The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
science fiction
Series · science fiction
Apprentice Adept
The Apprentice Adept series by Piers Anthony has 7 known books (7 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Split Infinity (1980).
- Books
- 7 known books (7 novels)
- Published
- 7
- First published
- 1980
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Science Fiction
- Last checked
Start here: Split Infinity (1980) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Split Infinity
Split Infinity launched Piers Anthony's Apprentice/Adept series in 1980 at 368 pages, introducing Stile's double life across two versions of the same world -- Proton, a rigidly stratified science-fiction planet of rigged games, and Phaze, its magical parallel dimension where Stile has a sorcerer counterpart.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Split Infinity - Book 2:
Blue Adept
Blue Adept followed a year later, in 1981, slightly shorter at 327 pages, continuing Stile's parallel rise through Proton's sanctioned Games and Phaze's magical political intrigue as the second book of the original trilogy.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Blue Adept - Book 3:
Juxtaposition
Juxtaposition completed the original trilogy in 1982, running 358 pages, bringing Stile's interwoven story across Proton and Phaze to its first conclusion before Anthony returned to the series five years later.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Juxtaposition - Book 4:
Out of Phaze
Five years passed before Out of Phaze continued the series in 1987, the shortest book yet at 288 pages. It opens the concluding four-book arc that shifts focus toward the next generation navigating the same Proton/Phaze divide.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Out of Phaze - Book 5:
Robot Adept
Robot Adept came the following year, 1988, at 341 pages, continuing the second arc's deepened political stakes across both Proton's cybernetic games and Phaze's sorcery.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Robot Adept - Book 6:
Unicorn Point
Unicorn Point followed in 1989, a year after Robot Adept, at 337 pages, advancing the closing tetralogy's dual-world story toward its resolution.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Unicorn Point - Book 7:
Phaze Doubt
Phaze Doubt closed the series in 1990, the year after Unicorn Point, at 352 pages -- just shy of Split Infinity's opening length -- bringing the seven-book, genre-blending chronicle of Proton and Phaze to its end.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Phaze Doubt
About the Apprentice Adept series
Stile lives a double life across two versions of the same world: Proton, a rigidly stratified science-fiction planet where citizens compete in dangerous sanctioned games (the Game) for the vanishingly rare chance to become one of its ruling elite, and Phaze, a parallel fantasy dimension of magic, unicorns, and political intrigue where Stile's own counterpart is a powerful Adept sorcerer. Anthony structures the series around the two settings' constant, deliberate contrast — Proton's plots hinge on genetic engineering, cybernetics, and rigged competitions, while Phaze's hinge on magical duels and courtly conspiracy — while a single continuous story about Stile's rise, romance, and political maneuvering runs through both worlds simultaneously, chapter by chapter alternating between them.
The series was originally conceived and published as two distinct arcs: an initial trilogy (1980-1982) establishing Stile's discovery of Phaze and his rise in both worlds, followed five years later by a concluding tetralogy (1987-1990) that shifts focus toward the next generation and deepens the political stakes on both sides of the Proton/Phaze divide. Read together, the seven novels form one of Anthony's most structurally ambitious works: a genre-blending duology-of-a-world that treats science fiction and fantasy not as separate genres but as two consistent, interlocking rule systems governing the same underlying story.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the Apprentice Adept series?
Seven novels in two arcs: an original trilogy (Split Infinity through Juxtaposition, 1980-1982) and a concluding tetralogy (Out of Phaze through Phaze Doubt, 1987-1990).
What order should I read the Apprentice Adept books in?
Publication order, starting with Split Infinity. Read the original trilogy first, then the tetralogy - the later four books build directly on the first three.
What is the premise of the Apprentice Adept series?
One character, Stile, lives a double life split between Proton, a science-fiction world of rigged games and rigid class structure, and Phaze, its parallel fantasy dimension of magic and sorcery, with a single continuous story running through both.
Is the Apprentice Adept series finished?
Yes. All seven novels were published between 1980 and 1990, with the final four appearing five years after the original trilogy concluded, and Piers Anthony has not returned to the series since.
Do I need to read both the trilogy and the tetralogy?
To follow the full story, yes - the tetralogy directly continues the trilogy's plot and characters, though the original trilogy alone does offer a complete arc if you want to stop there.
If you like the Apprentice Adept series
Reading order last verified .