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Crisis of Empire Books in Order
Below you'll find the complete list of Crisis of Empire books in publication order. This is generally the recommended reading order for the series.
Reading order verified: March 2026
Quick Answer
What order should I read the Crisis of Empire series? Start with "An Honorable Defense (By: David Drake)" (1988) and follow publication order through all 36 books.
The complete Crisis of Empire reading order is listed below in publication sequence.
Publication Order

An Honorable Defense (By: David Drake)
1988

Cluster Command (By: William C. Dietz)
1989

The War Machine (By: David Drake,Roger MacBride Allen)
1989

Crown of Empire (With: David Drake)
2012

Two Views of Wonder
1973

Best Detective Stories Of The Year, 1974: 28th Annual Collection
1974

Anthropology Through Science Fiction
1974

Beyond Time
1976

Chrysalis 1
1977

Chrysalis 3
1978

Chrysalis 4
1979

Against Tomorrow
1979

Fear Itself: The Horror Fiction of Stephen King
1982

Shadows 8
1985

The First Chronicles of Greystone Bay
1985

The Monster Book of Monsters
1988

Beyond the Gate of Worlds
1991

A Whisper of Blood
1991

The Mammoth Book of Vampires
1992

The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, April 1992
1992

Deathport
1993

In the Fog
1993

The Ultimate Undead
1993

Strangers In The Night
1995

Graven Images
2000

The Mammoth Book of Vampire Stories by Women
2001

Seven Seasons of Buffy
2003

Dark Passions
2007

Here Be Dragons
2008

Visitants
2010

The Mammoth Book of Angels and Demons
2011

Halloween: Magic, Mystery, and the Macabre
2011

Dragonwriter: A Tribute to Anne McCaffrey and Pern
2014

Blood Sisters
2015

Legends of the Dragon Vol. 1
2015

Midnight From Beyond the Stars
2021
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