Song of the Lioness
fantasy
Series · fantasy
The Ki and Vandien Quartet
The Ki and Vandien Quartet series by Robin Hobb has 4 known books (4 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Harpy's Flight (1983).
- Books
- 4 known books (4 novels)
- Published
- 4
- First published
- 1983
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Fantasy
- Last checked
Start here: Harpy's Flight (1983) — 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:
Harpy's Flight
Harpy's Flight (1983, 208 pages) -- the shortest entry in the quartet -- launches the series with Ki, a hardened wagon-driver still raw with grief over the deaths of her husband and children, forced back onto the road and reluctantly partnered with wandering swordsman Vandien.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Harpy's Flight - Book 2:
The Windsingers
The Windsingers (1984, 392 pages), nearly doubling the opener's length, sends Ki and Vandien across the series' magic-touched landscape, including the unforgettable sequence trapped between worlds inside a sentient magical gate that gives the book its name.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Windsingers - Book 3:
The Limbreth Gate
The Limbreth Gate (1984, 240 pages) closed out that same busy year, the third of the quartet continuing Ki and Vandien's partnership and Ki's ongoing grief arc.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Limbreth Gate - Book 4:
Luck of the Wheels
Luck of the Wheels (1989, 247 pages) brought the quartet to a close five years later, the fourth and final book following Ki and Vandien through one last adventure across Megan Lindholm's magic-touched landscape.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Luck of the Wheels
About The Ki and Vandien Quartet
Before adopting the pen name Robin Hobb for the Farseer books, the author published as Megan Lindholm, and the Ki and Vandien quartet -- also known as the Windsingers series -- is her earliest sustained fantasy work. Ki is a hardened wagon-driver grieving the deaths of her husband and children; Vandien is a wandering swordsman who talks his way into becoming her partner. Harpy's Flight (1983) begins their reluctant partnership as Ki, still raw with grief, is forced back onto the road, and the following three books send them across a distinctive, magic-touched landscape -- including an unforgettable sequence trapped between worlds inside a sentient magical gate in The Windsingers.
The quartet already shows the interests that would define the author's later, more famous work as Robin Hobb: grief and its aftermath, prickly found-family dynamics, and a refusal to make magic simply convenient. It's rougher and more episodic than the Farseer or Elderlings books, closer to sword-and-sorcery adventure fiction, but rewards readers curious about where Hobb's voice began.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the Ki and Vandien quartet?
Four: Harpy's Flight (1983), The Windsingers (1984), The Limbreth Gate (1984), and Luck of the Wheels (1989).
What order should I read the Ki and Vandien books in?
Publication order: Harpy's Flight, The Windsingers, The Limbreth Gate, Luck of the Wheels.
Were the Ki and Vandien books published under a different name?
Yes -- they were originally published under Megan Lindholm, the name the author who later became known as Robin Hobb wrote under earlier in her career. This dataset tracks them under the Robin Hobb byline used elsewhere on this site rather than as a separate author.
Is the Ki and Vandien quartet connected to the Realm of the Elderlings?
No -- it's an entirely separate setting with no shared characters, written years before the Farseer trilogy that launched the Elderlings.
Is this series also called the Windsingers series?
Yes -- it's known by both names, Ki and Vandien Quartet and the Windsingers series, in different editions and reference sources.
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Reading order last verified .