Geronimo Stilton and the Kingdom of Fantasy
middle-grade fantasy
Series · urban fantasy
October Daye
The October Daye series by Seanan McGuire has 19 known books (19 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Rosemary and Rue (2009). The latest book with a fully recorded publication date is The Innocent Sleep.
- Books
- 19 known books (19 novels)
- Published
- 19
- First published
- 2009
- Status
- ongoing
- Shelved under
- Fantasy
- Last checked
Start here: Rosemary and Rue (2009) — 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:
Rosemary and Rue
Rosemary and Rue is book 1 of Seanan McGuire's October Daye series, published in 2009 and running 368 pages. Like the rest of the series, it follows the changeling PI as she works the fault line between mortal San Francisco and the political world of Faerie beneath it, in a long story that only makes sense read in publication order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Rosemary and Rue - Book 2:
A Local Habitation
The 2th entry in the October Daye series, A Local Habitation (2010, 394 pages) continues Toby's slow-building arc through faerie court politics, oath-bound rules, and the found family that keeps expanding around her -- part of the single continuous story McGuire has been building across all nineteen books.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Local Habitation - Book 3:
An Artificial Night
Published in 2010 at 376 pages, An Artificial Night is book 3 of nineteen in the October Daye series, where October "Toby" Daye's power and status keep evolving rather than resetting -- one more installment in McGuire's dense, poetic take on urban fantasy noir.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of An Artificial Night - Book 4:
Late Eclipses
Late Eclipses (2011) picks up Toby's story as book 4 of the October Daye series, 400 pages that keep pace with the series' noir-detective plotting and high-stakes faerie court intrigue; publication order is story order here, so it follows directly from the book before it.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Late Eclipses - Book 5:
One Salt Sea
Book 5 in Seanan McGuire's nineteen-volume October Daye series, One Salt Sea (2011, 354 pages) belongs to the same continuously building narrative -- Toby's relationships, magic, and the politics of Faerie all move forward from where the previous book left off.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of One Salt Sea - Book 6:
Ashes of Honor
At 341 pages, Ashes of Honor (2012) is the 6th of the numbered October Daye novels, part of McGuire's long-game mystery about Toby's own parentage and the rigorously realized rules of iron, oaths, and geas that govern her half-human, half-fae world.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Ashes of Honor - Book 7:
Chimes at Midnight
Chimes at Midnight is book 7 of Seanan McGuire's October Daye series, published in 2013 and running 357 pages. Like the rest of the series, it follows the changeling PI as she works the fault line between mortal San Francisco and the political world of Faerie beneath it, in a long story that only makes sense read in publication order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Chimes at Midnight - Book 8:
The Winter Long
The 8th entry in the October Daye series, The Winter Long (2014, 358 pages) continues Toby's slow-building arc through faerie court politics, oath-bound rules, and the found family that keeps expanding around her -- part of the single continuous story McGuire has been building across all nineteen books.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Winter Long - Book 9:
A Red-Rose Chain
Published in 2015 at 368 pages, A Red-Rose Chain is book 9 of nineteen in the October Daye series, where October "Toby" Daye's power and status keep evolving rather than resetting -- one more installment in McGuire's dense, poetic take on urban fantasy noir.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Red-Rose Chain - Book 10:
Once Broken Faith
Once Broken Faith (2016) picks up Toby's story as book 10 of the October Daye series, 420 pages that keep pace with the series' noir-detective plotting and high-stakes faerie court intrigue; publication order is story order here, so it follows directly from the book before it.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Once Broken Faith - Book 11:
The Brightest Fell
Book 11 in Seanan McGuire's nineteen-volume October Daye series, The Brightest Fell (2017, 368 pages) belongs to the same continuously building narrative -- Toby's relationships, magic, and the politics of Faerie all move forward from where the previous book left off.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Brightest Fell - Book 12:
Night and Silence
At 416 pages, Night and Silence (2018) is the 12th of the numbered October Daye novels, part of McGuire's long-game mystery about Toby's own parentage and the rigorously realized rules of iron, oaths, and geas that govern her half-human, half-fae world.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Night and Silence - Book 13:
The Unkindest Tide
The Unkindest Tide is book 13 of Seanan McGuire's October Daye series, published in 2019 and running 368 pages. Like the rest of the series, it follows the changeling PI as she works the fault line between mortal San Francisco and the political world of Faerie beneath it, in a long story that only makes sense read in publication order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Unkindest Tide - Book 14:
A Killing Frost
The 14th entry in the October Daye series, A Killing Frost (2020, 368 pages) continues Toby's slow-building arc through faerie court politics, oath-bound rules, and the found family that keeps expanding around her -- part of the single continuous story McGuire has been building across all nineteen books.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Killing Frost - Book 15:
When Sorrows Come
Published in 2021 at 416 pages, When Sorrows Come is book 15 of nineteen in the October Daye series, where October "Toby" Daye's power and status keep evolving rather than resetting -- one more installment in McGuire's dense, poetic take on urban fantasy noir.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of When Sorrows Come - Book 16:
Be the Serpent
Be the Serpent (2022) picks up Toby's story as book 16 of the October Daye series, 368 pages that keep pace with the series' noir-detective plotting and high-stakes faerie court intrigue; publication order is story order here, so it follows directly from the book before it.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Be the Serpent - Book 17:
Sleep No More
Book 17 in Seanan McGuire's nineteen-volume October Daye series, Sleep No More (2023, 368 pages) belongs to the same continuously building narrative -- Toby's relationships, magic, and the politics of Faerie all move forward from where the previous book left off.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Sleep No More - Book 18:
The Innocent Sleep
The Innocent Sleep (2023) is the eighteenth October Daye novel, but structurally an outlier: rather than advancing the timeline, it retells the events of the previous book, Sleep No More , from Tybalt's point of view. At 368 pages, it's best read immediately after Sleep No More rather than as the next new plot beat.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Innocent Sleep - Book 19:
Silver and Lead
Silver and Lead is book 19 of Seanan McGuire's October Daye series, published in 2025 and running 288 pages. Like the rest of the series, it follows the changeling PI as she works the fault line between mortal San Francisco and the political world of Faerie beneath it, in a long story that only makes sense read in publication order.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Silver and Lead
About the October Daye series
October "Toby" Daye is a changeling -- half human, half faerie -- private investigator working the knife-edge between mortal San Francisco and the hidden, politically fractured world of Faerie underneath it. After a botched undercover job leaves her trapped as a fish for fourteen years, Toby returns to a life and family that moved on without her, and gets pulled back into faerie politics anyway: missing changeling children, court assassinations, ancient curses, and a slow-building mystery about her own parentage that runs the length of the series. Seanan McGuire builds one of urban fantasy's most rigorously realized faerie mythologies, with real consequences for iron, oaths, and the geas-bound rules that govern Toby's world, and lets Toby's magic and status evolve substantially -- not just level up -- across nineteen books.
The series is known for McGuire's dense, poetic prose, a genuinely huge supporting cast (courts, changelings, cats who are more than cats, a found family that keeps expanding) and a willingness to put Toby through real loss and change rather than resetting her to a status quo. It blends noir detective plotting with high-stakes faerie court politics and a long-game mystery structure that pays off slowly and deliberately. Readers who want dense worldbuilding, a heroine who genuinely changes over the course of a long series, and faerie lore treated with real rigor rather than surface aesthetic are the audience.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the October Daye series?
19 novels as of Silver and Lead (2025), from Rosemary and Rue (2009) onward.
What order should I read the October Daye books in?
Publication order, starting with Rosemary and Rue. It's one continuous, tightly serialized story with no meaningful chronological alternative.
Is the October Daye series finished?
No, it's ongoing. Silver and Lead (2025) is the most recent entry; no further book has been confirmed as of mid-2026.
What is The Innocent Sleep and where does it fit?
It retells the events of Sleep No More (the previous book) from Tybalt's point of view rather than moving the story forward. Read it right after Sleep No More, not as the next chronological entry.
Do I need to read the October Daye short stories and novellas?
No. Seanan McGuire has published dozens of extra short works in this world, but none are required to follow the numbered novels' main plot.
If you like the October Daye series
Reading order last verified .