As Legends of Elessia is now on book 15—more if you count the loose short stories—I get more requests about where to start.
The concept of Legends of Elessia was always to have multiple starting points, to be an umbrella saga for several series, each with its own protagonists, but also sometimes interlinking and even overlapping.
That said, there are definitely a few starting points that I can recommend, the main ones being the first book in each series.
For those looking for a single North Star, I won’t torture you any longer: Begin with The Daughter of The Ice.
Why Begin with The Daughter of The Ice?
The Daughter of The Ice is a classic heroic fantasy tale, an adventure quest with multiple points of view, both male and female, and a slightly darker tone and edge. It begins the Age of Rekindling series, and it’s from the Age of Rekindlingthat the other series branch out.
There are a couple of supplemental backstories that, although they happen chronologically before Daughter and can certainly be read before it, most readers seem to enjoy more after the main book. Those are Blades of The Ice, a novella, and the short story collection Rose and the Knight. Both are available for free.
Personally, I think that Rose and the Knight is an excellent introduction to my writing style and to the overall vibe of Legends of Elessia. But I know that some people prefer a chunkier, more expansive narrative than short stories provide.
Blades of The Ice is a bit of its own thing. It’s a direct prequel to Daughter, so it can definitely be read before. But it’s much more action-focused. It is also unique in the Legends of Elessia series in that it features exclusively female protagonists, whereas the rest of the series has a much better gender balance.
(Age of Rekindling tilts slightly male, Lost Elven Realms tilts slightly female, and Shadows Over Garm tilts male.)
An Alternate Path: Start With The Latest Series
My next recommended starting point, for those who want a faster-paced, more heroic-fantasy kind of adventure that’s also a bit less grim than the Age of Rekindling saga, is Lost Elven Realms; specifically, book 1, Sword of the Elves.
Lost Elven Realms is the current ongoing series, so if you like being on top of what’s latest, that’s also a good reason to start there.
It also interacts with the other series in interesting ways. Eventually, the cast of Shadows Over Garm joins up with the cast of Lost Elven Realms mid-series, and if you feel that you enjoy those characters, you can then go back to Shadowsto read more about their previous adventures.
Or… Start With A Self-Contained Trilogy
Finally, you can certainly start with A Silvery Moon, book 1 of Shadows Over Garm.
Shadows Over Garm is the most self-contained story arc in Legends of Elessia. It was my first trilogy, so many fans got their start there. It’s especially good for people who like their fiction on the shorter end of the spectrum, without quite dipping into novella territory. In fact, A Silvery Moon, while a full novel by any other genre’s standards, is definitely a smaller book than most fantasy novels.
The end of Shadows Over Garm feeds directly into the second book of Lost Elven Realms, so there’s a bridge to get right onto the next story.
In Conclusion…
If you want to get a feel for the world… start with the short stories in The Rose and the Knight.
If you want to dive into the main saga from where all other stories eventually spawn… start with The Daughter of The Ice.
If you want to hit the ground running with the latest series and then circle back to the other stories… start with Sword of the Elves.
And if you want a nice self-contained narrative arc and a fast read… start with A Silvery Moon.
Enjoy your travels in Elessia!