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Series · young adult fantasy

Hunter

by Mercedes Lackey

The Hunter series by Mercedes Lackey has 3 known books (3 published). It is best read in publication order, starting with Hunter (2015).

Books
3 known books (3 novels)
Published
3
First published
2015
Status
completed
Shelved under
Young Adult , Fantasy
Start here: Hunter (2015) — then read straight through in publication order.
Book one
Cover of Hunter
Hunter (2015)

Reading order

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

  1. Hunter

    Novel
    Hunter opened the trilogy in 2015 at 374 pages -- its longest entry -- following Joy Charmand's move from an isolated mountain community into the walled city of Apex and its celebrity culture built around telegenic monster-hunters.
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  2. Elite

    Novel
    Elite followed in 2016, running 360 pages, as Joy confronts a bureaucracy more interested in managing its heroes' image than the monsters actually breaching the walls.
    View book

  3. Apex

    Novel
    Apex closed the trilogy in 2017 as its shortest book at 304 pages, escalating both the monster threat and the corruption underneath Apex's carefully managed heroics.
    View book

Key facts about the Hunter series

Our list has 3 books in the Hunter series. Since all 3 are out now, you can read the whole list today.

Start with Hunter, since it opens the publication order in 2015. Elite is book 2, from 2016. Apex is book 3, from 2017.

The list keeps the books in date order, while each title links to its own page. Each book page shows its dates and editions. Since the catalogue marks the series as complete, we list no next book.

The books came out between 2015 and 2017, while their length runs from 304 to 374 pages. That is a run of 2 years.

Mercedes Lackey has 120 books on our list. Additionally, they write Heralds of Valdemar, Vows and Honor and Diana Tregarde, plus 22 more series. We shelve the books under young adult fantasy.

About the Hunter series

A century after an interdimensional catastrophe called the Diseray tore holes between Earth and other worlds, monsters now cross freely into human cities, and society survives behind heavily defended Cities protected by young, magically Gifted fighters called Hunters. Joyeaux "Joy" Charmand grew up in an isolated mountain community training to fight monsters directly; when she's recruited to the walled city of Apex, she finds a celebrity culture built around telegenic Hunters competing for fame and sponsorship, and a bureaucracy more interested in managing its heroes' image than in the monsters actually breaching the walls. Hunter establishes Joy's adjustment to Apex and its politics; Elite and Apex escalate both the monster threat and the human corruption underneath the city's carefully managed heroics, forcing Joy to confront threats from both directions at once.

The trilogy pairs a straightforward monster-hunting premise with a sharper satirical edge aimed at celebrity culture and reality-television spectacle, filtered through a teenage protagonist raised outside that system and uneasy about being absorbed into it.

Frequently asked questions

How many books are in the Hunter series?

Three novels: Hunter (2015), Elite (2016), and Apex (2017).

What order should I read the Hunter books in?

Publication order, which is also the only order — it's a single continuous story following Joy Charmand across all three books.

Is the Hunter series young adult?

Yes, it's marketed and shelved as YA, with a teenage protagonist and a coming-of-age arc layered under the monster-hunting plot.

Is the Hunter series connected to Valdemar or Lackey's other series?

No. It's a standalone contemporary/post-apocalyptic setting with its own history and cast, unconnected to Valdemar or any of Lackey's other continuities.

Is there a fourth Hunter book?

No. The trilogy concluded with Apex (2017) and no further installment has been published.

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