Codex Alera
epic fantasy
Series · urban fantasy
The Dresden Files
The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher has 18 books and is best read in publication order, starting with Storm Front (2000).
- Books
- 18 books
- First published
- 2000
- Status
- ongoing
- Last checked
Start here: Storm Front (2000) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Storm Front
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Storm Front - Book 2:
Fool Moon
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Fool Moon - Book 3:
Grave Peril
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Grave Peril - Book 4:
Summer Knight
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Summer Knight - Book 5:
Death Masks
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Death Masks - Book 6:
Blood Rites
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Blood Rites - Book 7:
Dead Beat
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dead Beat - Book 8:
Proven Guilty
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Proven Guilty - Book 9:
White Night
Alternative text for cover: Cover of White Night - Book 10:
Small Favor
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Small Favor - Book 11:
Turn Coat
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Turn Coat - Book 12:
Changes
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Changes - Book 13:
Side Jobs
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Side Jobs - Book 14:
Ghost Story
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Ghost Story - Book 15:
Cold Days
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Cold Days - Book 16:
Skin Game
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Skin Game - Book 17:
Brief Cases
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Brief Cases - Book 18:
Peace Talks
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Peace Talks - Book 19:
Battle Ground
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Battle Ground - Book 20:
Twelve Months
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Twelve Months
Our shelf-tested path for first-time readers.
- Book 1:
Storm Front
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Storm Front - Book 2:
Fool Moon
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Fool Moon - Book 3:
Grave Peril
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Grave Peril - Book 4:
Summer Knight
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Summer Knight - Book 5:
Death Masks
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Death Masks - Book 6:
Blood Rites
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Blood Rites - Book 7:
Dead Beat
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Dead Beat - Book 8:
Proven Guilty
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Proven Guilty - Book 9:
White Night
Alternative text for cover: Cover of White Night - Book 10:
Small Favor
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Small Favor - Book 11:
Turn Coat
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Turn Coat - Book 12:
Changes
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Changes - Book 13:
Side Jobs
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Side Jobs - Book 14:
Ghost Story
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Ghost Story - Book 15:
Cold Days
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Cold Days - Book 16:
Skin Game
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Skin Game - Book 17:
Brief Cases
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Brief Cases - Book 18:
Peace Talks
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Peace Talks - Book 19:
Battle Ground
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Battle Ground - Book 20:
Twelve Months
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Twelve Months
About The Dresden Files
Harry Dresden is the only wizard in the Chicago phone book — 'Lost items found. Paranormal investigations. Reasonable rates. No love potions.' Jim Butcher's long-running series crosses hard-boiled detective fiction with full-throated fantasy: Harry consults for the Chicago PD's Special Investigations unit on cases involving the things the city refuses to believe in, from werewolves and vampire courts to faerie queens with contracts written in centuries.
What starts as case-of-the-week noir (Storm Front, 2000) compounds into one of urban fantasy's great long games. Every favour Harry owes, every enemy he humiliates and every law of magic he bends returns with interest; by mid-series the books chain into an escalating war involving the White Council of wizards, three vampire courts, fallen angels carrying thirty pieces of silver, and the Winter and Summer fae. Butcher's trademark is the slow-burn payoff — throwaway characters from early books become pivotal a decade later — wrapped around a narrator whose wisecracks barely cover an expanding capacity for sacrifice.
Eighteen novels are published, from Storm Front to Twelve Months (2026), alongside the short-story collections Side Jobs and Brief Cases. Butcher has said the series will run past twenty case books before ending in an apocalyptic trilogy.
How to read this series
Read the novels in publication order, starting with Storm Front. The first three books are enjoyable but formative — many readers feel the series finds its full stride around Summer Knight (book 4) and never looks back — and from Dead Beat onward the continuity is dense enough that skipping ahead spoils major turns. Changes (book 12), Peace Talks/Battle Ground (16–17, effectively one story split in two) and Twelve Months (18) depend heavily on everything before them.
The two collections are best slotted at their publication points: Side Jobs after Changes (its closing novella 'Aftermath' picks up hours after that book's cliffhanger) and Brief Cases after Skin Game. They're optional but add real texture, including stories from other characters' viewpoints.
Frequently asked questions
How many Dresden Files books are there?
Eighteen novels, from Storm Front (2000) to Twelve Months (January 2026), plus two short-story collections, Side Jobs (2010) and Brief Cases (2018).
What order should I read The Dresden Files in?
Publication order, beginning with Storm Front. Slot Side Jobs after Changes and Brief Cases after Skin Game. The books escalate continuously, and later volumes spoil earlier ones.
Is the Dresden Files series finished?
No. Jim Butcher has long said the plan is roughly 20-plus case novels followed by a concluding 'Big Apocalyptic Trilogy'. Twelve Months (2026) is book 18; the next book has no announced title or date.
Do I have to read the short stories?
No — the novels stand alone. But Side Jobs and Brief Cases fill gaps between books (including the direct aftermath of Changes) and are worth reading in their publication slots if you're invested.
Can I start the Dresden Files anywhere other than book one?
Some readers start at Summer Knight or Dead Beat, where the series hits its stride, but the payoff of the long arcs comes from watching debts and choices accumulate from Storm Front onward. Starting at book one is recommended.
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Reading order last verified .