The Recurring Cast
Margaret Atwood books in order · Margaret Atwood reading order · 15 books · 1969 to 2019 · Often set in Toronto

Margaret Atwood Books in Order and Reading Order

Science fictionLiterary and generalDystopian and post-apocalypticLiterary fiction

Margaret Atwood is one of the great novelists of our time. The Handmaid’s Tale and its sequel The Testaments, both Booker winners or nominees, imagine the brutal Republic of Gilead.

Best estimate, compiled from series guides, publisher descriptions and reviews where available, and from memory otherwise. Book level only, not chapter level. Minor includes cameos and brief references. Each book carries a confidence rating in its tooltip.

Vote for Margaret Atwood as a favourite author, and for books and characters below. See the favourites

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Margaret Atwood books in order

Where to start: Gilead with The Handmaid’s Tale (1985); MaddAddam with Oryx and Crake (2003). There are 15 books in all, published from 1969 to 2019, across 3 series and groups.

The Margaret Atwood reading order: each series in publication order, with its lead characters. Where the story runs in a different order, switch to Story order. Crossover books are marked and listed under their main series. Use My books to track what you have read.

See the Margaret Atwood reading flowchart: every series side by side, with first appearances and crossovers.

Gilead

2 books · Set in the fictional Gilead, New EnglandDystopian and post-apocalypticLiterary fiction
  1. 1The Handmaid’s Tale1985With OffredBuy on Amazon
  2. 2The Testaments2019With Aunt Lydia and Agnes JemimaBuy on Amazon

MaddAddam

3 books · Set in North AmericaDystopian and post-apocalyptic
  1. 1Oryx and Crake2003With SnowmanBuy on Amazon
  2. 2The Year of the Flood2009With Toby and RenBuy on Amazon
  3. 3MaddAddam2013With Toby and ZebBuy on Amazon

Novels

10 books · Mostly set in TorontoLiterary fiction
  1. 1The Edible Woman1969With Marian McAlpinBuy on Amazon
  2. 2Surfacing1972Set in Northern QuebecBuy on Amazon
  3. 3Lady Oracle1976Buy on Amazon
  4. 4Cat’s Eye1988With Elaine RisleyBuy on Amazon
  5. 5The Robber Bride1993Buy on Amazon
  6. 6Alias Grace1996With Grace MarksBuy on Amazon
  7. 7The Blind Assassin2000With Iris ChaseBuy on Amazon
  8. 8The Penelopiad2005With Penelope · Set in IthacaBuy on Amazon
  9. 9The Heart Goes Last2015Buy on Amazon
  10. 10Hag-Seed2016With Felix Phillips · Set in OntarioBuy on Amazon

Who appears in which book

Click a name to follow that character from book to book, or a book title to see its cast.

LLeadMMajor·MinorHas a note
The chart needs JavaScript. The reading order above and the character list below work without it.

Characters

17 recurring and key characters, with the book each one first appears in.

Gilead

MaddAddam

Leads

Similar authors

If you enjoy Margaret Atwood, try these writers, chosen for shared genres, settings and readership.

Emma KnightLiterary fiction, also set in Toronto. Start with Pen.Tim WintonLiterary fiction. Start with Lockie Leonard.Michael OndaatjeLiterary fiction, also from Canada. Start with Hana.Emily St. John MandelLiterary fiction and dystopian and post-apocalyptic, also from Canada. Start with Vincent Smith.Salman RushdieLiterary fiction. Start with Haroun Khalifa.Esi EdugyanLiterary fiction, also from Canada. Start with Samuel Tyne.