With Strixhaven: Omens of Chaos by Seanan McGuire releasing in April, I thought it time to dive into the history of Magic: The Gathering's publishing efforts and look back at the history of MTG's books to see which old school Magic novels are worth reading today. A fair warning, while most of my pieces try to stay objective, I will have opinions about novels here!

A New Novel Rises

Strixhaven: Omens of Chaos cover art by Corey Brickley

For those of you unaware of how Magic lore is told, for the last twelve years the primary vehicle for Magic's story has been a long-running web fiction series tracing back to 2014's Khans of Tarkir. The ins-and-outs of how and why that happened is enough for its own piece, but suffice it to say that the market for traditional publishing changed.

Wizards tried to get back into the traditional publishing game in 2018 and 2019's War of the Spark: Ravnica and War of the Spark: Forsaken, but neither novel was well received for a variety of reasons, the latter disastrously so. If you have a chance to read The Gathering Storm prequel web fiction, however, definitely check it out.

After a brief foray into excellent e-novellas with Throne of Eldraine: The Wildered Quest and Ikoira: Lair of the Behemoths - Sundered Bond, the story returned entirely to the web fiction model. Today, each Magic IP premiere set has about ten pieces of web fiction totalling around 50,000 words, divided between a main story and various side stories, although the exact count varies depending on the type of story.

Seven years later, Wizards of the Coast and author Seanan McGuire are trying something new with Strixhaven: Omens of Chaos. Rather than trying to align a novel with the story of a specific set, Omens of Chaos is more side story than main story. The story features a number of legacy characters, like Teferi's granddaughter Kequia and Angrath, Captain of Chaos's daughter Jamira, alongside new characters Eula Blue and Segante, all of whom are among Strixhaven's first-ever interplanar class of students. I can't say more without spoiling where things go!

The end result is a great jumping-on point for someone who wants a fun wizard school adventure and an intro to Magic: The Gathering, with plenty of deep lore and worldbuilding for existing fans. Full disclosure - I've worked as a consultant on all the novels I mentioned above.

Which Novels To Read

If you're new to Magic lore and want to know where to start, I highly recommend this explainer from MTGLore. There's more here than I can reasonably cover in an article, and these articles get out of date quickly. Instead, I'm going to walk you through my favorite books in release order. For the most part, these are also novels you can purchase in e-book form.

The Brothers' War

The Brothers' War cover art by rk post

The first of Wizards' self-published titles, The Brothers' War set the stage for the grand sagas that would follow. The story follows the titular brothers Urza, Lord Protector and Mishra, Claimed by Gix as they find themselves on opposite sides of a devastating magical war. This story was itself an adaptation of classic Magic set Antiquities, and was later adapted into 2022's The Brothers' War.

The story is a sweeping, self-contained epic that laid the groundwork for what would become known as the Weatherlight saga. While I can't recommend each of the twelve novels that make up that storyline, this one is an excellent place to start if you want to learn about old school Magic. This novel is also the first book of a smaller cycle of novels called the Artifacts Cycle.

Planeswalker

Planeswalker cover art by rk post

The sequel to The Brothers' War dives into what drives a planeswalker like Urza. At the time, planeswalkers wielded fantastic god-like powers, but it was also an extremely lonely existence. Follow Urza as he loses his mind over millennia, and how he starts getting himself back. The novel spans the millennia between the Brothers' War and Urza's later ventures at the Tolarian Academy.

Despite a lot of Phyrexian lore in this story, it is an expansive tale that dives into what it means to be a planeswalker a lot better than the media that came before or after it. While you'd need to read the first novel to fully understand it, it's a beloved piece that needs recommendation.

Time Streams

Time Streams cover art by Dave Dorman

The third book of the Artifacts Cycle, this novel is key to understanding a lot of work that follows. It's about the early Tolarian Academy, founded by Urza as a part of his cold war against Phyrexia. The story also features three big characters still relevant today: Jhoira of the Ghitu, Teferi, Temporal Archmage, and Karn, Silver Golem, as young students at the Academy.

This is probably my favorite early Magic book, it is one of the few I've re-read just for fun. The characterizations of Teferi, Jhoira, and Karn and their growth over the years has made them some of my favorite characters in all of MTG.

The Eternal Ice

The Eternal Ice cover art by Gary Ruddell

The Eternal Ice is actually the second novel of the Ice Age Cycle, although it can stand alone if you want it to as it takes place thousands of years after the first. The story follows Jodah, Archmage Eternal and his friend Jaya Ballard, Task Mage as they try to put a stop to Lim-Dul the Necromancer's plans for Terisiare, and end the Ice Age in the process.

Jodah and Jaya's relationship is a stand out, all-timer in Magic. What really speaks to me about Jodah is that Jeff Grubb uses his agelessness not to grant him unlimited power, but skill and wisdom. Jodah is the anti-thesis of a planeswalker, focused on people over a big picture, greater good. Jaya's character here reminds me of a lot of who Chandra became, she's smart, cunning, and funny. Easily my favorite Magic novel of all time, which is the reason it made this list despite not being available as an ebook.

Outlaw: Champions of Kamigawa

Konda, Lord of Eiganjo by John Bolton

The original Kamigawa flipped what we knew about the color pie on its head, and the novels did the same. While this is the first of the Kamigawa Cycle, you'll want to read all three. You also don't need to know anything else about Magic. The story follows Toshiro Umezawa, an extremely mercenary cutthroat who is forced to manage a web of magically binding oaths he has spun for himself, and inadvertently becomes a hero in the process. With Kamigawa's return to relevance in Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty, these novels are fun background, but not required.

Every character in this series is great, but Toshiro is the stand-out morally gray protagonist Magic didn't know it needed until these novels. He's ruthless and doesn't let his conscience get in the way of his survival, but he's also funny and compelling. Overall a great read, even if you're not ordinarily a fan of Magic.

Ravnica

Agrus Kos, Wojek Veteran by Donato Giancola

The Ravnica block, like the Kamigawa block before it, was disconnected from previous Magic stories, making it another great place to start. The plane has become a core part of Magic's identity in the decades since, making these novels still relevant, if not required. They follow Agrus Kos, Spirit of Justice, a Boros detective called a Wojek, through his life (and death) while trying to keep the delicate balance of Ravnica's guilds from tumbling down due to machinations behind the scenes.

Agrus and his supporting cast of Feather, Radiant Arbiter and Teysa Karlov are all fantastically complex and compelling characters. I've re-read this trilogy just for fun many times over the years, and I think you'll enjoy them too.

Agents of Artifice

Agents of Artifice cover art by Aleksi Briclot

The introduction to Jace Beleren, Liliana Vess, and Tezzeret the Seeker is one of the most popular Magic novels of all time. Jace's story of betrayal and revenge rockets Magic's leading man from a morally gray con man to a reluctant hero, all while establishing dynamics and relationships that continue to matter to the story.

This novel is one of the best jumping on points for Magic story, and marked the beginning of the modern era of Magic stories. It's also just a compelling read, and another one I've re-read for fun.

Alara Unbroken

Alara Unbroken cover art by Chris Rahn

While not as beloved as Agents of Artifice, Alara Unbroken is no less important. Featuring the origins of Ajani Goldmane and Elspeth Tirel, as well as the establishment of Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker as Magic's first big bad of the new era, it's a shame that despite such a great story, we haven't been back to Alara since.

The story tends to jump around a bit, but if you're a fan of Ajani or Elspeth, this novel is key reading to understand what comes later for their characters.

That's All She Wrote

While there are dozens and dozens of Magic novels, they're generally not always worth your time. If you find yourself enjoying Strixhaven: Omens of Chaos and want to learn more about Magic Story, be sure to check out the Magic Story Hub on the main website. While not strictly in the 'traditionally published novel' realm, I also want to give a shout out to Theros: Godsend, Part I and Throne of Eldraine: The Wildered Quest as fantastic novellas you can easily get your hands on as well.