There are severalfantasybook series that are notorious for their unfinished status. It is not often that an author does not conclude their fantasy series—so much so that when Robert Jordan died in 2007, Brandon Sanderson took over his work to finishtheWheel of Timebooks. Some fantasy authors are so prolific that they have multiple series with plenty more planned. That is the case forBrandon Sanderson’s books. However, there isa decent number of fantasy sagas have not reached their end for various reasons. Sometimes, there are publication delays, or the author has trouble finishing the book in progress.
At other times,authors might become preoccupied with other projectsand not have the time to finish their fantasy series. There are even fantasy book series that remain incomplete because of the previous installments' lack of sales. Regardless of the reason, some fantasy series are not finished, and it is unknown if they ever will be. Some well-known examples includeThe Winds Of Winterby George R.R. Martin, but there are more—some with a broad following, while others are more unfamiliar.
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Shorter fantasy books offer unique stories that do not necessitate extensive world-building but convey powerful themes through easy-to-read writing.
10Thorn Of Emberlain (Gentleman Bastard #4)
Written By Scott Lynch
Scott Lynch is the author of theGentleman Bastardseries, about a group of criminals who rob the city of Camorr while attempting to defeat another criminal known as the Grey King. The first two books were published within a year of each other, but there was a six-year gap between the second and third installments. There have beenno additional books in theGentleman Bastardseries sinceThe Republic of Thieves, the third book. The publication of the fourth installment,The Thorn of Emberlain, was nowhere in sight untilScott Lynch provided aGentleman Bastardupdatein August 2024.
BeforeThe Thorn of Emberlainis published,a series of novellas will be put together in a volume calledThe Road To Emberlain. These three novellas all take place between the third and fourth books. It appears that after these novellas are published,The Thorn of Emberlainwill make it to bookshelves. After the fourth book,Gentleman Bastardstill has three more novels:The Ministry of Necessity,The Mage and the Master Spy, andInherit the Night. The novellas are an excellent idea to excite readers for the long-awaited fourth book.
9Zero Tango (Zero Sight #3)
Written By B. Justin Shier
Zero Sightis a trilogy by B. Justin Shier that revolves around two characters, each a fantastical species based on sorcery and vampirism. The narrative will inevitably tie them together by magic as war breaks out. The first two books were published in 2011, but the final installment,Zero Tango, is nowhere to be found.It is unknown whether Shier will finish the series, given that there have been no updates in 13 years. Shier’s X account is not active, and his website leads to a broken link. Hopefully, there will beZero Tangonews soon to conclude this trilogy.
8The Wicked Powers Trilogy (The Shadowhunter Chronicles #6)
Written By Cassandra Clare
The Shadowhunter Chroniclesis one of the most popular young adult fantasy series in the last 20 years. The books revolve around a special group of people with angelic blood, giving them the skills to defeat demons.The Shadowhunter Chronicleshas several book series, with the most recent beingThe Last Hours, set at the beginning of the 20th century.The last trilogy inThe Shadowhunter Chroniclesis calledThe Wicked Powers, which will be published in the spring of 2026.
Setting
The Mortal Instruments
City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, City of Heavenly Fire
Lady Midnight, Lord of Shadows, Queen of Air and Darkness
Los Angeles 2012
The Eldest Curses
The Red Scrolls of Magic, The Lost Book of the White, The Black Volume of the Dead
June 26, 2025 – TBA
London 1903
The Wicked Powers
The Last King of Faerie, The Last Prince of Hell, The Last Shadowhunter
Spring 2026 – TBA
New York State 2015
While that is not far away, Cassandra Clare announcedThe Wicked Powersas the final series inThe Shadowhunter Chronicles10 years ago. That means it will beover a decade between the series' first announcement and the first installment’s publication. It is a long wait, butThe Wicked Powersis expected to be an epic conclusion toThe Shadowhunter Chronicles. The three books in the trilogy are calledThe Last King of Faerie,The Last Prince of Hell, andThe Last Shadowhunter.
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7The Doors of Stone (The Kingkiller Chronicle #3)
Written By Patrick Rothfuss
The Kingkiller Chronicleis a trilogy by Patrick Rothfuss about a wizard named Kvothe as he recounts his life story in three volumes. The first installment,The Name of the Wind, was released in 2007, while the second book,The Wise Man’s Fear, was released four years later. It is unknown when the third installment,The Doors Of Stone, will be published.Patrick Rothfuss explainedThe Doors of Stone’s delayis because of several reasons, including mental health issues and difficulty meeting deadlines. Despite the publication delay,The Kingkiller Chroniclehas several companion novellas to read in the meantime.
6Outlander Book 10
Written By Diana Gabaldon
Outlanderis a widely popular book series by Diana Gabaldon. It revolves around a woman named Claire Randall, who time travels to eighteenth-century Scotland, where she meets and falls in love with Jamie Fraser.The first book was released in 1991and has expanded to nine books in total, several novellas, a television adaptation, a prequel novel series, and a television spinoff show. The TV showOutlanderis going into its eighth season, and the spinoffOutlander: Blood Of My Bloodis currently in production.
A Breath of Snow and Ashes
Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone
July 10, 2025
It has been more than 30 years since the first book was published, with the most recent book being published in 2021. Diana Gabaldon has explained on her website why there is a long wait for the tenth book—it takes a lot of time to properly research and write a lengthy historical fiction fantasy novel with other ongoing projects. Gabaldon estimates it will be 3 to 5 years after the publication of the ninth book,making the publication date for book 10 sometime between 2024 and 2026. Currently, it is the last novel in theOutlanderbook series, but it is subject to change.
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Written By Cassandra Clare & Wesley Chu
Cassandra Clare has another long-awaited book inThe Shadowhunter Chroniclesthat has not yet been released—The Black Volume Of The Dead, the third installment inThe Eldest Cursestrilogy. The series focuses on two popular characters fromThe Mortal Instruments, Alec Lightwood and Magnus Bane. The first installment,The Red Scrolls of Magic, was released in April 2019, and the second book,The Lost Book Of The White, was released in September 2020. However,as of 2024,The Black Volume Of The Deadis not scheduled.
It is highly unusual for Cassandra Clare to allow many years between installments, but there is a significant reason in this case.
It is highly unusual for Cassandra Clare to allow many years between installments, but there is a significant reason in this case.The Black Volume Of The Deadtakes place after the first installment ofThe Wicked Powers, which does not come out until spring 2026. Therefore, thefinal installment inThe Eldest Cursestrilogy cannot be published untilThe Last King Of Faerieis released—an educated estimation would place the publication date forThe Black Volume Of The Deadin 2027 or 2028, making it a seven-year gap between the second and third books.
4Heavenly Tyrant (Iron Widow #2)
Written By Xiran Jay Zhao
The second book in theIron Widowseries by Xiran Jay Zhao isHeavenly Tyrant, and after several pushbacks, the book will be published on July 05, 2025. Although it is only three years after the first book, there is not usually more than one or two years between young adult fantasy installments. Initially,Heavenly Tyrantwas supposed to be published in April 2023, a year and a half afterIron Widow. However, the sequel kept getting delayed for various reasons, including Xiran Jay Zhao missing deadlines and needing to focus on other projects for income.
The first delay was until June 27, 2025, and the second delay was until August 16, 2025. Given that it is only four months away, chances areHeavenly Tyrantwill not endure delays again.It is also unknown ifHeavenly Tyrantwill be the only sequel toIron Widow. As of right now, the series is a duology, but it is possible that it will expand in the future. Regardless,Heavenly Tyrantis a highly anticipated sequel toIron Widow, and despite the almost two-year delay, it will finally make it to bookshelves in December 2024.
3Walk in Shadow (The Kharkanas Trilogy #3)
Written By Steve Erikson
The Kharkanas Trilogyis a prequel to one of Steve Erikson’s other book series,Malazan Book of the Fallen.The Kharkanas Trilogyfocuses on Tiste, Jaghut, and Azathanai 300,000 years before the events ofMalazan Book of the Fallen. The prequel trilogy has a specific issue—it is unknown when the final installment,Walk in Shadow, will be published because ofthe lack of sales and enthusiasm for the first two books. However, Erikson vows to finish the book. The first installment,Forge Of Darkness,was released in 2012, and the second book,Fall Of Light, was released in 2016.
2Alex Stern Book 3
Written By Leigh Bardugo
TheAlex Sternseries begins withNinth House, published in 2019, followed by a sequel,Hell Bent, in 2023. The books revolve around dark magic and secret societies at Yale University. It is unknown when the next installment will be published, but in August 2024, authorLeigh Bardugo posted on Instagramthat she is “getting ready to dig into the third Alex Stern book.” There were four years between the first two books, so there might be a similar amount of time betweenHell Bentand the third installment, making the publication date in 2027.
1The Winds Of Winter (A Song Of Ice And Fire #6)
Written By George R.R. Martin
Of course, one of the fantasy series most notoriously known for delaying the next installment isA Song of Ice and Fireby George R. R. Martin. The first three books were released within two years of each other—1996, 1998, and 2000. Afterward,the amount of time in between installments began growing. The fourth book,A Feast for Crows, was released in 2005, and the fifth book,A Dance With Dragons, was released in 2011. George R.R. Martin has insisted he has been writing the next installment,The Winds of Winter, since then, marking 13 years.
The Winds of Winteris taking so longbecause Martin is having trouble finishing the book. There are a few theories as to why he is having trouble finishing the book. One suggested theory is he saw the backlash toGame of Thronesseason 8and had to rewrite the last two books. Another theory is that he lost interest in finishingA Song of Ice and Fire, caring more about other projects instead. Most recently,George R.R. Martin said he finished three-quarters ofThe Winds of Winter, but it is unknown when it will be published.
Source:cassandraclare.com,winteriscoming.net, anddianagabaldon.com
