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Fifty Shades

by E. L. James

The Fifty Shades series by E. L. James has 6 known books (6 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Fifty Shades of Grey (2011).

Books
6 known books (6 novels)
Published
6
First published
2011
Status
completed
Shelved under
Romance
Last checked

Start here: Fifty Shades of Grey (2011) — then read straight through in publication order.

Book one

Cover of Fifty Shades of Grey

Fifty Shades of Grey (2011)

Reading order

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

  1. Fifty Shades of Grey

    Novel

    Fifty Shades of Grey (2011, 544 pages) opens the trilogy with literature student Anastasia Steele meeting Christian Grey, a young, brilliant, controlling billionaire who introduces her to BDSM and to a relationship built as much around his need for control as around desire.

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  2. Fifty Shades Darker

    Novel

    Fifty Shades Darker (2011, 560 pages) continues Ana and Christian's escalating, often turbulent courtship, following Fifty Shades of Grey and preceding Fifty Shades Freed in E. L. James's original trilogy.

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  3. Fifty Shades Freed

    Novel

    Fifty Shades Freed (2012, 640 pages) closes the original trilogy with Ana and Christian's marriage and the eventual softening of Christian's guardedness as his own traumatic backstory comes into view.

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  4. Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian

    Novel

    Retells Fifty Shades of Grey from Christian Grey's point of view; not a sequel. Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian was published in 2015 as part of Fifty Shades.

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  5. Darker: Fifty Shades Darker as Told by Christian

    Novel

    At 782 pages, Darker: Fifty Shades Darker as Told by Christian was published in 2017, placed between Grey: Fifty Shades of Grey as Told by Christian and Freed: Fifty Shades Freed as Told by Christian in Fifty Shades.

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  6. Freed: Fifty Shades Freed as Told by Christian

    Novel

    Freed: Fifty Shades Freed as Told by Christian (2021, 768 pages) retells the events of Fifty Shades Freed from inside Christian's head, filling in the childhood trauma and interiority that Ana's first-person narration in the original trilogy couldn't show -- a companion retelling rather than a sequel.

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About the Fifty Shades series

Fifty Shades began as Master of the Universe, E. L. James's Twilight fan fiction posted online in 2009, reworked into an original story once she gave her characters new names: literature student Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey, a young, brilliant, controlling billionaire who introduces her to BDSM and to a relationship built as much around his need for control as around desire. The original trilogy -- Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker, Fifty Shades Freed -- follows Ana and Christian from their first meeting through an escalating, often turbulent courtship, marriage and the eventual softening of Christian's guardedness as his own traumatic backstory comes into view, telling one continuous love story across the three books rather than three separate cases or adventures. Years later, James retold the same story from Christian's perspective across three further novels -- Grey, Darker, and Freed: Fifty Shades Freed as Told by Christian -- covering the identical events of the original trilogy but from inside Christian's head, filling in his interiority, his childhood trauma, and the parts of the story Ana's first-person narration in the originals couldn't show. These are companion retellings of the same plot, not sequels continuing it forward.

Frequently asked questions

How many books are in the Fifty Shades series?

Six: the original trilogy (Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker, Fifty Shades Freed) plus three companion retellings from Christian's point of view (Grey, Darker, Freed).

Are Grey, Darker and Freed sequels to the original trilogy?

No -- they retell the exact same story and timeline as the original three books, just from Christian Grey's point of view instead of Ana's. They don't move the plot forward.

What order should I read Fifty Shades in?

The original trilogy first (Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker, Fifty Shades Freed), then the Christian's-POV companion books (Grey, Darker, Freed) if you want the same story again from his side.

Did Fifty Shades of Grey start as fan fiction?

Yes -- E. L. James originally wrote it as Twilight fan fiction (Master of the Universe, posted online from 2009) before reworking it with original characters and self-publishing it in 2011.

Is the Fifty Shades series finished?

Yes, as six books across two complete tellings of the same story; no further Fifty Shades novel has been announced.

Reading order last verified .