Series

Books like The Ancient Future: 9 series to read next

The Ancient Future is time travel. The 9 series below are ranked by how much of that they share — each card says which parts.

The Ancient Future is 4 books, 1996–2018.

The The Ancient Future page →Narrow this list →

Kairos
Five Children Universe
The Forever King
Songs of Earth and Power
Key Trilogy
The Heroic Adventures of Kate
Worldweavers
Time's Tapestry
Elemental Masters

KairosSeries

seriesMadeleine L'Engle11 books1962

Reading order →

Five Children UniverseSeries

seriesE. Nesbit, Helen Cresswell & Kate Saunders27 books1902

Set in early 20th century.

“Neither book is by Nesbit herself, and the two have no direct connection to each other beyond both drawing on her creation.”
from the catalogue description

Start with The Return of the Psammead →

The Forever KingSeries

seriesMolly Cochran & Warren Murphy3 books1992

About chosen one.

“The Forever King, by Molly Cochran and Warren Murphy, reimagines the Arthurian legend with a contemporary setting, bringing King Arthur's story back into the present day.”
from the catalogue description

Start with The Forever King →

Songs of Earth and PowerSeries

seriesGreg Bear2 books1984

About fae.

“The sequel, The Serpent Mage, continues Michael's story in that world.”
from the catalogue description

Start with The Infinity Concerto →

Key TrilogySeries

seriesNora Roberts3 books2003

About quests.

“Nora Roberts's Key Trilogy follows three modern women recruited to recover a set of lost keys that can free the trapped souls of three demigoddesses, opening with Key of Light.”
from the catalogue description

Start with Key of Light →

The Heroic Adventures of KateSeries

seriesT. A. Barron3 books1990

Fantasy, adventurous in tone, set in our world and contemporary.

“T. A. Barron links three standalone novels around a resourceful girl named Kate confronting environmental threats through fantastical means.”
from the catalogue description

Start with Heartlight →

WorldweaversSeries

seriesAlma Alexander4 books2007

Urban fantasy.

“What's more, her greatest strength may be the powerlessness she has resisted for so long.”
from the catalogue description of Gift of the Unmage

Start with Gift of the Unmage →

Time's TapestrySeries

seriesStephen Baxter4 books2006

Alternate history.

“Emperor opens the sequence in Roman-era Britain, and the alternate timeline compounds across the following three novels before a concluding volume gathers the whole arc.”
from the catalogue description

Start with Emperor →

Elemental MastersSeries

seriesMercedes Lackey, Cedric Johnson, Dayle A. Dermatis, Diana L. Paxson, Elisabeth Waters, Elizabeth Vaughan, Fiona Patton, Gail Sanders, Jody Lynn Nye, Kristin Schwengel, Michael Z. Williamson, Michele Lang, Ron Collins, Rosemary Edghill, Samuel C. Conway, Tanya Huff, Ben Ohlander, Jennifer Brozek, Louisa Swann, Rebecca Fox & Stephanie Shaver59 books1995

Historical fantasy, set in 19th century.

“Mercedes Lackey's Elemental Masters series reimagines classic fairy tales in various historical settings, with mages who each command one of the four elements — fire, water, earth, or air.”
from the catalogue description

Start with The Fire Rose →

Why these

No sales rank, no star ratings, no readers also bought.

Shared terms are not a promise that a book feels the same. Two series can be far-future political intrigue and read nothing alike — what the ranking can say is what they are about, and each card says which parts it shares.

Questions readers ask

What should I read after The Ancient Future?: Kairos — the closest match to The Ancient Future on what it is about, not on what sells.
Where do I start with The Ancient Future?: This Present Past. It is the entry the catalogue recommends for The Ancient Future.
How big is The Ancient Future?: The Ancient Future is 4 books, 1996–2018.

Books like The Ancient Future: 9 series to read next

Read next in The Ancient Future

Why these

Questions readers ask

Other series like this one