InCryptid reading order (Discount Armageddon, 2012)
InCryptid reading order: start with Discount Armageddon (2012). Family-branch narrators change — publication order keeps Verity, Alex, Antimony, and later doors from spoiling each other.
Short answer · Start here
Discount Armageddon
It is book one (2012). Verity Price’s Manhattan branch. Later books switch narrators inside the same family. McGuire recommends publication order. Do not start on an Alice or Antimony middle book because the cover looks newer.
Urban fantasy as a family business. Narrators change by branch: Verity, then Alex, back to Verity, then Antimony, Sarah, Alice, Mary. Shops sometimes sell a later branch as if it were a new series. It is not.
McGuire’s FAQ: publication order is a good idea; shorts enhance but are not required. House rule: novels in publication order. Shorts optional after you already like the Prices.
October Daye and Wayward Children are other McGuire shelves. See those guides. They are not InCryptid prequels.
Publication order
| # | Title | Year | Notes | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Discount ArmageddonStart here | 2012 | Verity. Start here. | Amazon search for Discount Armageddon |
| 2 |  Midnight Blue-Light Special | 2013 | Verity. | Amazon search for Midnight Blue-Light Special |
| 3 |  Half-Off Ragnarok | 2014 | Alex. Same family; not a new book one. | Amazon search for Half-Off Ragnarok |
| 4 |  Pocket Apocalypse | 2015 | Alex. | Amazon search for Pocket Apocalypse |
| 5 | Chaos Choreography | 2016 | Verity again. | Amazon search for Chaos Choreography |
| 6 | Magic for Nothing | 2017 | Antimony. | Amazon search for Magic for Nothing |
| 7 | Tricks for Free | 2018 | Antimony. | Amazon search for Tricks for Free |
| 8 |  That Ain't Witchcraft | 2019 | Antimony. Query: That Aint Witchcraft Seanan McGuire | Amazon search for That Ain't Witchcraft |
| 9 |  Imaginary Numbers | 2020 | Sarah. | Amazon search for Imaginary Numbers |
| 10 |  Calculated Risks | 2021 | Sarah. | Amazon search for Calculated Risks |
| 11 |  Spelunking Through HellDo not start here | 2022 | Alice. Not an on-ramp. | Amazon search for Spelunking Through Hell |
| 12 |  Backpacking Through Bedlam | 2023 | Alice. | Amazon search for Backpacking Through Bedlam |
| 13 | Aftermarket Afterlife | 2024 | Mary / family reunion stretch. | Amazon search for Aftermarket Afterlife |
| 14 | Installment Immortality | 2025 | Continues the later family arc. | Amazon search for Installment Immortality |
Branch trap, labeled: Half-Off Ragnarok feels like a soft reset because Alex is a new narrator. It still assumes Verity’s first two. Same for Antimony, Sarah, and Alice: new voice, old consequences.
Short fiction — optional
Free and anthology shorts fill earlier generations (Healys, Alice, and others). McGuire treats them as optional. Do not start the series on a short because it is chronologically earlier.
Sparrow Hill Road shares a universe tone without being InCryptid homework.
Common mistakes
- Starting with Half-Off Ragnarok or Magic for Nothing because a “complete Price family” widget lists a later narrator first.
- Starting with Spelunking Through Hell because Alice’s covers are current.
- Treating InCryptid as October Daye 20.
- Treating the shorts as a required prequel column before Discount Armageddon.
What to read next
- October Daye (Seanan McGuire) — If you want McGuire’s longer single-narrator urban fantasy climb.
- Wayward Children (Seanan McGuire) — If you want her portal-door novellas instead of the cryptozoology family.
- Rivers of London (Ben Aaronovitch) — If city-and-creature casework was the pleasure.
- The Dresden Files (Jim Butcher) — If you want another long urban fantasy job with a clear book one.
- Stop after Midnight Blue-Light Special. Verity’s first two are a complete sample of the shelf.
FAQ
Do I need publication order?
McGuire says it is a good idea. This house agrees.
Can I read only Verity?
You can stop after her books. You will miss later family consequences.
Do I need the short stories?
No.
Is Installment Immortality a starting point?
No.
Sources
- Seanan McGuire, InCryptid FAQ — author note on publication order and optional shorts. Opened 2026-09-22.
- Seanan McGuire, InCryptid — series hub. Opened 2026-09-22.
Same shelf
