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Series · fantasy

The Gates of the World

by K. M. McKinley

The Gates of the World series by K. M. McKinley has 3 known books (3 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with The Iron Ship (2015).

Books
3 known books (3 novels)
Published
3
First published
2015
Status
completed
Shelved under
Fantasy
Last checked

Start here: The Iron Ship (2015) — then read straight through in publication order.

Book one

Cover of The Iron Ship

The Iron Ship (2015)

Reading order

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

  1. The Iron Ship

    Novel

    The Iron Ship opens K. M. McKinley's Gates of the World trilogy in 2015 at 672 pages, its longest volume, introducing the six Kressind siblings and the titular ship in a world where industry is rising as magic fades.

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  2. The City of Ice

    Novel

    The City of Ice followed in 2016 at 656 pages, continuing the six Kressind siblings' entangled ambitions across Guy Haley's industrialising world, written under his K. M. McKinley pen name.

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  3. The Brass God

    Novel

    The Brass God concluded the trilogy in 2018, considerably shorter at 482 pages, bringing the Kressind siblings' story to its close two years after the previous book.

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About The Gates of the World

The Gates of the World is a secondary-world fantasy trilogy published under Guy Haley's pen name K. M. McKinley, set in a world entering an age of industry where magic is fading and the balance between science and sorcery is fraught with danger. It follows the six Kressind siblings -- each pursuing very different ambitions across a rapidly industrialising society -- whose fates become entangled with the titular iron ship and the wider forces reshaping their world. The Iron Ship (2015) introduces the family and the ship; The City of Ice (2016) and The Brass God (2018) continue and conclude their story.

Written in a more expansive, multi-viewpoint epic-fantasy mode than Haley's SF work under his own name, the trilogy was published by Solaris/Rebellion.

Frequently asked questions

Who is K. M. McKinley?

K. M. McKinley is a pen name used by science fiction and Warhammer author Guy Haley for this fantasy trilogy. He has said in interviews that the name was used because his original fiction under his own name had not sold well enough at the time for booksellers to take on more titles under it -- a common publishing practice, not a hidden identity.

How many books are in The Gates of the World?

Three: The Iron Ship (2015), The City of Ice (2016) and The Brass God (2018), a complete trilogy.

Is this the same as Guy Haley's other fiction?

It's by the same person, but catalogued and published separately under the K. M. McKinley name, distinct from his Guy Haley-credited work (Richards & Klein, Dreaming Cities, Champion of Mars, Crash) and his Warhammer fiction.

Reading order last verified .