Heralds of Valdemar
fantasy
Series · fantasy
The Magic Kingdom of Landover
The Magic Kingdom of Landover series by Terry Brooks has 6 known books (6 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Magic Kingdom for Sale -- Sold! (1986).
- Books
- 6 known books (6 novels)
- Published
- 6
- First published
- 1986
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Fantasy
- Last checked
Start here: Magic Kingdom for Sale -- Sold! (1986) — 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:
Magic Kingdom for Sale -- Sold!
Magic Kingdom for Sale -- Sold! is the first book in The Magic Kingdom of Landover, published in 1986 at 350 pages. It introduces Ben Holiday, a grieving Chicago trial lawyer who answers a mail-order catalog ad offering a magic kingdom for sale and finds himself the unprepared new king of a realm of dragons, witches, and a talking dog turned court scribe.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Magic Kingdom for Sale -- Sold! - Book 2:
The Black Unicorn
Between Magic Kingdom for Sale -- Sold! and Wizard at Large, The Magic Kingdom of Landover continued in 1987 with The Black Unicorn, following Ben Holiday's ongoing, chaotic attempts to rule a kingdom that doesn't want him and rebuild its broken magic.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Black Unicorn - Book 3:
Wizard at Large
At 238 pages, Wizard at Large was published in 1988, the third book in The Magic Kingdom of Landover, continuing Ben Holiday's reign over Landover in the roughly continuous internal chronology Terry Brooks built across the series.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Wizard at Large - Book 4:
The Tangle Box
The Tangle Box (1994) follows Wizard at Large in The Magic Kingdom of Landover and precedes Witches' Brew, continuing Ben Holiday's story as king of a realm still falling apart both physically and magically.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Tangle Box - Book 5:
Witches' Brew
At 320 pages, Witches' Brew was published in 1995, the fifth book in The Magic Kingdom of Landover, continuing Terry Brooks's roughly continuous internal chronology of Ben Holiday's reign.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Witches' Brew - Book 6:
A Princess of Landover
A Princess of Landover (2009) is the most recent entry in The Magic Kingdom of Landover covered here, following Witches' Brew after a substantial gap and continuing Ben Holiday's story as king of the magical realm of Landover.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Princess of Landover
About The Magic Kingdom of Landover
Terry Brooks's Magic Kingdom of Landover series follows Ben Holiday, a grieving Chicago trial lawyer who, on a whim, answers a mail-order catalog advertisement offering a magic kingdom for sale and finds himself the new, thoroughly unprepared king of Landover -- a realm of dragons, witches, a talking dog turned court scribe, and a castle that's falling apart both physically and magically. Magic Kingdom for Sale -- Sold! introduces Ben's chaotic first attempts to rule a kingdom that doesn't want him and rebuild the broken magic that's supposed to legitimize his throne; The Black Unicorn and Wizard at Large continue his education as king through confrontations with an ancient witch's curse and his own predecessor's meddling former court wizard. The Tangle Box and Witches' Brew escalate the stakes as threats to Landover's magic grow existential, and A Princess of Landover -- published well over a decade after the rest -- shifts focus to Ben's adopted daughter, Mistaya, coming into her own as heir to a kingdom of her own making.
Lighter and more comic than Brooks's Shannara books, Landover trades epic-scale war for fish-out-of-water fantasy-of-manners humor, following one ordinary man's slow, often funny transformation into a genuinely capable ruler -- and, eventually, into the father of the next one.
Frequently asked questions
What order should I read the Magic Kingdom of Landover series in?
Publication order, which is also the internal chronology: Magic Kingdom for Sale — Sold!, The Black Unicorn, Wizard at Large, The Tangle Box, Witches' Brew, then A Princess of Landover.
Is Landover connected to Terry Brooks's Shannara series?
No. Landover is a separate, self-contained fantasy world with no connection to the Four Lands or any Shannara characters.
Who is Ben Holiday?
A grieving Chicago trial lawyer who buys a magic kingdom from a mail-order catalog and becomes the reluctant, unprepared king of Landover.
Why is there such a long gap before A Princess of Landover?
The book was published in 2009, fourteen years after Witches' Brew (1995), and shifts focus to Ben's adopted daughter Mistaya rather than continuing directly from where the earlier books left off.
Are there any other Landover stories beyond these six novels?
Yes — two short stories set in Landover appeared in the 2021 short-fiction anthology Small Magic, but they weren't published as standalone novels and aren't counted among the six main books.
How many books are in the The Magic Kingdom of Landover series?
6: Magic Kingdom for Sale -- Sold! (1986), The Black Unicorn (1987), Wizard at Large (1988), The Tangle Box (1994), Witches' Brew (1995), and A Princess of Landover (2009).
If you like The Magic Kingdom of Landover
Reading order last verified .