Riftwar Legacy
fantasy
Series · epic fantasy
The Banned and the Banished
The Banned and the Banished series by James Clemens has 5 known books (5 published). It is best read in publication order, starting with Wit'ch Fire (1998).
- Books
- 5 known books (5 novels)
- Published
- 5
- First published
- 1998
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Fantasy
Start here: Wit'ch Fire (1998)
— 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:
Wit'ch Fire
Wit'ch Fire opens James Clemens' epic fantasy in 1998, introducing Elena, a village girl whose blood is accidentally awakened into dangerous 'wit'ch fire' magic that marks her for both persecution and desperate recruitment in the corrupt, magic-hunting empire that rules Alasea. It runs 439 pages. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Wit'ch Fire - Book 2:
Wit'ch Storm
Wit'ch Storm followed in 1999 at 640 pages, more than 200 pages longer than the book it continues from, widening Elena's growing power into a conflict against forces stranger than the empire alone. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Wit'ch Storm - Book 3:
Wit'ch War
Wit'ch War, the third novel, was published in 2000 at 664 pages -- the longest entry in the series -- as Elena's power becomes central to the widening war against both the empire and older, stranger forces stirring beneath Alasea. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Wit'ch War - Book 4:
Wit'ch Gate
Wit'ch Gate came out in 2001 at 544 pages, shorter than either of the two books before it, continuing the empire-spanning war that James Clemens builds around Elena's escalating wit'ch power. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Wit'ch Gate - Book 5:
Wit'ch Star
Wit'ch Star closes the series at 608 pages, published in 2002, completing a run of five consecutive yearly releases since 1998 and bringing Elena's fight against the corrupt empire of Alasea to its conclusion. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Wit'ch Star
Key facts about The Banned and the Banished series
The Banned and the Banished series has 5 books on our list. Since all 5 are out now, you can read the whole list today.
Start with Wit'ch Fire, since it opens the publication order in 1998. Wit'ch Storm is book 2, from 1999. Wit'ch War is book 3, from 2000.
Wit'ch Gate is book 4, from 2001. Wit'ch Star is book 5, from 2002.
Each title links to its own page, while the list keeps them in date order. Each book page shows its dates and editions. Since the catalogue marks the series as complete, we list no next book.
The books came out between 1998 and 2002, while their length runs from 439 to 664 pages. That is a run of 4 years.
James Clemens has 7 books on our list. This is the only series by them we track, while the author page lists the rest. We shelve the books under epic fantasy.
About The Banned and the Banished
James Clemens -- the epic-fantasy pen name of thriller writer James Rollins -- opens this five-book series with Elena, a village girl whose blood is accidentally awakened into 'wit'ch fire,' a rare and dangerous form of magic that marks her for both persecution and desperate recruitment. In a world called Alasea, ruled through fear by a corrupt empire that hunts magic-users, Elena's growing power over the course of Wit'ch Fire, Wit'ch Storm, Wit'ch War, Wit'ch Gate and Wit'ch Star becomes central to a widening conflict against not just the empire but older, stranger forces stirring beneath the land itself.
Written between 1998 and 2002, the series carries over the large-scale, escalating-stakes plotting that would later define Rollins's Sigma Force thrillers, translated into a fully realized secondary-world fantasy with an ensemble cast that grows around Elena as the story widens from a single village's troubles into an empire-spanning war. It's a complete five-book arc with a definite ending, making it a good pick for fantasy readers who want a finished series rather than an open-ended one, and a natural next stop for Sigma Force readers curious about Rollins's other pen name.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in The Banned and the Banished series?
Five: Wit'ch Fire (1998), Wit'ch Storm (1999), Wit'ch War (2000), Wit'ch Gate (2001) and Wit'ch Star (2002).
Who is James Clemens?
A pen name used by thriller author James Rollins (himself a pen name for James Czajkowski) for his epic fantasy work, kept editorially separate from the Sigma Force series.
Is The Banned and the Banished a complete story?
Yes -- it's a finished five-book arc with Wit'ch Star bringing the central conflict to a close.
Do I need to read this series in order?
Yes -- it's one continuous story across all five books, not a set of standalones, so reading in publication order is necessary to follow the plot.
Is this connected to James Rollins's Sigma Force series?
No shared characters or setting -- Sigma Force is published under the James Rollins name and is a contemporary thriller series, while this is secondary-world epic fantasy published as James Clemens.
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