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fantasy
Series · fantasy
Song of the Lioness
The Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce has 4 known books (4 published). It is best read in publication order, starting with Alanna: The First Adventure (1983).
- Books
- 4 known books (4 novels)
- Published
- 4
- First published
- 1983
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Fantasy
Start here: Alanna: The First Adventure (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:
Alanna: The First Adventure
Alanna: The First Adventure (1983) opens Song of the Lioness as ten-year-old Alanna disguises herself as a boy, 'Alan,' to train as a royal page in place of her twin brother Thom. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Alanna: The First Adventure - Book 2:
In the Hand of the Goddess
In the Hand of the Goddess (1984) matches the opener's 241 pages exactly, continuing Alanna's disguised training as a royal page a year later, her secret still concealed even from Prince Jonathan as Tamora Pierce builds out the internal cost of hiding who she is. Alternative text for cover: Cover of In the Hand of the Goddess - Book 3:
The Woman Who Rides Like a Man
The Woman Who Rides Like a Man (1986) grows to 256 pages as Alanna's path toward becoming Tortall's first female knight in centuries continues, Tamora Pierce tracking both the physical training and the social struggle of a heroine who refuses to wait to be rescued. Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Woman Who Rides Like a Man - Book 4:
Lioness Rampant
At 336 pages, Lioness Rampant (1988) is by far the longest book in the quartet, following Alanna into adulthood as her hard-won knighthood is tested by court intrigue, war, and her complicated relationship with her own magical Gift. Alternative text for cover: Cover of Lioness Rampant
Key facts about the Song of the Lioness series
The Song of the Lioness series has 4 books on our list. Since all 4 are out now, you can read the whole list today.
Start with Alanna: The First Adventure, since it opens the publication order in 1983. In the Hand of the Goddess is book 2, from 1984. The Woman Who Rides Like a Man is book 3, from 1986. Lioness Rampant is book 4, from 1988.
Each title links to its own page, while the list keeps them in date order. Each book page shows its dates and editions. Since the catalogue marks the series as complete, we list no next book.
The books came out between 1983 and 1988, while their length runs from 241 to 336 pages. That is a run of 5 years.
Tamora Pierce has 31 books on our list. Additionally, they write The Immortals, Circle of Magic and Protector of the Small, plus 3 more series. We shelve the books under fantasy.
About the Song of the Lioness series
Song of the Lioness begins when ten-year-old Alanna of Trebond swaps places with her twin brother Thom, who wants to study sorcery at a temple instead of training for knighthood, and disguises herself as a boy -- 'Alan' -- to take his place as a royal page in Tortall's capital. Across four books she grows from an undersized, furious child determined to prove herself against boys twice her size into the kingdom's first female knight in centuries, her secret concealed for years even from Prince Jonathan, her fellow page and eventual friend, while she trains, duels, and eventually confronts both mortal enemies and the immortal, god-touched threat that becomes the series' central antagonist. Tamora Pierce wrote the series in the early 1980s specifically because she couldn't find fantasy novels about girls who fought rather than waited to be rescued, and that founding premise still gives the books their charge: Alanna's struggle isn't just physical, against training that assumes she doesn't belong, but social and internal, about what it costs to hide who you are for years to get what you want. The later books follow her into adulthood -- knighthood achieved, then tested through court intrigue, war, and a complicated relationship with her own magical Gift -- as Pierce builds out the kingdom of Tortall that would go on to host most of her subsequent series. It remains one of the foundational texts of YA fantasy with a female knight protagonist, still widely read and recommended more than four decades after Alanna: The First Adventure's publication.
Frequently asked questions
What order should I read Song of the Lioness in?
Publication order: Alanna: The First Adventure, In the Hand of the Goddess, The Woman Who Rides Like a Man, Lioness Rampant.
Do I need to read Song of the Lioness before Tamora Pierce's other Tortall series?
It's not strictly required, but it's the earliest series chronologically in Tortall and later series (The Immortals, Protector of the Small) reference Alanna as an established adult knight, so reading it first avoids spoilers.
How old is Alanna at the start of the series?
Ten years old in Alanna: The First Adventure, and in her twenties by the final book, Lioness Rampant.
Is Song of the Lioness connected to The Immortals or Protector of the Small?
Yes -- all three are set in the same kingdom of Tortall, though each follows a different protagonist; Alanna herself appears as a supporting character in later Tortall series.
Is there a sequel to Song of the Lioness featuring Alanna?
Alanna doesn't get her own further quartet, but she appears as a secondary character throughout Pierce's later Tortall books, and her daughter's era is explored in the Trickster's duology (Trickster's Choice, Trickster's Queen).
How many books are in the Song of the Lioness series?
4: Alanna: The First Adventure (1983), In the Hand of the Goddess (1984), The Woman Who Rides Like a Man (1986), and Lioness Rampant (1988).
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