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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: April 2026
Quick Answer
What order should I read the Standalone series? Start with "The Five of Cups" (2003) and follow publication order through all 32 books.
The complete Standalone reading order is listed below in publication sequence.
Publication Order
The Five of Cups
2003
The Dry Salvages
2004
Beowulf
2007
Daughter of Hounds
2007
The Red Tree
2009
The Drowning Girl
2012
Vile Affections
2021
Tales of Pain and Wonder
2000
From Weird and Distant Shores
2002
To Charles Fort, with Love
2005
Tales from the Woeful Platypus
2007
A is for Alien
2009
The Ammonite Violin & Others
2010
Two Worlds and in Between
2011
Confessions of a Five-Chambered Heart
2012
The Ape's Wife and Other Stories
2013
Beneath an Oil-Dark Sea
2015
Dear Sweet Filthy World
2017
The Dinosaur Tourist
2018
The Very Best of Caitlin R. Kiernan
2019
Frog Toes and Tentacles
2020
The Variegated Alphabet
2021
Bradbury Weather
2023
Bright Dead Star
2025
Candles for Elizabeth
1998
In The Garden Of Poisonous Flowers
2002
La Peau Verte
2005
Galapagos (Eclipse 3)
2009
As Red as Red
2010
The Road of Needles
2013
The Prayer of Ninety Cats
2013
La Belle Fleur Sauvage
2019
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