Mercy Thompson & Alpha and Omega reading order
By Patricia Briggs · Last verified · 3 sources
Quick answer
If you only want one series, read Mercy Thompson 1-14 in number order. If you are reading both, follow the author's timeline: it starts the Alpha and Omega books (beginning with the novella 'Alpha and Omega' and Cry Wolf) during Moon Called and then alternates between the two series, with the short stories slotted between novels.
Two intertwined urban fantasy series in one shared world: fourteen Mercy Thompson novels and six Alpha and Omega novels, plus short stories, two graphic novels and a separate run of Asil stories.
- The series has 20 novels, 1 novella, 13 short stories, 2 other works, 2 graphic novels.
- In publication order, the main sequence starts with Moon Called (2006) and the latest listed is Winter Lost (2024).
- Besides publication order, this page offers: Timeline (author's official list).
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Verification: Every work cites an author or publisher source (38 of 38 works cite an author, publisher or official source). How we verify.
Reading order & tracker
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Ordered by first publication date (original language). Derived automatically from the dates listed for each work.
- Moon Called
- Blood Bound
- Cry Wolf
- Iron Kissed
- Bone Crossed
- Hunting Ground
- Silver Borne
- River Marked
- Fair Game
- Frost Burned
- Night Broken
- Silver
- Roses in Winter
- Redemption
- Hollow
- Dead Heat
- Fire Touched
- Silence Fallen
- Burn Bright
- Storm Cursed
- Smoke Bitten
- Wild Sign
- Soul Taken
- Winter Lost
Not placed in this order
Our sources do not give a position for these works in this order, so we do not guess one.
- Alpha and Omega
- Gray
- Fairy Gifts
- Seeing Eye
- Star of David
- In Red, with Pearls
- Silver Borne outtake
- Night Broken outtake
- Homecoming
- Hopcross Jilly
- A Memory of Witches
- Underappreciated Gifts
- Asil and the Not-Date
- Dating Terrors
Why the order isn't simple
- The two series run in parallel in the same world. In the author's timeline the first two Alpha and Omega novels happen while Moon Called is still going on.
- Publication order alternates between the series by year, which hides how closely some books follow each other in story time (for example Fire Touched, Silence Fallen, Burn Bright and Storm Cursed all fall in one summer).
- Most short stories first appeared in multi-author anthologies and were later gathered in Shifting Shadows, alongside four new stories and two deleted scenes.
- Asil's stories have their own separate timeline and are now also gathered in Blind Date with a Werewolf (2025).
Which order should I use?
Publication order alternates between the two series roughly by year and leaves the reprinted short stories unplaced, because their first-publication dates are not given on the author's timeline.
The timeline view is the author's own list. Its biggest difference from publication order is at the start: Cry Wolf (published 2008) is placed right after Moon Called begins, before Blood Bound (2007). Later, several books from both series sit within the same few months.
Use the sub-series filter to see one series alone; numbering within each series follows the publisher's numbers on the timeline.
Where each order comes from
- Publication order — Derived from publication dates
- Ordered by first publication date (original language). Derived automatically from the dates listed for each work.
- Timeline (author's official list) — Story chronology
- Patricia Briggs's own timeline of both series, which interleaves the Mercy Thompson and Alpha and Omega books with the short stories and graphic novels by in-story month and year. Asil's stories run on a separate timeline and are not placed in it. Source: Mercy Thompson / Alpha and Omega printable timeline.
Novellas & short stories
Shifting Shadows (2014) is the key collection: it holds every short story on the main timeline except A Memory of Witches, plus two outtakes. Four of its stories were new to that book.
The novella 'Alpha and Omega' is both the start of the Alpha and Omega series and a story inside Shifting Shadows, so a reader who owns Shifting Shadows already has it.
| Title | Type | First published | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha and Omega | Novella | Unknown | Prequel novella to Cry Wolf. Previously published in an anthology before being reprinted in Shifting Shadows; original venue/date not yet verified. |
| Gray | Short story | Unknown | Previously published in an anthology; reprinted in Shifting Shadows (2014). Original venue/date not yet verified. |
| Fairy Gifts | Short story | Unknown | Previously published in an anthology; reprinted in Shifting Shadows (2014). Original venue/date not yet verified. |
| Seeing Eye | Short story | Unknown | Previously published in an anthology; reprinted in Shifting Shadows (2014). Original venue/date not yet verified. |
| Star of David | Short story | Unknown | Previously published in an anthology; reprinted in Shifting Shadows (2014). Original venue/date not yet verified. |
| In Red, with Pearls | Short story | Unknown | Previously published in an anthology; reprinted in Shifting Shadows (2014). Original venue/date not yet verified. |
| Silver | Short story | 2 September 2014 in Shifting Shadows | New story, first published in Shifting Shadows. |
| Roses in Winter | Short story | 2 September 2014 in Shifting Shadows | New story, first published in Shifting Shadows. |
| Redemption | Short story | 2 September 2014 in Shifting Shadows | New story, first published in Shifting Shadows. |
| Hollow | Short story | 2 September 2014 in Shifting Shadows | New story, first published in Shifting Shadows. |
| A Memory of Witches | Short story | Unknown | Published in the anthology Instinct, per the author's timeline; date not yet verified. |
| Underappreciated Gifts | Short story | Unknown | Published in the anthology A Fantastic Holiday Season, per the author's timeline; date not yet verified. Part of Asil's separate timeline. |
| Asil and the Not-Date | Short story | Unknown | Published in the anthology Fantastic Hope, per the author's timeline; date not yet verified. Part of Asil's separate timeline. |
| Dating Terrors | Short story | Unknown | Published in the anthology Heroic Hearts, per the author's timeline; date not yet verified. Part of Asil's separate timeline. |
Collections & omnibus editions: what's inside
Shifting Shadows and Blind Date with a Werewolf do not overlap: the first covers Mercy's world, the second Asil's separate timeline.
Graphic novels (Homecoming, Hopcross Jilly) are separate books and are not in either collection.
Contents below are works from this series only. Tick the editions you own to check for duplicates and gaps.
Shifting Shadows
Story collection · 2014 · Ace
- Silver
- Gray
- Fairy Gifts
- Seeing Eye
- Alpha and Omega
- Star of David
- Roses in Winter
- Silver Borne outtake
- In Red, with Pearls
- Redemption
- Night Broken outtake
- Hollow
Six previously published stories, four new stories and two outtakes from novels.
Source: Mercy Thompson / Alpha and Omega printable timeline, Shifting Shadows: listing and review coverage
Blind Date with a Werewolf
Story collection · 2025 · series contents only / partly verified
- Underappreciated Gifts
- Asil and the Not-Date
- Dating Terrors
Described by the author as a novel in stories that collects Asil's five dates; only the three dates previously published as separate stories are listed here.
Source: Mercy Thompson / Alpha and Omega printable timeline, Open Library edition records (Briggs)
Your editions
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About the sub-series
Alpha and Omega is a companion series rather than a spin-off that can be read anywhere: the author's timeline fixes each of its books between specific Mercy novels.
Where sources disagree
We don't pick a winner silently. When sources conflict we show each view and cite it.
Moon Called first-publication year
One catalogue record is dated 2005 while first editions are catalogued in 2006. We show 2006.
Short story original publication dates
The author's timeline names the collection or anthology for each story but not its date. Dates for reprinted stories are left unknown rather than estimated, so those stories appear under 'Not placed' in publication order.
Sources: Mercy Thompson / Alpha and Omega printable timeline, Shifting Shadows: listing and review coverage
How this page was verified
The order of everything, and which collection or anthology each story is in, comes from the author's official printable timeline.
Novel years come from library catalogue records; Shifting Shadows' date and its new-versus-reprinted split come from its publisher listing and review coverage. Anthology dates for the reprinted stories and the graphic novels' dates are still unverified and are left blank.
Last verified . Every work cites an author or publisher source.
Sources
Every date, order and edition listed on this page cites at least one of these. See our data methodology for how source types are ranked.
- Mercy Thompson / Alpha and Omega printable timeline — Patricia Briggs (official site) · Author (official) · accessed 8 October 2026 In-story order of all novels, novellas, stories, graphic novels and outtakes, with the collection/anthology for each story; Asil's separate timeline.
- Open Library edition records (Briggs) — Open Library (Internet Archive) · Library catalog · accessed 8 October 2026 Earliest catalogued edition years for all twenty novels and Blind Date with a Werewolf (2025).
- Shifting Shadows: listing and review coverage — Publishers Weekly / Penguin Random House listing (via search) · Secondary reference · accessed 8 October 2026 Published 2 September 2014 by Ace; six previously published stories, four new (Silver, Roses in Winter, Redemption, Hollow), two outtakes.
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