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World of the White Rat Books in Order

By the Bingerun team · How we choose the order →

There are 8 World of the White Rat books: the Clocktaur War duology (2017-2018), Swordheart (2018), the four Saint of Steel romances (2020-2023), and Daggerbound, the first direct numbered sequel, arriving August 25, 2026. Publication order is the reading order, with two hard rules: The Wonder Engine immediately after Clockwork Boys, and the Saint of Steel books in internal order.

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  1. Clockwork Boys 2017

    Clocktaur War #1 (November 21, 2017) and the start of the whole universe: a forger, an assassin, the disgraced paladin Caliban and the scholar-priest Learned Edmund, future lead of Daggerbound, are sent on a suicide mission against unstoppable clockwork soldiers. Introduces the Temple of the White Rat and Bishop Beartongue. Structurally half a novel; it ends mid-story, so have The Wonder Engine on hand

  2. The Wonder Engine 2018

    Clocktaur War #2 (February 27, 2018), the second half of one novel split across two volumes, not a standalone sequel. Concludes the mission begun in Clockwork Boys and completes Learned Edmund's introduction; everything later in the universe sits downstream of this duology. Never a first book

  3. Swordheart 2018

    Standalone fantasy romance (November 27, 2018): widow Halla inherits an enchanted sword containing Sarkis, an immortal warrior bound to its wielder. Introduces Zale, the White Rat lawyer-priest who recurs in the Saint of Steel books, which is why it belongs before that quartet. First of a planned trilogy; Daggerbound is its direct sequel. The February 25, 2025 Bramble deluxe hardcover reissue, an instant NYT bestseller, is the same novel as the 2018 self-published edition

  4. Paladin's Grace 2020

    The Saint of Steel #1 (February 11, 2020), Stephen's book. First of four romances following berserker paladins left broken when their god died mid-thought, now sheltered by the Temple of the White Rat. Marketed as a standalone, but a background mystery arc runs through all four, so keep the quartet in order. A fine romance-first entry point to the universe

  5. Paladin's Strength 2021

    The Saint of Steel #2 (February 28, 2021), Istvhan's book. Continues the quartet's background arc; Zale from Swordheart recurs here, which is why Swordheart is best read before this sub-series even though each volume is sold as a standalone

  6. Paladin's Hope 2021

    The Saint of Steel #3 (October 2021), Galen's book, paired with the lich-doctor Piper; the quartet's m/m entry. Continues the ongoing arc, so do not read it out of sub-series order

  7. Paladin's Faith 2023

    The Saint of Steel #4 (December 5, 2023), Shane's book, with the spy Marguerite. The most recent published White Rat novel before Daggerbound. Exactly four Saint of Steel books exist; Kingfisher's own FAQ says seven are planned in the sub-series, but a fifth has no title, date or announcement

  8. Daggerbound 2026

    Releases August 25, 2026 (Bramble in the US, Orbit in the UK), the first direct numbered sequel in the universe. Sold as Swordheart #2, but the protagonist is Learned Edmund from the Clocktaur War duology, who releases the Dervish, another immortal warrior trapped in enchanted steel like Sarkis. Ideal prep is both Swordheart and the Clocktaur War books

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Why this order?

Publication order, and in this universe it is also the dependency-safe order: T. Kingfisher's own FAQ at Red Wombat Studio lists the White Rat books in exactly this sequence. The reason a guide is needed at all is that none of these covers carry numbers and every volume is marketed as a standalone romance or adventure, so the actual structure, a duology, a trilogy in progress and a quartet sharing one world, is invisible at point of sale.

Two placements are hard requirements rather than preferences. Clockwork Boys is structurally half a novel: it ends mid-story and The Wonder Engine is the direct continuation, one book split across two volumes, so they must be read back to back. And the four Saint of Steel books, though each is pitched as an interchangeable standalone romance, carry an ongoing background mystery, the severed-heads investigation and its aftermath, that develops across all four. Reading them out of order spoils its progression.

Swordheart sits before the Saint of Steel quartet because Zale, the White Rat lawyer-priest introduced there, recurs throughout the paladin books. It is also the most popular single-volume entry point, an instant NYT bestseller on its 2025 Bramble reissue, and the opening book of a planned trilogy.

Daggerbound comes last both by date and by dependency, and it is the trap the whole guide is built around. It is labeled Swordheart #2, but its protagonist is Learned Edmund, the scholar-priest introduced in the Clocktaur War duology, who frees another immortal warrior from an enchanted blade exactly as Halla did with Sarkis. Prep by reading only Swordheart and you will not know who the lead is; follow the label backwards and you land one sub-series short. Ideal prep is both Swordheart and the Clocktaur War duology.

We deliberately do not publish a separate chronological order. No authoritative source pins the internal timeline, and community consensus is that it tracks publication order closely enough that a second array would be manufactured precision. Instead, know that the universe has three valid doors: Clockwork Boys for the full foundation, Swordheart for the beloved standalone, or Paladin's Grace for romance-first readers. Only The Wonder Engine and Daggerbound make bad first books.

Finally, keep the count at eight. Kingfisher's 2025-2026 releases Snake-Eater (2025, contemporary desert horror-fantasy) and Wolf Worm (March 24, 2026, gothic horror set in 1899 North Carolina) are not White Rat books, and neither are the Sworn Soldier novellas, Nettle & Bone or Hemlock & Silver. Same pen name, different worlds.

Timeline 2017-2026

Every entry by release year: rows that share a year are a cluster, and the long droughts are called out on the rail.

  1. 2017 Clockwork Boys
  2. 2018 The Wonder EngineSwordheart
  3. 2020 Paladin's Grace
  4. 2021 Paladin's StrengthPaladin's Hope
  5. 2023 Paladin's Faith
  6. 2026 Daggerbound

Where to play it today

  • Ebooks: all seven published books are widely available on Kindle and the major ebook stores, the Clocktaur War and Saint of Steel titles via Kingfisher's own Red Wombat Studio imprint; check current subscription status before assuming Kindle Unlimited inclusion
  • Print in the US: Argyll Productions handles print editions of the self-published titles, and Swordheart additionally has the February 25, 2025 Bramble (Tor) deluxe hardcover with sprayed edges in wide retail
  • Print in the UK: Titan Books publishes UK paperback editions of the Clocktaur War books and Swordheart, including a Clocktaur War duology edition, so UK readers are no longer limited to imports
  • Audiobooks: the Clocktaur War duology is narrated by Khristine Hvam (Brilliance Audio, on Audible); the four Saint of Steel books are narrated by Joel Richards (Tantor Media, on Audible and Everand); Swordheart is narrated by Jesse Vilinsky
  • The Daggerbound audiobook is a Macmillan Audio production already listed on Audible, with Jesse Vilinsky returning from Swordheart, a nice continuity touch given the two books' shared premise
  • Daggerbound releases August 25, 2026 in both the US (Bramble hardcover) and the UK (Orbit / Little, Brown), same date in both markets
  • No screen adaptation of any White Rat book exists or is announced

Availability changes often and varies by region - links search each platform for The World of the White Rat.

Frequently asked questions

How many World of the White Rat books are there?

Exactly 8 counting Daggerbound: the Clocktaur War duology (Clockwork Boys 2017, The Wonder Engine 2018), Swordheart (2018), the four Saint of Steel books (Paladin's Grace 2020, Paladin's Strength 2021, Paladin's Hope 2021, Paladin's Faith 2023), and Daggerbound (August 25, 2026). Seven published, one upcoming.

What order should I read the World of the White Rat books in?

Publication order, which is also the dependency-safe order and the sequence Kingfisher's own FAQ lists. Only two hard rules: The Wonder Engine immediately after Clockwork Boys, because they are one novel in two volumes, and the four Saint of Steel books in internal order, because a background mystery arc runs through all four.

Do I need to read anything before Daggerbound?

It is written to function on its own, but the ideal prep is the Clocktaur War duology, where its protagonist Learned Edmund debuts, plus Swordheart, which establishes the trapped-warrior-in-a-sword premise and opens the trilogy Daggerbound continues. The Swordheart #2 label alone will not tell you that; readers who prep with only one of those threads land half-prepared.

Where should a brand-new reader start?

Three doors, all valid: Clockwork Boys for the full foundation, Swordheart for the most beloved standalone (an NYT bestseller on its 2025 reissue), or Paladin's Grace for romance-first readers. Only The Wonder Engine and Daggerbound make bad first books, because both depend directly on earlier volumes.

Is there a Saint of Steel book 5?

Not yet. Exactly four are published and none has been announced in the years since Paladin's Faith (December 2023). A fifth is genuinely planned: Kingfisher's own FAQ states seven books are planned in the Saint of Steel series, with paladins like Marcus, Wren and Judith still to come, but no fifth book has a title or a date, and database placeholders listing one are not announcements.

Are Snake-Eater or Wolf Worm part of the White Rat universe?

No. Snake-Eater (2025) is a contemporary fantasy-horror set in the American desert, and Wolf Worm (March 24, 2026) is a gothic horror novel set in 1899 North Carolina. Same author, different worlds, and neither connects to the Temple of the White Rat.

Is Swordheart part of the Saint of Steel series?

No. Swordheart opens its own planned trilogy, of which Daggerbound is book 2. Both series sit in the same shared world, connected by the Temple of the White Rat and recurring characters like Zale and Bishop Beartongue, but they are separate sub-series with separate leads.

Who is T. Kingfisher?

The pen name Ursula Vernon uses for her adult fiction. The World of the White Rat is her interconnected fantasy-romance universe, distinct from her horror line (What Moves the Dead, Wolf Worm) and her standalone fantasies like Nettle & Bone and Hemlock & Silver, which share the pen name but not the universe.

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Last verified · Sources: redwombatstudio.com, goodreads.com, en.wikipedia.org, torpublishinggroup.com, us.macmillan.com, audible.com, waterstones.com, argyllproductions.com, panmacmillan.com, amazon.com, harvard.com

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