Best Ken Scholes Books

The best books by Ken Scholes — 8 titles spanning Fantasy, Sci-Fi, averaging 3.77 BLT stars.

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Ken Scholes built his reputation on the Psalms of Isaak series — a post-apocalyptic fantasy set in the Named Lands, where civilizations are catalogued and preserved by mechanical men called metal men, and where the destruction of a great library sets off a chain of dynastic grief and political reckoning that spans generations. Starting with Lamentation, Scholes writes with an elegiac intensity, his prose measured and ceremonial, suited to a world where knowledge itself is sacred. The series rewards readers who appreciate slow-burn world-building and earned emotional payoffs over breakneck plotting. Beyond Isaak, his contributions to collaborative anthologies like METAtropolis: Cascadia show his range — he's equally comfortable in near-future speculative territory. Scholes is the author for readers who want their fantasy weighted with consequence and atmosphere, and who don't mind sitting with a world before it fully reveals itself.

Ken Scholes's highest-rated book in our collection is Antiphon (3.9 BLT stars). Browse the full list below.

Where to Start with Ken Scholes

  1. 1
    Antiphon cover

    Antiphon

    Psalms of Isaak • Book 3

    by Ken Scholes

    ★ 3.90 BLT Score (976 ratings)
    ★ 3.99 Goodreads (976)
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  2. 2
    Unfettered III: New Tales cover

    Unfettered III: New Tales

    The Chathrand Voyage #Thasha's cure for cabin fever • Book 3

    by Shawn Speakman, Tad Williams, Naomi Novik, Megan Lindholm, John Gwynne, David Anthony Durham, Callie Bates, Jason Denzel, Carrie Vaughn, Deborah A. Wolf, Anna Stephens, Patrick Swenson, Ramon Terrell, Peter Orullian, Terry Brooks, Lev Grossman, Seanan McGuire, Delilah S. Dawson, Mark Lawrence, Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, Brandon Sanderson, Robert Jordan, Todd Lockwood, Cat Rambo, Robert V.S. Redick, Ken Scholes, Scott Sigler, Anna Smith Spark, Marc Turner

    ★ 3.85 BLT Score (571 ratings)
    ★ 3.98 Goodreads (571)
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  3. 3
    Hymn cover

    Hymn

    Psalms of Isaak • Book 5

    by Ken Scholes

    ★ 3.84 BLT Score (246 ratings)
    ★ 4.11 Goodreads (246)
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  4. 4
    Requiem cover

    Requiem

    Psalms of Isaak • Book 4

    by Ken Scholes

    ★ 3.84 BLT Score (539 ratings)
    ★ 4 Goodreads (539)
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  5. 5
    Canticle cover

    Canticle

    Psalms of Isaak • Book 2

    by Ken Scholes

    ★ 3.78 BLT Score (1.5K ratings)
    ★ 3.94 Goodreads (1.5K)
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  6. 6
    METAtropolis: Green Space cover

    METAtropolis: Green Space

    METAtropolis • Book 3

    by Jay Lake, Tobias S. Buckell, Mary Robinette Kowal, Ken Scholes, Dion Graham, Robin Miles, Mark Boyett, Scott Brick, Allyson Johnson, Sanjiv Jhaveri, Jennifer Van Dyck, Jonathan Davis, Elizabeth Bear, Karl Schroeder, Seanan McGuire

    ★ 3.75 BLT Score (354 ratings)
    ★ 3.75 Goodreads (354)
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  7. 7
    METAtropolis: Cascadia cover

    METAtropolis: Cascadia

    METAtropolis • Book 2

    by Jay Lake, Mary Robinette Kowal, Elizabeth Bear, Ken Scholes, Karl Schroeder, René Auberjonois, Kate Mulgrew, Wil Wheaton, Gates McFadden, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Tobias S. Buckell

    ★ 3.63 BLT Score (834 ratings)
    ★ 3.68 Goodreads (834)
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  8. 8
    Lamentation cover

    Lamentation

    Psalms of Isaak • Book 1

    by Ken Scholes

    ★ 3.59 BLT Score (3.2K ratings)
    ★ 3.7 Goodreads (3.2K)
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Rankings are driven by listener ratings and review counts from Audible and Goodreads. Books with high ratings across a large number of listeners rank higher — a 4.5 with 50,000 ratings says more than a 4.8 with 200.

Unlike most book lists, we weight audiobook-specific factors: narrator performance, production quality, and how well a story translates to audio. A great book with a poor narration isn't a great audiobook.

We don't accept paid placements or prioritize new releases. These rankings reflect what listeners actually enjoy, not what's being promoted.

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