One thing that often confuses people about the Avalon cycle of stories by Marion Zimmer Bradley and Diana Paxson is the order in which the books were written, the order that is best to read them and how it all falls on a time line. While one might be inclined to read them in chronological order by storyline, the best method is undoubtedly to go in the order in which they were written, beginning with The Mists of Avalon.

Books by Publish Date
The Mists of Avalon- 1979
The Fall of Atlantis- 1987
The Forest House- 1993
Lady of Avalon- 1997
Priestess Of Avalon- 2000
Ancestors of Avalon- 2004
Ravens of Avalon- 2007

Books in Storyline Order
The Fall of Atlantis- While not officially part of the Avalon series, the plot is the catalyst for the recurring theme throughout all of the Avalon books and is referenced many times over as the people of Avalon are descended from Atlantis.

Ancestors of Avalon- 2000 BCE
Ravens of Avalon- 61 CE
The Forest House- 81 CE
Lady of Avalon- Part I: 96 CE
Priestess Of Avalon- Part I and Part II (ch. 8-11): 259 CE
Lady of Avalon- Part II: 285 CE
Priestess Of Avalon- Part II (ch. 9 -14) and Part III: 293 CE
Lady of Avalon- Part III: 440 CE
The Mists of Avalon- 461 CE

Posted in: The Cluttered Bookshelf