The Dresden Files vs Van Gulik's Judge Dee series
Two detective fiction series side by side, straight from the catalog data: The Dresden Files is the longer series (36 books vs 13 books); The Dresden Files is the more recent one, starting in 2000. There's no wrong answer — pick the shape that fits your reading appetite, and Shelfmark will keep your place in either (no account needed).
| Statistic | The Dresden Files | Van Gulik's Judge Dee series |
|---|---|---|
| Author | Jim Butcher | Robert van Gulik |
| Books | 36 | 13 |
| Published | 2000–2020 | 1951–1968 |
| Books per year | 1.8 | 0.8 |
| Start with | Storm Front (2000) | The Chinese Maze Murders (1951) |
| Reading order | Full The Dresden Files order → | Full Van Gulik's Judge Dee series order → |
Numbers come from the Shelfmark catalog (Wikidata + Open Library). "Books per year" is catalogued books divided by the publication span — a rough cadence, not a quality score.