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The Dragon Prophecy Trilogy

by Mercedes Lackey

The Dragon Prophecy Trilogy series by Mercedes Lackey has 3 books and is best read in publication order, starting with Crown of Vengeance (2012).

Books
3 books
First published
2012
Status
completed
Last checked

Start here: Crown of Vengeance (2012) — then read straight through in publication order.

Cover of Crown of Vengeance, the first book in The Dragon Prophecy Trilogy

Reading order

The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.

  1. Crown of Vengeance

    Novel

    View book

  2. Blade of Empire

    Novel

    View book

  3. Deliverance of Dragons

    Novel

    View book

About The Dragon Prophecy Trilogy

The third trilogy Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory set in the Obsidian Universe reaches furthest back in the setting's history, into the ancient wars between the Elven Lightborn and Endarkened that shaped everything the earlier trilogies inherited. Crown of Vengeance follows Vieliessar Farcarinon, an orphaned outcast among her own quarrelsome Elven nobility, whose path toward a foretold destiny as a unifying Elven queen begins in exile rather than in a throne room. Blade of Empire deepens the central relationship of the trilogy: Vieliessar and the mortal enemy commander Runacarendalur are bound as soulmates by a magic that ties their two lives together so completely that either's death kills them both, forcing two people raised to hate each other into uneasy interdependence. Deliverance of Dragons (2025) closes the trilogy against the backdrop of a world-ending war, resolving both the succession crisis among the Elves and the bond between Vieliessar and Runacarendalur.

Because it's set so far before the other two trilogies, this one can be read as an origin story for the wider Obsidian Universe, though — as with the other two Obsidian trilogies — no prior familiarity with them is required to follow it.

How to read this series

Publication order is the correct order within this trilogy. Read Crown of Vengeance (2012), Blade of Empire (2017), and Deliverance of Dragons (2025) in sequence — Vieliessar's story runs continuously across all three. You do not need to have read The Obsidian Mountain Trilogy or The Enduring Flame Trilogy first; this trilogy is set in the deep past of the same world and works as a standalone entry point, though it was the last of the three trilogies to be completed, with a thirteen-year gap between the first and third books.

Frequently asked questions

How many books are in The Dragon Prophecy Trilogy?

Three: Crown of Vengeance (2012), Blade of Empire (2017), and Deliverance of Dragons (2025), all co-written by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory.

Why was there such a long gap between the books?

Crown of Vengeance (2012) and Blade of Empire (2017) were five years apart, and Deliverance of Dragons didn't follow until 2025 — an eight-year gap after book two. No public explanation for the delays has been confirmed by the sources checked here; it's noted simply as an unusually slow trilogy to complete.

Do I need to read the other Obsidian Universe trilogies first?

No. This trilogy is set in the deep past of the setting, before the events of both The Obsidian Mountain Trilogy and The Enduring Flame Trilogy, and works as a self-contained entry point.

What order should I read The Dragon Prophecy Trilogy in?

Publication order — it's one continuous story following Vieliessar Farcarinon across all three books.

Is this connected to Valdemar?

No. The Obsidian Universe is an entirely separate setting from Valdemar, with its own history, magic system, and cast.

Reading order last verified .