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The Middle Earth Legendarium Reading Order

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The classic works of J.R.R. Tolkien, in order of their internal chronology. The definitive example of the High Fantasy genre, John Ronald Reuel Tolkien’s assorted works about Middle Earth go far beyond just The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.

If you’d prefer the film versions, you can find those here.

The First Age

Ainulindalë
In The Silmarillion.
Valaquenta
In The Silmarillion.
Quenta Silmarillion, chapter 1-19
In The Silmarillion.
Beren and Lúthien
Published as a separate work.

Quenta Silmarillion, chapters 20-21
In The Silmarillion.
Narn i Hîn Húrin (The Tale of the Children of Húrin)
In Unfinished Tales.
An expansion of Chapter 21 of “The Silmarillion”.
The Tale of the Children of Húrin: Narn i Chin Húrin
Published as a separate work.
An expansion of Chapter 21 of “The Silmarillion” and Narn i Hîn Húrin in “Unfinished Tales”.
Quenta Silmarillion, chapters 22-23
In The Silmarillion.
Of Tuor and his Coming to Gondolin
In Unfinished Tales.
An expansion of Chapter 23 of “The Silmarillion”.
The Fall of Gondolin
Published as a separate work.
An expansion of Chapter 23 of “The Silmarillion” and “Of Tuor and his Coming to Gondolin” from “Unfinished Tales”.
Quenta Silmarillion, chapter 24
In The Silmarillion.

The Second Age

A Description of the Island of Númenor
In Unfinished Tales.

Aldarion and Erendis: The Mariner’s Wife
In Unfinished Tales.

The Line of Elros: Kings of Númenor
In Unfinished Tales.

Akallabêth
In The Silmarillion.
The History of Galadriel and Celeborn
In Unfinished Tales.

The Fall of Númenor
Published as a separate work.

The Third Age

The Disaster of the Gladden Fields
In Unfinished Tales.

Cirion and Eorl and the Friendship of Gondor and Rohan
In Unfinished Tales.

The Hobbit
Published as a separate work
The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings, Book 1, chapters 1-5.
Published as a separate work.
The Hunt for the Ring
In Unfinished Tales.

The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings, Book 1, chapters 6-12.
Published as a separate work.
The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings, Book 2, chapters 1-10.
Published as a separate work.
The Two Towers: Being the Second Part of The Lord of the Rings, Book 3, chapters 1-6
Published as a separate work.
The Battles of the Fords of Isen
In Unfinished Tales.

The Two Towers: Being the Second Part of The Lord of the Rings, Book 3, chapters 7-11, & Book 4, chapters 1-10
Published as a separate work.
The Return of the King: Being the Third Part of The Lord of the Rings, Book 5, chapters 1-10, and Book 6, chapters 1-4
Published as a separate work.

The Fourth Age

The Return of the King: Being the Third Part of The Lord of the Rings, Book 6, chapter 5
Published as a separate work.
The Quest of Erebor
In Unfinished Tales.
Takes place during chapter 5 of The Return of the King, Book 6.
The Return of the King: Being the Third Part of The Lord of the Rings, Book 6, chapters 6-9
Published as a separate work.
Bilbo’s Last Song
Published as a separate work.
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil
Published as a separate work.
Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age
In The Silmarillion.
The Return of the King: Being the Third Part of The Lord of the Rings, Appendices
Published as a separate work.
The Drúedain
In Unfinished Tales.

The Istari
In Unfinished Tales.

The Palantiri
In Unfinished Tales.
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The Irredeemable Universe Reading Order

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Mark Waid’s brilliant Irredeemable is more or less based on a What If question:

What if Superman went mad and became a supervillain?

It’s a close look at the psychology of superheroics, starting from the unexamined assumption in most comics that anyone who gains powers will also have the right kind of personality for being a hero. The Plutonian is a Superman-analogue who isn’t up to the pressure…

…and Incorruptible is a companion series featuring one of the Plutonian’s arch-enemies, Max Damage, who has an epiphany and decides to become a hero in response to the Plutonian’s turn to villainy. His problem is that the only way he can think of to be a hero is to do the opposite of what he did as a villain…

Irredeemable, vol.1
Reprints Irredeemable #1-4 (April 2009 – July 2009).
Begins one week after the Sky City incident.
Irredeemable, vol.2
Reprints Irredeemable #5-8 (August 2009 – November 2009).
Follows on directly from the previous volume.
Irredeemable, vol.3
Reprints Irredeemable #9-12 (December 2009 – March 2010).
Follows on directly from the previous volume.
Irredeemable, vol.4
Reprints Irredeemable Special #1 (April 2010) and Irredeemable #13-15 (May 2010 – July 2010).
Begins five weeks after the Sky City incident.
Incorruptible, vol.1
Reprints Incorruptible #1-4 (December 2009 – March 2010).
Begins 37 days after the Sky City incident.
Incorruptible, vol.2
Reprints Incorruptible #5-8 (April 2010 – July 2010).
Follows on directly from the previous volume.
Incorruptible, vol.3
Reprints Incorruptible #9-12 (August 2010 – November 2010).
Follows on directly from the previous volume; must occur before the events of the next Irredeemable volume.
Irredeemable, vol.5
Reprints Irredeemable #16-19 (August 2010 – November 2010).
Follows on directly from the previous volume of Incorruptible.
Incorruptible, vol.4
Reprints Incorruptible #13-16 (December 2010 – March 2011).
Overlaps slightly with the previous volume of Irredeemable, but mostly occurs and is best read after it.
Irredeemable, vol.6
Reprints Irredeemable #20-23 (December 2010 – March 2011).
Incorruptible, vol.5
Reprints Incorruptible #17-20 (April – July 2011).
Irredeemable, vol.7<
Reprints Irredeemable #24-27 (April 2011 – July 2011).
Incorruptible, vol.6
Reprints Incorruptible #21-24 (August 2011 – November 2011).
Irredeemable, vol.8
Reprints Irredeemable #28-31 (August 2011 – November 2011).
Irredeemable, vol.9
Reprints Irredeemable #32-33 (December 2011 – January 2012) & Incorruptible #25-26 (December 2011 – January 2012).
Incorruptible, vol.7
Reprints Incorruptible #27-30 (February 2012 – May 2012).
This is the final volume of Incorruptible.
Irredeemable, vol.10
Reprints Irredeemable #34-37 (Febryary 2012 – May 2012).
This is the final volume of Irredeemable.
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The Harry Potter Movie Series Viewing Order

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The world of the movies based on the J.K. Rowling’s books, in internal chronological order – for the books, go here instead.

The 1920s

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
The 2016 film.
The Crimes of Grindelwald
The 2018 film.
The Secrets of Dumbledore
The 2022 film.
 

The 1990s

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
The 2001 film.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
The 2002 film.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
The 2004 film.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
The 2005 film.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
The 2007 film.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
The 2009 film.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I
The 2010 film.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II
The 2011 film.
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The Harry Potter Book Series Reading Order

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The original series of books by J.K. Rowling plus assorted side works she has added – for the films, go here instead.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Edition of the original 2016 screenplay.
The Crimes of Grindelwald
Edition of the original 2018 screenplay.
The Secrets of Dumbledore
Edition of the original 2022 screenplay.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Illustrated edition of the original 1998 novel.
Quidditch Through the Ages
Edition of the in-universe book first mentioned in the preceding novel.
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Edition of the in-universe book first mentioned in the preceding novel.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Illustrated edition of the original 1999 novel.
Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban
Edition of the original 1999 novel.
Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire
Edition of the original 2000 novel.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Edition of the original 2003 novel.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Edition of the original 2005 novel.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Edition of the original 2007 novel.
The Tales of Beedle the Bard
Edition of the in-universe book first mentioned in the preceding novel.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Edition of the original 2016 play.
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The Room Where It’s Happening Listening Order

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A podcast going through Lin Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton one song at a time.

So you know about Hamilton, right? If you don’t, you should listen to it as soon as you can – you won’t be sorry.

If you’ve already listened to it, learn more about the musical in Hamilton: The Revolution or the man in Ron Chernow’s biography of Alexander Hamilton.

This Listening Order arranges the various podcast episodes into the same order as the songs in the musical:

  1. “Alexander Hamilton” — Episode #9: Yvette Nicole Brown: Heart, Comedy, History
  2. “Aaron Burr, Sir” — Episode #16: Matt Belknap: Converted Skeptic
  3. “My Shot” — Episode #2: Kristin Chenoweth: My Shot
  4. “The Story of Tonight” — Episode #24: Utkarsh Ambudkar: Making Lin-monade
  5. “The Schuyler Sisters” — Episode #4: Jasmine Cephas Jones: My Jaw Dropped
  6. “Farmer Refuted” — Episode #28: Barbara Gray: Hamilton With Strangers
  7. “You’ll Be Back” — Episode #8: Kevin Daniels: It’s Not Hype
  8. “Right Hand Man” — Episode #19: Franklin Leonard: Nonstop Listening
  9. “A Winter’s Ball” — Episode #27: Jamie Denbo and John Ross Bowie: Ham Fam
  10. “Helpless” —
  11. “Satisfied” — Episode #3: Ron Chernow: Rockstar Biographer
  12. “The Story of Tonight (Reprise)” —
  13. “Wait for It” — Episode #7: Anthony Ramos: Making Life Onstage
  14. “Stay Alive” —
  15. “Ten Duel Commandments” — Episode #22: Gabourey Sidibe: Hip Hop is My Foundation
  16. “Meet Me Inside” —
  17. “That Would Be Enough” — Episode #32: Rachel Sklar: Musical Theater Knocked Me Up
  18. “Guns and Ships” — Episode #31: Ashley Ford: When Harry (Potter) Met Hamilton
  19. “History Has Its Eyes On You” — Episode #15: David Korins: Designing Hamilton
  20. “Yorktown (The World Turned Upside Down)” — Episode #14: Alex Lacamoire: Musical Mastermind
  21. “What Comes Next?” — Episode #33: Mara Wilson: Live from NYC Pod Fest
  22. “Dear Theodosia” — Episode #23: Chris Gethard: Nerding Out on the Founding Fathers
  23. Jefferson vs Hamilton“Non-Stop” — Episode #6: Tracy Clayton: Hamilton Privilege
  24. “What’d I Miss?” — Episode #10: Alex Horwitz: Rolling Cameras on Hamilton
  25. “Cabinet Battle #1” — Episode #11: David Gregory: A Different American Lens
  26. “Take a Break” — Episode #20: Ari Afsar: Live at the Chicago Podcast Festival
  27. “Say No to This” — Episode #25: Rachel Bloom: Queen of Musicals
  28. “The Room Where It Happens” —
  29. “Schuyler Defeated” —
  30. “Cabinet Battle #2” — Episode #5: John Hodgman: The Immediate Effect
  31. “Washington On Your Side” —
  32. “One Last Time” —
  33. “I Know Him” — Episode #21: Jimmy and Oliver Pardo: Father-Son Hamilheads
  34. “The Adams Administration” —
  35. “We Know” —
  36. “Hurricane” — Episode #1: Adam Savage: “Hamilton” is Our Shakespeare
  37. “The Reynolds Pamphlet” — Episode #17: John Tesh: Hamilton, Nine Times Over
  38. “Burn” — Episode #12: Jesse Tyler Ferguson: A Whole Other Level
  39. “Blow Us All Away” —
  40. “Stay Alive (Reprise)” — Episode #29: Eliza Skinner: Rip Your Heart Out
  41. “It’s Quiet Uptown” —
  42. “The Election of 1800” — Episode #26: Mike Still: Politics, Then and Now
  43. “Your Obedient Servant” — Episode #13: Hasan Minhaj: Hamilton’s Tupac Factor
    — Episode #30: Riley Silverman: How I Killed Your Founding Father
  44. “Best of Wives and Best of Women” —
  45. “The World Was Wide Enough” — Episode #18: David Del Rio: The Actor’s Perspective
  46. “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story” —
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The Expanse Reading Order

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Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck’s epic space opera series.
Unless otherwise mentioned, all stories are written by Abraham and Franck under their pseudonym James S.A. Corey.

The Martian
Novel written by Andy Weir, published 2011.
There is a reference to a ship from Mars named after the main character of this novel, Mark Watney, in Babylon’s Ashes, suggesting that its events may have taken place in this universe. It’s a reasonable fit chronologically and tonally, so why not?
Drive
Short story published November 27, 2012.
The Churn
Short story published April 29, 2014.
The Butcher of Anderson Station
Short story published October 17, 2011.
Leviathan Wakes
Novel published June 15, 2011.
The Last Flight of the Cassandra
Short story published May 14, 2019.
Caliban’s War
Novel published June 26, 2012.
Gods of Risk
Short story published September 15, 2012.
Abaddon’s Gate
Novel published June 4, 2013.
The Vital Abyss
Short story published October 15, 2015.
Cibola Burn
Novel published June 17, 2014.
Nemesis Games
Novel published June 2, 2015.
Babylon’s Ashes
Novel published December 6, 2016.
Strange Dogs
Short story published July 18, 2017.
Persepolis Rising
Novel published December 5, 2017.
Auberon
Short story published November 12, 2019.
Tiamat’s Wrath
Novel published March 26, 2019.
Leviathan Falls
Novel published November 30, 2021.
The Sins of Our Fathers
Short story published March 15, 2022.
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The Works of Shakespeare Reading Order

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The plays and epic poetry of William Shakespeare…

As arranged into the order of their internal chronology by Isaac Asimov in his Guide

The Greeks

Venus and Adonis
Poem published 1593, set in the era of myths.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Play first staged in 1595 or 1596, set in the era of the Greek heroes.
The Two Noble Kinsmen
Play first staged in 1613 or 1614, set in the era of the Greek heroes. Co-written with John Fletcher.
Troilus and Cressida
Play first staged in 1603, set in the era of the Greek heroes.
Timon of Athens
Play written in 1605-6, set in the era of Classical Greece. Co-written with Thomas Middleton.
The Winter’s Tale
Play written in 1610-11, set in the era of Classical Greece.
The Comedy of Errors
Play written in 1594, set in the era of Classical Greece.
Pericles, Prince of Tyre
Play written in 1607-8, set in the era of Classical Greece. Co-written with George Wilkins.

The Romans

The Rape of Lucrece
Poem published 1594, set in the Roman Kingdom.
Coriolanus
Play written in 1607-8, set in the Roman Kingdom.
Julius Caesar
Play written in 1599, set in the Roman Empire.
Antony and Cleopatra
Play written in 1606–07, set in the Roman Empire.
Titus Andronicus
Play first performed in 1594, set in the Roman Empire.

The English Plays

King Lear
Play written in 1605-6, set in pre-Norman Britain.
Cymebline
Play first performed in 1611, set in pre-Norman Britain.
Hamlet
Play written in 1599-1602, set in pre-Norman Britain.
Macbeth
Play written in 1606, set in pre-Norman Britain.
King John
Play written in 1587-98, set in Middle Ages Britain.
Edward III
Play first printed in 1586, set in Middle Ages Britain. Co-written with Thomas Kyd.
Richard II
Play written in 1597, set in Middle Ages Britain.
King Henry IV, Part 1
Play first performed in 1597, set in Middle Ages Britain.
King Henry IV, Part 2
Play written in 1596-9, set in Middle Ages Britain.
The Merry Wives of Windsor
Play first performed in 1597, set in Middle Ages Britain.
Henry V
Play written in 1599, set in Middle Ages Britain.
King Henry VI, Part 1
Play first performed in 1592, set in Middle Ages Britain.
King Henry VI, Part 2
Play written in 1591-2, set in Middle Ages Britain.
King Henry IV, Part 3
Play written in 1591-2, set in Middle Ages Britain.
Richard III
Play written in 1591, set in Middle Ages Britain.
King Henry VIII
Play first performed in 1613, set in Middle Ages Britain.
Sir Thomas More
Play first performed by 1594, set during the reign of King Henry VIII. Co-written with Anthony Munday and Henry Chettle.

The Italians

Love’s Labour’s Lost
Play written in 1595-6, set in Renaissance Italy.
The Taming of the Shrew
Play written in 1592, set in Renaissance Italy.
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
Play written in 1590-1, set in Renaissance Italy.
Romeo and Juliet
Play written in 1591-5, set in Renaissance Italy.
The Merchant of Venice
Play written in 1596-7, set in Renaissance Italy.
Much Ado About Nothing
Play written in 1598-9, set in Renaissance Italy.
As You Like It
Play written in 1598-9, set in Renaissance Italy.
Twelfth Night
Play written in 1600-1, set in Renaissance Italy.
All’s Well That Ends Well
Play written in 1604-5, set in Renaissance Italy.
Othello
Play written in 1603-4, set in Renaissance Italy.
Measure for Measure
Play written in 1603-4, set in Renaissance Italy.
The Tempest
Play written in 1610-11, set in Renaissance Italy.
Double Falsehood
Play written in 1612-13, set in Renaissance Spain. Co-written by John Fletcher (as ‘Cardenio’), and reconstructed by Lewis Theobald in 1727.
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The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Reading Order

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A Victorian Era Justice League

A little series by Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill, which began as a Victorian Era Justice League featuring the familiar characters of that era’s fiction, but eventually expanded into the modest ambition of eventually including basically every piece of fiction ever. Along the way, it moved from America’s Best Comics (an imprint of WildStorm Comics published under the aegis of DC Comics) to a wholly creator-owned new home at Top Shelf Productions.

That said, a fantastic set of series, with loving attention to detail shining from every panel. This timeline also includes the annotations to the various volumes, since you’ll be missing at least half of the references without them.

Despite its original publisher, it is not a part of the America’s Best Comics Universe.

1898 — The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume I
Annotations by Jess Nevins: Heroes & Monsters: The Unofficial Companion to the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
1898 — The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume II
Annotations by Jess Nevins: A Blazing World: The Unofficial Companion to the Second League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
1910 — The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume III: Century #1
 
1925 — Nemo: Heart of Ice
 
1941 — Nemo: The Roses of Berlin
 
1958 — The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, The Black Dossier
Annotations by Jess Nevins: Impossible Territories: An Unofficial Companion to The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
1969 — The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume III: Century #2
 
1975 — Nemo: River of Ghosts
 
2009 — The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume III: Century #3
 
2010 — The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume IV: Tempest

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The Mad Max Chronology

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A few years from now…

The Cars That Ate Paris
1974 film on DVD.
Included because some car designs in Fury Road are clearly inspired by the iconic car design in this film – for purposes of this timeline, it’s the same car.
Market Forces
2004 novel written by Richard K. Morgan.
Morgan has specifically identified Mad Max as an inspiration for the story, describing it as an unofficial addition to the world of the film – while it has no direct connection, it is set in the same societal decay that opens the first film, albeit in England, rather than Australia.

Mad Max
1979 film on Blu-ray.
Mad Max
1990 NES game.
Appears to be set before The Road Warrior, based on the appearance of the V8 Interceptor.
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
1981 film on Blu-ray.
Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome
1985 film on Blu-ray.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
2024 film on Blu-ray.
Mad Max: Fury Road
Reprints Mad Max: Fury Road – Nux and Immortan Joe #1 (July 2015); Mad Max: Fury Road – Furiosa #1 (August 2015); & Mad Max: Fury Road – Mad Max #1-2 (September 2015 – October 2015).
Collection of prequel comics.
Mad Max: Fury Road
2015 film on Blu-ray.
Mad Max
Game for PS4. Also available for Xbox One and PC.
See you on the road!