Black Magician Books in Order
The Black Magician books are set in the city of Imardin, where the Magicians’ Guild holds all the power. Sonea, a girl from the slums, discovers she has natural magic, and the Guild must decide what to do with her. Later books follow her years as a magician and the rising threat from the land of Sachaka.
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Series facts
- Books
- 7
- Published
- 2001 to 2012
- First book
- The Magicians' Guild
- Latest
- The Traitor Queen (2012)
- Setting
- Set in invented worlds
- Order
- Story order differs from publication order
The reading order
Every Black Magician book in publication order, with the story order a switch away. Choose a title for its cast and summary.
- 1The Magicians' Guild2001With SoneaEvery winter the Magicians’ Guild drives the poor out of the city of Imardin.Buy on Amazon
- 2The Novice2002With SoneaSonea joins the Magicians’ Guild as a novice, the first from the slums, and is bullied by the other students, while she has seen a secret about the High Lord she cannot share.Buy on Amazon
- 3The High Lord2003With Sonea and AkkarinSonea, now under the High Lord Akkarin’s guardianship, learns the truth about the forbidden black magic, and about a threat from the land of Sachaka.Buy on Amazon
- 4The Magician's Apprentice2009With TessiaSeven hundred years before the Black Magician trilogy, Tessia, a healer’s daughter, discovers she has magic and becomes a magician’s apprentice, just as invaders from Sachaka threaten her land.Buy on Amazon
- 5The Ambassador's Mission2010With Sonea and CerySonea’s son Lorkin travels with the Guild Ambassador to Sachaka, a land ruled by cruel black magicians, and when he disappears, Sonea must choose between searching for him and her duty at home.Buy on Amazon
- 6The Rogue2011With Sonea and CeryLorkin lives among Sachakan rebels and learns their magic, while Sonea hunts the Rogue, a magician whose hold on the underworld is greater than she feared.Buy on Amazon
- 7The Traitor Queen2012With Cery and DannylLorkin is imprisoned by the Sachakan king, who wants him to betray the rebels, while in the city the Rogue’s grip tightens.Buy on Amazon
Do you need to read them in order?
Read The Magicians’ Guild, The Novice and The High Lord first. The Magician’s Apprentice is a prequel set centuries earlier, and the Traitor Spy books (The Ambassador’s Mission, The Rogue and The Traitor Queen) follow twenty years after the trilogy.
Who appears in which book
The series’ main characters, book by book. Lead means the book is told around them; minor covers cameos.
| Book | Sonea | Cery | Dannyl | Lorkin | Akkarin | Tessia | Rothen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 The Magicians' Guild | LLead | MMajor | MMajor | ·Minor | MMajor | ||
| 2 The Novice | LLead | ·Minor | MMajor | MMajor | MMajor | ||
| 3 The High Lord | LLead | MMajor | ·Minor | LLead | MMajor | ||
| 4 The Magician's Apprentice | LLead | ||||||
| 5 The Ambassador's Mission | LLead | LLead | LLead | LLead | ·Minor | ||
| 6 The Rogue | LLead | LLead | LLead | MMajor | |||
| 7 The Traitor Queen | MMajor | LLead | LLead | LLead |
Characters in the Black Magician books
7 characters from Trudi Canavan’s chart, with the number of Black Magician books each appears in.
| Character | Books | First in this series |
|---|---|---|
| SoneaSlum girl who becomes a magician | 6 | The Magicians' Guild 2001 |
| CerySonea's thief friend | 6 | The Magicians' Guild 2001 |
| DannylMagician and diplomat | 6 | The Magicians' Guild 2001 |
| LorkinSonea's son | 3 | The Ambassador's Mission 2010 |
| AkkarinThe High Lord, a black magician | 3 | The Magicians' Guild 2001 |
| TessiaHealer's daughter, apprentice in an earlier age | 1 | The Magician's Apprentice 2009 |
| RothenMagician who mentors Sonea | 4 | The Magicians' Guild 2001 |