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Standalone Books in Order
Below you'll find the complete list of Standalone 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 Standalone series? Start with "The Wasp Factory" (1984) and follow publication order through all 19 books.
The complete Standalone reading order is listed below in publication sequence.
Publication Order
The Wasp Factory
1984
Walking on Glass
1985
The Bridge
1986
Espedair Street
1987
Canal Dreams
1989
The Crow Road
1992
Complicity
1993
Against a Dark Background (As:Iain M. Banks)
1993
Feersum Endjinn (As:Iain M. Banks)
1994
Whit
1995
A Song of Stone
1997
The Business
1999
Dead Air
2002
The Algebraist (As:Iain M. Banks)
2004
The Steep Approach to Garbadale
2005
Transition (As:Iain M. Banks)
2009
Stonemouth
2012
The Quarry
2013
Poems (With: Ken MacLeod)
2015
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