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Series · fantasy
High Elf Novels
The High Elf Novels series by Graham McNeill has 2 books and is best read in publication order, starting with Defenders of Ulthuan (2007).
- Books
- 2 books
- First published
- 2007
- Status
- completed
- Last checked
Start here: Defenders of Ulthuan (2007) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Defenders of Ulthuan
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Defenders of Ulthuan - Book 2:
Sons of Ellyrion
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Sons of Ellyrion
About the High Elf Novels series
A duology set among the High Elves of Ulthuan, Warhammer Fantasy's oldest and most magically sophisticated civilization, following two Ellyrian brothers, Eldain and Caelir, torn apart by treachery and war. Defenders of Ulthuan opens with Caelir's mysterious return home after months held captive by the Dark Elves, his memory gone and his loyalties in question, just as a Dark Elf invasion of Ulthuan begins in earnest -- forcing Eldain to reckon with a brother he no longer fully trusts while the island nation braces for war. Sons of Ellyrion resolves both the brothers' fractured relationship and the invasion itself, as the conflict between the High Elves and their Dark Elf kin -- a schism running back thousands of years in Warhammer Fantasy's history -- comes to a head.
McNeill wrote both novels several years apart (2007 and 2011), and they're a comparatively rare Black Library entry point focused on High Elf court politics and family loyalty rather than Space Marines or the Empire.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the High Elf Novels duology?
Two: Defenders of Ulthuan (2007) and Sons of Ellyrion (2011).
What order should I read them in?
Publication order: Defenders of Ulthuan, then Sons of Ellyrion. It's a single continuous story despite the gap between their release dates.
Is Guardians of the Forest part of this series?
No, even though all three books are sometimes sold together in the Elves omnibus. Guardians of the Forest is an unrelated standalone novel with a different protagonist (a Bretonnian knight among the Wood Elves), not a third entry in the Eldain/Caelir story.
If you like the High Elf Novels series
Reading order last verified .