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The Dragon Prophecy Trilogy

by Mercedes Lackey

The Dragon Prophecy Trilogy series by Mercedes Lackey has 3 known books (3 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Crown of Vengeance (2012). The latest book with a fully recorded publication date is Deliverance of Dragons.

Books
3 known books (3 novels)
Published
3
First published
2012
Status
completed
Shelved under
Fantasy
Last checked

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

Book one

Cover of Crown of Vengeance

Crown of Vengeance (2012)

Reading order

The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.

  1. Crown of Vengeance

    Novel

    Crown of Vengeance (2012) opens The Dragon Prophecy Trilogy at 605 pages, following Vieliessar Farcarinon, an orphaned outcast among Elven nobility whose path toward a foretold destiny begins in exile.

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  2. Blade of Empire

    Novel

    Blade of Empire followed five years later in 2017 at 560 pages, the shortest of the trilogy, binding Vieliessar to the mortal enemy commander Runacarendalur through a magic that ties their two lives together.

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  3. Deliverance of Dragons

    Novel

    At 688 pages, the longest of the trilogy, Deliverance of Dragons closed the series in May 2025 -- eight years after Blade of Empire -- resolving both the Elven succession crisis and Vieliessar and Runacarendalur's bond.

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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.

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 .