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Serpentwar Saga

by Raymond E. Feist

The Serpentwar Saga series by Raymond E. Feist has 4 known books (4 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with Shadow of a Dark Queen (1994). The latest book with a fully recorded publication date is Rage of a Demon King.

Books
4 known books (4 novels)
Published
4
First published
1994
Status
completed
Shelved under
Fantasy
Last checked

Start here: Shadow of a Dark Queen (1994) — then read straight through in publication order.

Book one

Cover of Shadow of a Dark Queen

Shadow of a Dark Queen (1994)

Reading order

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

  1. Shadow of a Dark Queen

    Novel

    Shadow of a Dark Queen (1994) opens Raymond E. Feist's Serpentwar Saga a generation after the Riftwar Saga, introducing mercenary soldiers Erik von Darkmoor and Roo Avery as the serpent-worshipping Emerald Queen invades the Kingdom of the Isles.

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  2. Rise of a Merchant Prince

    Novel

    Published October 19, 1995, Rise of a Merchant Prince picks up directly where Shadow of a Dark Queen left off, running 464 pages as Roo Avery's sharp-elbowed wartime profiteering thread deepens alongside Erik von Darkmoor's grim battlefield survival.

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  3. Rage of a Demon King

    Novel

    At 608 pages, Rage of a Demon King (April 1997) is the longest book in the saga, pushing the war toward its climax as Pug -- now an aging, immensely powerful magician -- works to identify the true force manipulating the Emerald Queen's invasion from behind the scenes.

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  4. Shards of a Broken Crown

    Novel

    Shards of a Broken Crown (1998) closes the four-book Serpentwar Saga at 528 pages -- the same length as the opening volume -- completing the continuous war narrative Feist built across the quartet.

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About the Serpentwar Saga series

A generation after the Riftwar Saga, a new threat rises: the Emerald Queen, a serpent-worshipping conqueror from across the sea, invades Midkemia's Kingdom of the Isles with an army of raiders and dark magic. The Serpentwar Saga follows two new young heroes, mercenary soldiers Erik von Darkmoor and Roo Avery, as they're swept from a death sentence into the desperate defense of the Kingdom, while Pug -- now an aging, immensely powerful magician -- works a much larger, cosmic-scale plot to stop the true force manipulating the invasion from behind the scenes. It's a bigger, darker war story than the original trilogy, splitting time between grim battlefield survival (Erik), sharp-elbowed wartime profiteering (Roo, whose mercantile subplot is one of the saga's most memorable threads), and Pug's mystical, dimension-spanning efforts to identify and defeat an enemy far older than the Emerald Queen herself.

Published across the mid-to-late 1990s as four novels, the Serpentwar Saga is often cited by longtime readers as a high point of the Riftwar Cycle for its scale and the way it balances intimate character arcs against genuinely epic stakes. It follows on from the original Riftwar Saga and Krondor's Sons and assumes familiarity with Pug, the Kingdom, and Midkemia's political landscape established there.

Frequently asked questions

How many books are in the Serpentwar Saga?

Four: Shadow of a Dark Queen (1994), Rise of a Merchant Prince (1995), Rage of a Demon King (1997), and Shards of a Broken Crown (1998).

What order should I read the Serpentwar Saga in?

Publication order -- the four books form one continuous story and should be read in sequence.

Do I need to read the Riftwar Saga first?

Yes, strongly recommended -- the Serpentwar Saga follows on from the Riftwar Saga and assumes you know Pug and the Kingdom of the Isles already.

Who are the main characters in the Serpentwar Saga?

New protagonists Erik von Darkmoor and Roo Avery lead the ground-level war story, while an older Pug drives a parallel, larger-scale magical plot.

Is the Serpentwar Saga complete?

Yes, all four books were published between 1994 and 1998.

Reading order last verified .