Awaken Online Reading Order: 8 Books Plus 4 Side Quests
8 min readBy LevelUpShelf EditorialLast reviewed
TL;DR: Read by Audible's numbers, side quests included: 1, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6, 7, 8. David Stifel narrates all twelve, 258 hours 10 minutes by our sum. Book 8, Crucible, reached Audible on March 1, 2026. Stores call it "Book 12" because they count the side quests. The three Tarot books are a separate sub-series.
Don't stop at the eight numbered books if you want the full Awaken Online reading order: the series has four side quests that slot in at 2.5, 3.5, 4.5 and 5.5. One of them, Happy, runs 25 hours 16 minutes on Audible, longer than main book 3. The cost is the wait: book 8 came 881 days after book 7, and no book 9 is listed. Below: the order, every audiobook length, the book 12 versus book 8 puzzle, and where readers split.
Key Takeaways
- 12 books in the main arc: 8 numbered books and 4 side quests, by the author's own count.
- 3 more in Tarot, a sub-series that follows a different character.
- One narrator: David Stifel reads every main-arc audiobook.
- Store numbers differ: Audible calls Crucible book 12; the author calls it #8.
- No book 9 listing on the author's site or Audible as of our check.
Awaken Online Reading Order at a Glance
The year is the Audible release year of each audiobook.
- Catharsis (2016)
- Precipice (2017)
- Retribution, side quest 2.5 (2017)
- Evolution (2018)
- Apathy, side quest 3.5 (2018)
- Dominion (2019)
- Unity, side quest 4.5 (2019)
- Hellion (2021)
- Happy, side quest 5.5 (2022)
- Armageddon (2022)
- Timeless (2023)
- Crucible (2026)
Overview
Awaken Online is Travis Bagwell's LitRPG series. His site sums it up as "15 books spanning the main arc, side quests, and the Tarot sub-series." The books page splits that into "Main Arc · 12 Books" and a three-book sub-series that "Follows Finn".
Catharsis came out on Audible on August 31, 2016. On Goodreads it holds 4.37 from 17,514 ratings (checked Oct 24). The newest book, Crucible, has 4.63 from 974.
Desk note: Commitment: B-rank (200 h 29 m) for the eight numbered books, which is how our series data counts it. Add the side quests and the arc runs 258 h 10 m, enough for A-rank. Crucible alone (31 h 23 m) is longer than Catharsis and Retribution together (24 h 33 m).
Cover: Audible product page
Every Awaken Online Book in Order
Dates, lengths and ratings come from each audiobook's Audible listing, all read by David Stifel. The # column is the reading position, which matches the store numbers we could check (Evolution 4, Apathy 5, Crucible 12); the Series no. column is the author's. Ratings were read on our check date and will drift. Amazon's Kindle pages did not load for this check, so there are no page counts here.
| # | Series no. | Title | Audible | Length | Audible rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Catharsis | Aug 31, 2016 | 16 h 0 m | 4.6 (12,096) |
| 2 | 2 | Precipice | Mar 23, 2017 | 18 h 28 m | 4.8 (9,277) |
| 3 | 2.5 | Retribution, side quest 2.5 | Oct 31, 2017 | 8 h 33 m | 4.8 (4,742) |
| 4 | 3 | Evolution | Jul 11, 2018 | 23 h 2 m | 4.7 (6,515) |
| 5 | 3.5 | Apathy, side quest 3.5 | Aug 3, 2018 | 10 h 6 m | 4.7 (3,474) |
| 6 | 4 | Dominion | May 10, 2019 | 27 h 46 m | 4.7 (5,072) |
| 7 | 4.5 | Unity, side quest 4.5 | Jul 27, 2019 | 13 h 46 m | 4.8 (3,430) |
| 8 | 5 | Hellion | Jul 1, 2021 | 29 h 59 m | 4.8 (3,358) |
| 9 | 5.5 | Happy, side quest 5.5 | Jan 31, 2022 | 25 h 16 m | 4.9 (2,448) |
| 10 | 6 | Armageddon | Nov 20, 2022 | 26 h 19 m | 4.7 (1,930) |
| 11 | 7 | Timeless | Oct 2, 2023 | 27 h 32 m | 4.6 (839) |
| 12 | 8 | Crucible | Mar 1, 2026 | 31 h 23 m | 4.8 (520) |
The books grow as the series goes: the first two main books average about 17 hours, the last four about 29. The side quests start short (8 h 33 m) and end long.
Cover: Audible product page
Book 12 or Book 8? How the Numbering Works
Two counts are in use, and both are official.
- The author's count: Crucible is "AO #8" on Travis Bagwell's books page, and the side quests carry .5 numbers.
- The store count: Audible subtitles Crucible "Awaken Online, Book 12". Amazon's audiobook pages label Evolution "Book 4 of 12" and Apathy "Book 5 of 12". The stores number all twelve titles in release order.
That is why Google suggests searches like "awaken online book 12" and "awaken online book 13". Book 13 in store terms is the next main book, AO #9. The table above gives both: the # column follows the store count, the Series no. column the author's.
Step-by-Step: How to Read Awaken Online
1. Start with Catharsis: 16 hours on Audible.
2. Read Precipice, then Retribution (2.5). From here on, take each side quest right after the main book before it.
3. Keep going by Audible's sequence through Crucible. The list above is that sequence.
4. Short on time? Skip the side quests. The eight main books alone run 200 h 29 m, against 258 h 10 m with the side quests.
5. Leave Tarot for later. Ember, Flame and Inferno sit in a separate Audible series, "Awaken Online: Tarot", published by Tantor Audio. They came out between November 2019 and December 2020, between Unity and Hellion by date. We found no official note on where they fit, so read them once you know the main arc.
The Tarot Sub-Series
| # | Title | Audible | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ember | Nov 26, 2019 | 16 h 48 m |
| 2 | Flame | Jun 16, 2020 | 21 h 51 m |
| 3 | Inferno | Dec 17, 2020 | 23 h 24 m |
David Stifel narrates these too. The three add 62 h 3 m, so all fifteen Awaken Online audiobooks come to 320 h 13 m by our sum.
Cover: Audible product page
When Is Awaken Online Book 9 Coming Out?
There is no date. As of October 24, 2026:
- Travis Bagwell's site shows "Latest Awaken Online #8 Crucible" and lists nothing after it.
- Audible: the series list ends at Crucible, with no pre-order.
- Patreon: the author's public page shows only locked posts, which are not a source.
Crucible had been out 237 days when we checked. The gaps between main books have run 204, 475, 303, 783, 507, 316 and 881 days. The 881-day wait before Crucible is longer than the time from book 1 to book 3 (679 days). We'll add book 9 to our release calendar when the author or a store dates it.
The Audiobooks: David Stifel
David Stifel reads the whole main arc and the Tarot books. The early books came out under Travis Bagwell's name on Audible; from Dominion on, the publisher is STAB Publishing. The longest is Crucible at 31 h 23 m; the shortest is Retribution at 8 h 33 m.
In a March 2026 r/litrpg thread about long listening lists, u/ct387 wrote: "15 books in the series now including side quest books which are told from another characters perspective. Good pacing and David Stifel is a good narrator" (comment, March 19, 2026).
15 books in the series now including side quest books which are told from another characters perspective. Good pacing and David Stifel is a good narrator
Where Readers Split
Awaken Online gets strong opinions both ways. In a 2020 r/litrpg thread titled "Awaken Online so bad I'm hesitant to even continue", u/whiskeyjack1983 pushed back: "Awaken Online routinely makes Top Ten recommended lists, and is an example of good writing and storytelling in this genre." (comment, June 28, 2020).
In the same thread, u/americanextreme took the other side: "Awaken Online is awful. I think it is the most over rated book by a wide margin." (comment).
The ratings lean toward the first camp. Every main-arc audiobook sits at 4.6 or higher on Audible. The rating counts fall fast, though: 12,096 for book 1, 520 for book 8.
Tips Before You Start
- Test with book 1. Catharsis is 16 hours, the shortest main book. If it doesn't land, the thread above suggests it won't get easier.
- Mind the counts. "Book 12" on a store page is the author's book 8.
- Pick your route early. With side quests or without is a 57-hour choice.
- Spoilers: later blurbs give away earlier books. Read only the next one.
Cover: Audible product page
Our take
Our pick: read Awaken Online with the side quests, in Audible's order. The four side quests add 57 h 41 m, and the series' own numbering puts them between the main books. Each one rates 4.7 or higher on Audible.
Skip it (for now) if: you need the next book soon; the last gap was 881 days and book 9 has no date.
What we don't know yet: when AO #9 arrives. Nothing was listed when we checked.
How we checked this
On October 24, 2026 we read Audible's catalog data for all twelve main-arc audiobooks, the series list and the three Tarot books (narrator, length, date, publisher, rating), two Amazon audiobook pages, the Goodreads series page and Travis Bagwell's home and books pages. Amazon's Kindle pages did not load. Reader quotes come from r/litrpg threads read through the Arctic Shift archive. Totals and day counts are our arithmetic. We have not read the series ourselves.
Related Reading
- The longest LitRPG audiobook series: 25 series ranked by total Audible hours.
- The Good Guys reading order: sixteen shorter books, one narrator, no book 17 date.
- LitRPG reading orders: every series we track, book by book.
Frequently Asked Questions
What order should I read Awaken Online in? By Audible's numbers, side quests at their .5 spots.
How many Awaken Online books are there? Fifteen by the author's count, twelve of them in the main arc.
Is Awaken Online book 12 the same as book 8? Yes: the store count includes the side quests.
When is Awaken Online book 9 coming out? No date as of our October check.
Can I skip the Awaken Online side quests? Yes; the eight main books run 200 h 29 m.
References
Was this guide helpful?
About the author
The LevelUpShelf desk
The LevelUpShelf desk reads the store pages and the reader threads so you can pick book 1 with the numbers in front of you. Every count is dated and linked.
Keep reading
Heretical Fishing Books in Order: All 5 Books and Book 6
Reading Order · 8 min
Beneath the Dragoneye Moons Books in Order: All 16 Books
Reading Order · 9 min
The Good Guys Series in Order: 16 Books by Eric Ugland
Reading Order · 8 min
Completionist Chronicles Books in Order: All 14 Books
Reading Order · 9 min
Divine Dungeon Reading Order: All 5 Books, Series Complete
Reading Order · 8 min
Millennial Mage Book Order: 13 Books, Book 14 in March 2027
Reading Order · 8 min
Hell Difficulty Tutorial Books in Order: All 8 and Book 9
Reading Order · 8 min
Dungeon Life Books in Order: All 4 Khenal Books and Book 5
Reading Order · 8 min
Get new LitRPG release dates by email
New books and audiobooks in the series we track, with the dates we checked. At most one email a week.
About this article
LevelUpShelf is independent: no ads, no sponsored posts, and nobody pays to be on a list. Some store links are affiliate links: we may earn a commission if you buy through one, and it never decides what we list (affiliate links). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Book counts, release dates, audiobook lengths and ratings are snapshots from the date we checked them; publishers and stores change listings, so check the store page before you buy. Recommendations come from cited reader discussions, not from reading we claim to have done. Articles are researched and written with AI tools, and every fact is checked against its source before publishing. See how the desk works and how we use AI.