7. Book 4 · 1993

    Sea of Wind, Shore of the Labyrinth 2

    Fuyumi Ono

  8. Book 5 · 1994

    Sea God in the East, Vast Sea in the West

    310 pages, about 5.7 hours

  9. Book 5.5 · 1997

    Drifting Ship

    Fuyumi Ono

  10. Book 6 · 1994

    A Thousand Miles of Wind, the Sky at Dawn, Part 1

    330 pages, about 6 hours

    BORROW FREE

  11. Book 6-7 · 2010

    The Twelve Kingdoms: Skies of Dawn

    656 pages, about 12 hours 5.0★ (1)

  12. Book 7 · 1994

    A Thousand Miles of Wind, the Sky at Dawn, Part 2

    340 pages, about 6.2 hours

  13. Book 8 · 1996

    The Aspiring Wings

    388 pages, about 7.1 hours

    BORROW FREE

  15. Book 9-10 · 2001

    The Shore at Twilight, the Sky at Daybreak

    444 pages, about 8.1 hours

  17. Book 11 · 2001

    The Dream of Prosperity

    321 pages, about 5.9 hours

  18. Book 11.1 · 2001

    Winter Glory

    Fuyumi Ono

  19. Book 11.2 · 2001

    Ally of the Moon

    Fuyumi Ono

  20. Book 11.3 · 2001

    A Letter

    Fuyumi Ono

  21. Book 11.4 · 2001

    Prosperity

    Fuyumi Ono

  22. Book 11.5 · 2001

    Home to the Mountain

    Fuyumi Ono

  23. Book 12 · 2013

    The Birds of Hisho

    326 pages, about 6 hours

    BORROW FREE

  24. Book 12.1 · 2008

    The Birds of Hisho

    Fuyumi Ono

  25. Book 12.2 · 2009

    A Courtroom in the Setting Sun

    Fuyumi Ono

  26. Book 12.3 · 2013

    A Green-Veined Orchid

    Fuyumi Ono

  27. Book 12.4 · 2013

    Tidings on the Wind

    Fuyumi Ono

  28. Book 13 · 2019

    Silver Ruins, Black Moon, Part 1

    Fuyumi Ono

  29. Book 13-16 · 2019

    The Silver Ruins, The Black Moon

    Fuyumi Ono

  30. Book 14 · 2019

    Silver Ruins, Black Moon, Part 2

    Fuyumi Ono

Questions people ask

How many The Twelve Kingdoms books are there?

There are 30 books in the series, published 1991–2019.

Which The Twelve Kingdoms book should I read first?

Start with The Demonic Child (1991), book 0. The list above is the reading order.

How long does it take to read the whole series?

About 94 hours at an average pace of 250 words a minute, or 5,126 pages in total. The longest book is The Twelve Kingdoms: Skies of Dawn at 656 pages.

Can I read The Twelve Kingdoms for free?

3 books can be borrowed free from Open Library with a free account. The book pages have the links.