Dark Swan
urban fantasy
Series · fantasy
The 13th Reality
The 13th Reality series by James Dashner has 4 known books (4 published) and is best read in publication order, starting with The Journal of Curious Letters (2008). The latest book with a fully recorded publication date is The Journal of Curious Letters.
- Books
- 4 known books (4 novels)
- Published
- 4
- First published
- 2008
- Status
- completed
- Shelved under
- Fantasy
- Last checked
Start here: The Journal of Curious Letters (2008) — 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:
The Journal of Curious Letters
The Journal of Curious Letters, published March 3, 2008, opens the quartet as thirteen-year-old Tick Higginbottom receives a mysterious letter pulling him into a network of parallel realities threatened by the villain Mistress Jane -- published before James Dashner's better-known Maze Runner books.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Journal of Curious Letters - Book 2:
The Hunt for Dark Infinity
The Hunt for Dark Infinity (2009) grows to 446 pages as Tick Higginbottom and his recruited friends master the physics-meets-magic of the Fifth Reality, continuing James Dashner's fight against Mistress Jane's plot to unravel the thirteen realities.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Hunt for Dark Infinity - Book 3:
The Blade of Shattered Hope
The Blade of Shattered Hope (2010) matches its predecessor's 446 pages precisely, continuing the fight against Mistress Jane as Tick and his multiverse-hopping allies close in on the villain threatening to remake the thirteen realities in her own image.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Blade of Shattered Hope - Book 4:
The Void of Mist and Thunder
The Void of Mist and Thunder didn't arrive until 2012, two years after the previous book, closing out the quartet at 384 pages, its shortest entry, as James Dashner wraps up Tick's fight against Mistress Jane before The Maze Runner made him famous.
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Void of Mist and Thunder
About The 13th Reality
Thirteen-year-old Tick Higginbottom is an ordinary, much-teased kid in Deer Park, Washington, until a mysterious letter arrives promising he can "become something extraordinary." Following its instructions pulls him into a network of parallel realities policed by an eccentric scientist named Master George and threatened by a villain named Mistress Jane, who is trying to unravel the fabric connecting the thirteen realities to remake the multiverse in her own image. Tick and a small band of friends recruited from across the different worlds have to master a strange branch of physics-meets-magic called the Fifth Reality to stop her, hopping between realities that range from near-identical to Tick's own world to landscapes governed by entirely different physical laws.
James Dashner wrote this quartet — originally published as The Journal of Curious Letters and its three sequels — before The Maze Runner made him famous, and it shows a gentler, more whimsical register aimed at a slightly younger middle-grade audience than his later YA work. The multiverse-hopping premise and puzzle-heavy plotting are recognizably his, but the tone leans toward adventure-comedy rather than the grim survival stakes of Maze Runner or Mortality Doctrine. The series was originally published by Shadow Mountain and later reissued by Simon & Schuster's Aladdin imprint under the shortened series title The 13th Reality.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in The 13th Reality series?
Four: The Journal of Curious Letters (2008), The Hunt for Dark Infinity (2009), The Blade of Shattered Hope (2010), and The Void of Mist and Thunder (2012).
What order should I read The 13th Reality books in?
Publication order, starting with The Journal of Curious Letters. It's one continuous four-book story with no side material to sequence around.
Is The 13th Reality connected to The Maze Runner?
No — it's an earlier, unrelated James Dashner series aimed at a slightly younger middle-grade audience, published before The Maze Runner made him widely known.
Is The 13th Reality series finished?
Yes, it's complete at four books, concluding with The Void of Mist and Thunder in 2012.
Why do some editions call it 'The Journal of Curious Letters' series instead of 'The 13th Reality'?
The original Shadow Mountain hardcovers used The Journal of Curious Letters as the series name on early printings; later editions, including the Aladdin/Simon & Schuster reissues, standardized on The 13th Reality as the series title, which is now the more common name.
If you like The 13th Reality
Reading order last verified .