Sianim
epic fantasy
Series · fantasy
The Books of Ile-Rien
The Books of Ile-Rien series by Martha Wells has 5 known books (5 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with The Element of Fire (1993). The latest book with a fully recorded publication date is The Ships of Air.
- Books
- 5 known books (5 novels)
- Published
- 5
- First published
- 1993
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Fantasy
- Last checked
Start here: The Element of Fire (1993) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The date order of published books and any announced future entries — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
The Element of Fire
The Element of Fire is the opening book in Martha Wells's Books of Ile-Rien, published in 1993 at 324 pages. It's followed by The Death of the Necromancer, a novel this catalogue's curator note describes as set a generation later and only loosely connected to it.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Element of Fire - Book 2:
The Death of the Necromancer
The Death of the Necromancer is the second book in the Books of Ile-Rien, published in 1998 at 359 pages. Per this catalogue's curator note it's set a generation after The Element of Fire and only loosely connected to it, while the three books that follow it — The Wizard Hunters, The Ships of Air, and The Gate of Gods — form a direct sequence set later still in the same world.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Death of the Necromancer - Book 3:
The Wizard Hunters
The Wizard Hunters is the third book in Martha Wells's Books of Ile-Rien and the opening volume of its direct three-book Fall of Ile-Rien sequence, published in May 2003 at 464 pages. It follows The Death of the Necromancer and precedes The Ships of Air.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Wizard Hunters - Book 4:
The Ships of Air
The Ships of Air is the fourth book in the Books of Ile-Rien, published in July 2004 at 408 pages. It continues the Fall of Ile-Rien sequence begun in The Wizard Hunters and is followed by the trilogy's close, The Gate of Gods.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Ships of Air - Book 5:
The Gate of Gods
The Gate of Gods closes out Martha Wells's Books of Ile-Rien, published in November 2005 at 409 pages. It's the final book in the five-novel series and the conclusion of the Fall of Ile-Rien sequence that began with The Wizard Hunters, following The Ships of Air.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Gate of Gods
About The Books of Ile-Rien
Ile-Rien is Martha Wells's recurring secondary-world setting, a magic-using nation with a distinctly Gaslamp, Belle Epoque flavor rather than standard medieval fantasy trappings. The Element of Fire (1993), her debut novel, follows a court sorceress and a captain of the Queen's Guard defending Ile-Rien from both a fae incursion and courtly conspiracy. The Death of the Necromancer (1998), set a generation later, follows a gentleman-thief protagonist whose revenge scheme against the man who ruined his family collides with a genuine necromantic plot -- widely regarded as Wells's finest standalone work in the setting, blending heist plotting with dark fantasy atmosphere.
The Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy -- The Wizard Hunters, The Ships of Air, and The Gate of Gods -- moves the timeline forward again into a war against an alien-technology invasion, sending characters fleeing through a dimensional gate into a fantasy-inflected version of our own Earth. Across all five books, Wells uses Ile-Rien to blend fantasy, early science fiction, and adventure-thriller pacing well before that combination became common in the genre.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are set in Ile-Rien?
Five: The Element of Fire (1993), The Death of the Necromancer (1998), and The Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy (The Wizard Hunters, 2003; The Ships of Air, 2004; The Gate of Gods, 2005).
What order should I read the Ile-Rien books in?
The Element of Fire and The Death of the Necromancer can be read in either order (they share only their setting, a generation apart), followed by The Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy in order: The Wizard Hunters, The Ships of Air, The Gate of Gods.
Which Ile-Rien book is the best entry point?
The Death of the Necromancer is the most frequently recommended starting point and is often cited as Wells's best standalone novel in the setting.
Do I need to read The Element of Fire before The Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy?
No -- The Fall of Ile-Rien is set generations later with a new cast and works as a self-contained trilogy, though it's set in the same nation.
Is Ile-Rien connected to the Murderbot Diaries or the Raksura books?
No -- it's a separate setting from both, with no shared characters or continuity.
If you like The Books of Ile-Rien
Reading order last verified .