James Dashner Books in Order

One universe in three waves: the trilogy that ran 2009-2011, the prequels that recontextualize it (2012, 2016), and The Maze Cutter sequel trilogy (2022-2025), set 73 years after the death cure. Around the maze sit a VirtNet cyber-thriller trilogy, a middle-grade reality series a decade long, two entries in a shared multi-author series, and one adult horror novel. This page runs all twenty-three books in the order that protects the reveals (2003–present).

Where to start

The Maze Runner (2009), no exceptions - every later book in the universe assumes you know what WICKED was.

Does the reading order matter?

Publication order is reading order for the maze universe. The trilogy (2009-2011) comes first; The Kill Order (2012) and The Fever Code (2016) are prequels that spoil the trilogy's central mysteries, so never read them first - and read The Fever Code last of the original five, because it retcons the earliest events with full knowledge of the ending. Crank Palace (2020) is a novella that runs alongside The Death Cure. The Maze Cutter trilogy (2022-2025) jumps generations forward and works as its own story, but its biggest reveals assume the original five. The Mortality Doctrine (2013-2015) is a separate world entirely - a cyber-thriller set inside the VirtNet, Dashner's most under-read work. The Jimmy Fincher Saga (2003-2005) and The 13th Reality (2008-2012) are his middle-grade roots; A Mutiny in Time and The Iron Empire are his two entries in Scholastic's shared Infinity Ring series, where each book has a different author. The House of Tongues (2021) is his one adult horror standalone. As of October 2026, The Infinite Glade (2025) is the newest book and nothing further is announced.

Which one is the best?

The Maze Runner (2009); The Death Cure (2011); The Eye of Minds (2013) for the other universe.

Covered in depth here

An 8-question quiz, reading time, club questions and verified quotes for The Maze Runner (how long), The Scorch Trials (how long), The Death Cure (how long).

Related guides

Readers finishing this shelf usually want the map next door: Maze Runner books in order, Veronica Roth books in order, Suzanne Collins books in order. Every guide follows the same format — the shelf, the entry point, the honest answer about order.

Make it a project

Pick a session size and let the days accumulate — at the pace our reading speed test measures, most shelves above clear in a few weeks of half-hours. Every guide on the books in order shelf follows this same format, and when a book lands, its 8-question quiz is waiting on the original book quiz.