Daevabad Trilogy Reading Order: Where Does The River of Silver Fit?

Read the Daevabad trilogy in this order: The City of Brass, The Kingdom of Copper, and The Empire of Gold. Then read The River of Silver, an optional companion collection with stories set before, during, and after the main series. Saving the collection until last is the simplest way to avoid learning about events before you encounter them in the novels.

S. A. Chakraborty’s series begins with Nahri, a Cairo con artist whose encounter with a djinn draws her into a hidden magical world. If you are ready to enter Daevabad, you only need one starting point: The City of Brass.

Spoiler note: This guide discusses the books’ order and format without revealing major plot twists.

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Daevabad Books in Reading Order

The important distinction is between the three novels that tell the main story and the collection that expands it. A fourth entry in a retailer’s series listing does not mean you need four novels to reach the trilogy’s ending.

1. The City of Brass

The City of Brass introduces Nahri in eighteenth-century Cairo. She survives through cleverness and deception, while possessing healing abilities she does not fully understand. When she summons the djinn warrior Dara, her understanding of her own life begins to change.

This is where readers should meet the setting and its competing loyalties. Starting with a prequel-era story from the companion collection could give you background, but it would bypass the introduction the first novel provides.

For a first read, let the questions arrive in the order the novel raises them. You do not need to study Daevabad’s history beforehand.

Start the trilogy with The City of Brass on Amazon.

2. The Kingdom of Copper

Read The Kingdom of Copper second. It continues the story established in The City of Brass, taking its characters and political conflicts further.

Avoid browsing the sequel’s full synopsis before finishing the first novel. Even an official book description can disclose where characters end up after earlier events.

My recommendation is to continue directly into this book while the first novel’s relationships and rivalries are still fresh. If you need a reminder, use the previous book rather than a series-wide character summary, which may reveal later developments.

Continue with The Kingdom of Copper on Amazon.

3. The Empire of Gold

The Empire of Gold is the third novel and concludes the main trilogy. Read it after The Kingdom of Copper.

This is the stopping point for readers who want the complete central story. You can finish the trilogy here and decide later whether you want additional time in its world.

Once you have finished, our The Empire of Gold review offers a discussion of the finale. Save that review until afterward because it discusses plot developments.

Finish the main trilogy with The Empire of Gold on Amazon.

Where Does The River of Silver Fit?

The River of Silver belongs after The Empire of Gold in a first-time reading order.

Its stories range across the series’ timeline. Some explore earlier history, others accompany the novels’ events, and some venture beyond the finale. That makes “read the prequel first” an unhelpful rule for this collection: the book as a whole is not simply a prequel.

The collection also offers perspectives beyond the central viewpoints of the novels. Its appeal is the chance to revisit people and relationships after you already understand their place in the larger story.

Think of it as an optional return visit. Readers looking for another continuous novel should know that its format is a collection of shorter pieces.

Return to Daevabad with The River of Silver on Amazon.

Is The River of Silver Book 4?

You may see The River of Silver listed as the fourth Daevabad book, or with a fractional series number. Those labels can make the reading order look more complicated than it is.

It is the companion collection associated with the trilogy. The main novel sequence still ends with The Empire of Gold.

When choosing what to buy or borrow, check the subtitle: Tales from the Daevabad Trilogy. That helps distinguish its format from the three main novels.

Should You Read Daevabad in Chronological Order?

For a first read, I recommend the three novels followed by the collection.

Trying to insert individual stories into the novels turns a straightforward reading plan into a project. It also risks replacing a discovery with information you were meant to encounter later.

A reread is a better time to experiment with timeline order. Once you know the main story, you can decide whether revisiting an earlier period adds something to your experience.

Do You Have to Read The River of Silver?

No. Read it if you finish the trilogy wanting more perspectives and additional stories from Daevabad.

If your priority is completing the central narrative, the three novels are your essential reading. If you enjoy companion material, save the collection as a reward for finishing.

Looking for more series with a finished main storyline? Browse our completed fantasy trilogies guide. For another route into similar reading, explore our fantasy books with political intrigue.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the first Daevabad book?

The City of Brass is the first novel and the recommended starting point.

Can you read The River of Silver first?

For a first read, save it until after all three novels. Its material spans the series’ timeline, including events after The Empire of Gold.

Is Daevabad a trilogy or four books?

The main story is a trilogy. Including The River of Silver gives you three novels and one companion collection.

Does The River of Silver continue the ending?

Some material takes place after The Empire of Gold, but the collection is not a fourth full-length installment of the main narrative.

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