The World of Espa Chronological Reading Order
Summary of the Espa Chronicle
I used to say if you're brand new to the series, start with A Key for a Key and read through in order. Alternatively, you can start with the Freebooters. Now, you can also start with Rise of the Lark. Each book builds on the last, with a progressive storyline that interlocks in some ways, and evolving characters. Like other epic series: The Wheel of Time, The Dragon Prince, or Dragonlance; this journey is best experienced chronologically. If it’s been a while since you picked up the series, use the guide below for a refresher.
The Espa Chronicle a nine-book series (completed) set in the world of Espa, and is the first nine books chronologically, before branching off into The Freebooters (still going) and The Gold Saga (completed). You can pick up the series either at A Key for a Key, or Whetstone to really experience the Espa Chronicle.
For The Freebooters, start with The Witch and The Blade, which closes out plots that started back in A Key for a Key, and The Gallows Crown. After book ten A Parting of Blades it branches off into the series Order of the Lark and Ascendent. The standalone novel “In Between Now and the End” connects to the Freebooters, but can be read on it’s own. The best place to enter the Gold Saga is with book one of the series, Valhelm, The Dragon¸ which also serves to tie up the first nine books of the Espa Chronicle. You can read the entire series of the Gold Saga as a standalone, but it’s richer if you’ve read the 9 books of the Espa Chronicle,
A note on chapters: Starting Book 11, the Freebooters: The Witch and the Blade, Chapter numbers are arranged as follows: Book chapter, Reign of the Current Emperor chapter, and Overall chapters. For example, if you see 1, 17, 245 this means that it is the first chapter of the book, the seventeenth chapter of the current emperor’s reign, and the two hundred forty-fifth chapter of the whole of the Espa books.
5 Series: The Freebooters, The Espa Chronicle, The Gold Saga, Order of the Lark, Ascendent
(Espa Chronicle 1-9) A Key for a Key→ The Gallows Crown → Ashes of the Pyre → Whetstone → Price of Fealty → Ambitions and Oaths → The Lion, The Dragon, The Matriarchs → The Book of Traitors → Knight of Knights
(The Freebooters 1-14) The Witch and The Blade → Plankholder→ The Noose of Thorns → The Word → Lyonheart→ Homecoming→ Witch of the Gallows→ Odyssey End→ Lark & Lyon→ A Parting of Blades → Bitter Road → Freebooter → Ash and Scars→ Coin and Oath→ City Weeps (unreleased)
(The Gold Saga 1-3) Valhelm, The Dragon → Janus, The Usurper → Elise, The Lioness
(Order of the Lark 1) Rise of the Lark → No Kings, No Crowns → TBA
(Ascendent 1) The Witch and the Butcher → TBA
Standalone Books: Between Now and the End (Novel), Myths & Strands (short stories)
Chronological Reading Order
(Book, World Book #, Series #, Arc #)
A Key for a Key (World of Espa Book 1, Espa Chronicle 1)
The Gallows Crown (World of Espa Book 2, Espa Chronicle 2)
Ashes of the Pyre (World of Espa Book 3, Espa Chronicle 3)
Whetstone (World of Espa Book 4, Espa Chronicle 4)
Price of Fealty (World of Espa Book 5, Espa Chronicle 6)
Ambitions and Oaths (World of Espa Book 6, Espa Chronicle 7)
The Lion, The Dragon, The Matriarchs (World of Espa Book 7, Espa Chronicle 7)
The Book of Traitors (World of Espa Book 8, Espa Chronicle 8)
Knights of Knights (World of Espa Book 9, Espa Chronicle 9) Finishes this series
· Book of Traitors and Knights of Knights occur at the same time
Valhelm, The Dragon (World of Espa Book 10, Gold Saga 1)
The Witch and the Blade (World of Espa book 11, Freebooters 1)
· Valhelm, the Dragon and The Witch and the Blade occur at the same time
Plankholder (World of Espa Book 12, Freebooters 2, Noose & Gallows Arc 1)
Janus, The Usurper (World of Espa Book 13, Gold Saga 2)
· Plankholder and Janus the Usurper occur at the same time
The Noose of Thorns (World of Espa Book 14, Freebooters 3, Noose & Gallows Arc 2)
· The Noose of Thorns and Janus the Usurper occur at the same time
The Word (World of Espa Book 15, Freebooters 4)
· Short stories, occurs at multiple time periods
Lyonheart (World of Espa Book 16, Freebooters 5, Odyssey Arc 1)
Homecoming (World of Espa Book 17, Freebooters 6, Odyssey Arc 2)
Witch of the Gallows (World of Espa Book 18, Freebooters 7, Odyssey Arc 3)
Odyssey End (World of Espa Book 19, Freebooters 8, Odyssey Arc 4)
Lark & Lyon (World of Espa Book 20, Freebooters 9, Noose & Gallows Arc 3)
A Parting of Blades (World of Espa Book 21, Freebooters 10, Noose & Gallows Arc 4)
Elise, The Lioness (World of Espa Book 22, Gold Saga 3) Finishes this series
· A Parting of Blades and Elise, The Lioness Occur at the same time
Rise of the Lark (World of Espa Book 23, Order of the Lark 1)
· Bitter Road, Rise of the Lark and Elise, The Lioness Occur at the same time
Bitter Road (World of Espa Book 24, Freebooters 11, Noose & Gallows Arc 5)
· Bitter Road, Rise of the Lark and Elise, The Lioness Occur at the same time
The Witch and the Butcher (World of Espa Book 25, Ascendent 1)
· The Witch and the Butcher occurs as Elise, The Lioness ends, and at the same time of Bitter Road
Freebooter (World of Espa Book 26, Freebooters 12, Noose & Gallows Arc 6)
· No Kings, No Crowns and Freebooter occurs at the same time
Between Now and the End (World of Espa Book 27, a stand alone novel)
· Occurs between the events of Bitter Road all the way to Freebooters 15: City Weeps)
Ash and Scars (World of Espa Book 28, Freebooters 13)
No Kings, No Crowns (World of Espa Book 29, Order of the Lark 2)
· No Kings, No Crowns and Freebooter occurs at the same time
Coin and Oath (World of Espa Book 30, Freebooters 14, Blackrook 1)
City Weeps (World of Espa Book 31, Freebooters 15, Blackrook 2)
Myths and Strands (World of Espa Book X) Standalone short story book, occurs at multiple time periods