All Novels, Series, Short Stories, Anthologies, Poetry, Collaborations and English Translations in Publication Order
📖 Teodora Matei Complete Bibliography
Teodora Matei is a Romanian writer whose work crosses the boundaries between fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, crime fiction and romance. Since her literary debut in 2012, she has developed a varied bibliography that includes novels, interconnected series, short fiction, poetry, collaborative projects and contributions to Romanian literary anthologies.
Her career began with Stăpânul castelului, published in instalments in Nautilus magazine between April and November 2012. The story was subsequently revised and expanded into a book published by Tritonic in 2016. Meanwhile, her first published novel in book form was Omul-fluture (2015), written with Lucian Dragoș Bogdan.
This bibliography follows the chronology of first publication wherever it can be established. Books belonging to the same series also appear in a separate recommended reading order, while translations, collected editions, anthologies and reprints are identified independently to avoid unnecessary duplication.
Romanian titles have been retained in their original form. Where an English translation has been published, its title and publication details are listed separately.
📚 Teodora Matei Books in Publication Order
✒️ 2012–2014: Literary Beginnings
2012
- Stăpânul castelului — originally serialised in Nautilus magazine, April–November 2012; subsequently expanded for book publication in 2016.
During these early years, Matei also published short fiction in Romanian speculative fiction magazines, including Nautilus, Fantastica, Gazeta SF and Ficțiuni.ro.
2013
Her growing body of short fiction included fantasy, science fiction and stories exploring unusual circumstances and human behaviour. Several pieces would later appear in anthologies or inspire subsequent publications.
2014
Matei continued publishing short stories and began establishing a wider presence in the Romanian speculative fiction community.
📘 2015–2017: First Books and Expanding Genres
2015
- Omul-fluture — novel, written with Lucian Dragoș Bogdan; Tracus Arte.
2016
- Stăpânul castelului — fantasy novel; Tritonic. First book in Povești la castel.
- Maya — science fiction novel, written with Lucian Dragoș Bogdan; Tritonic. Second book in the Omul-fluture trilogy.
- Cel-ce-simte — speculative fiction; Tritonic.
2017
- Sindromul Charlotte — science fiction novel, written with Lucian Dragoș Bogdan; Tritonic. Third book in the Omul-fluture trilogy.
- Tot timpul din lume — romance; Tritonic.
- În mintea comisarului — crime fiction and short-story collection; Tritonic.
- Aripile tatălui — fantasy and speculative fiction; Tritonic.
📗 2018–2020: Fantasy, Romance and Crime Fiction
2018
- O noapte la castel — fantasy and romance; Tritonic. Second book in Povești la castel.
- Lumânări vii — crime novel; Tritonic. Part of Cazurile și necazurile comisarului Anton Iordan.
- Un străin în Regatul Assert — fantasy novel, written with Lucian Dragoș Bogdan; Tritonic.
2020
- Afaceri de familie — crime fiction; Tritonic. Part of Cazurile și necazurile comisarului Anton Iordan.
- Inima castelului — fantasy novel; Tritonic. Third book in Povești la castel.
📙 2021–2023: New Stories and Collected Editions
2021
- Himere — crime and mystery novel; Tritonic. Features Commissioner Anton Iordan and Inspector Sorin Matache.
2022
- Povești la castel — omnibus edition collecting the three previously published novels; Tritonic.
- Omul-fluture — new edition of the 2015 novel; Tritonic.
2023
- Între vulturi și oameni — collection of speculative and fantastic short fiction; Tritonic.
📕 2024–2026: Poetry, Collaborations and New Fiction
2024
- Lacrimi de tei — poetry collection; Tritonic.
- Blues Cafe — collaborative novel written with Bogdan Hrib; Tritonic.
2025
- Fetița-de-diamant. Povestiri din ținuturi străine — collection of interconnected fantastic stories; Tritonic.
2026
- Moștenitorii tronului Assert — fantasy novel written with Lucian Dragoș Bogdan; Tritonic. Sequel to Un străin în Regatul Assert.
🏰 Teodora Matei Series in Recommended Reading Order
1. Povești la castel
The Povești la castel trilogy explores the lives of people connected to a mysterious castle. It blends atmospheric fantasy, supernatural events, romance and human relationships.
Recommended reading order:
- Stăpânul castelului (2016)
- O noapte la castel (2018)
- Inima castelului (2020)
Collected edition:
- Povești la castel (2022) — omnibus containing all three novels.
The omnibus is a collected edition, not a fourth instalment.
2. Omul-fluture
Written in collaboration with Lucian Dragoș Bogdan, this science fiction trilogy combines speculative ideas with adventure, mystery and interconnected character stories.
Recommended reading order:
- Omul-fluture (2015)
- Maya (2016)
- Sindromul Charlotte (2017)
Other editions:
- Omul-fluture (2022) — revised or republished edition; not a separate instalment.
3. Cazurile și necazurile comisarului Anton Iordan
This crime fiction series follows investigations involving Commissioner Anton Iordan and other recurring characters, including Inspector Sorin Matache.
Publication order:
- În mintea comisarului (2017) — collection of crime stories.
- Lumânări vii (2018) — novel.
- Afaceri de familie (2020).
- Himere (2021) — further novel featuring Anton Iordan and Sorin Matache.
English translation:
- Living Candles (2019) — English edition of Lumânări vii.
The books are listed here by original publication year.
4. Regatul Assert
Written with Lucian Dragoș Bogdan, these novels explore the same fantasy setting across different generations.
Recommended reading order:
- Un străin în Regatul Assert (2018)
- Moștenitorii tronului Assert (2026)
The second novel takes place approximately twenty years after the events of the first.
📕 Standalone Novels and Other Books
The following titles can be explored independently of the main series.
Cel-ce-simte (2016)
A speculative fiction work originally developed from Matei’s shorter fiction and subsequently published by Tritonic.
Tot timpul din lume (2017)
A romance novel demonstrating the author’s interest in emotional relationships and stories outside conventional science fiction and fantasy.
Aripile tatălui (2017)
A work of fantastic and speculative fiction that explores another dimension of Matei’s storytelling.
Între vulturi și oameni (2023)
A collection that brings together stories combining fantastic imagination with recognisable human situations.
Lacrimi de tei (2024)
A poetry collection that adds another literary form to Matei’s bibliography.
Blues Cafe (2024)
Written with Bogdan Hrib, this collaborative novel continues Matei’s exploration of fiction beyond her established fantasy and crime series.
Fetița-de-diamant. Povestiri din ținuturi străine (2025)
This collection brings together interconnected stories featuring a magical young protagonist and imaginative lands.
Although the stories can appeal to younger readers, their fantasy elements and underlying themes also make the book accessible to adults who enjoy modern fairy tales.
📖 Short Stories and Magazine Publications
Teodora Matei began her literary career in Romanian online magazines. Her early short fiction appeared in publications including Nautilus, Fantastica, Gazeta SF, Ficțiuni.ro, Revista de suspans, Argos and CPSF Anticipația.
The following list records individually identifiable early works and their first documented appearances.
2012
- Stăpânul castelului — Nautilus, April–November; serialised novella.
- Aripile mândriei — Fantastica, August.
- Leo și Foxy — Nautilus, December.
2013
- Între vulturi și oameni — Nautilus, January.
- Kowalski ’67 — Gazeta SF, January.
- O fugă — Gazeta SF, March.
- Pe fugă — Gazeta SF, April.
- Povestitorul — Nautilus, April.
- Ghinion! — Gazeta SF, May.
- Raze de lună — Nautilus, May.
- Poveștile sunt nemuritoare — Nautilus, August.
- Cel-ce-simte — Gazeta SF, October.
- Adelina — Ficțiuni.ro, November.
2014
- Greu de dezlegat — Gazeta SF, March.
- Teddy — Ficțiuni.ro, April.
- Pre-Invazie — Ficțiuni.ro, May.
- Lună albă, lună stacojie — written with Lucian Dragoș Bogdan; Ficțiuni.ro, May–June.
- Rai nedorit — Gazeta SF, September.
- Crăiasa înghețatei de nucă — Fantastica, October.
Some of these stories were subsequently republished in anthologies or developed into longer works. They are not counted as separate novels.
Additional Short Fiction
Matei’s later short fiction also appeared in anthologies devoted to science fiction, fantasy, horror, crime and romance.
Where a complete individual contents list has not been independently verified, the relevant anthology is recorded below without inventing story titles.
📚 Anthology Contributions
Teodora Matei has contributed stories to numerous collective volumes. These publications contain work by multiple authors and should be distinguished from her individually authored books.
Science Fiction, Fantasy and General Fiction
- Bumerangul lui Zeeler (2014) — Cygnus; includes Kowalski ’67.
- Cele mai bune proze ale anului 2013 (2014) — Adenium; includes Ghinion!.
- Exit plus (2017) — Tritonic.
- Argos Trei (2017) — Tritonic.
- Cele mai frumoase povestiri Science Fiction și Fantasy ale anului 2017 (2017) — Vremea.
- 3.4 (2018) — Tritonic.
- East of a Known Galaxy (2019) — Tritonic.
- 3.6 (2019) — Tritonic.
- Sub apa dragonului strâmb (2019) — Tritonic.
- 3.7 (2022) — Tritonic.
Crime and Mystery Anthologies
- Domino (2017) — Tritonic.
- Noir de București (2017) — Tritonic.
- Domino 2: Misterele Râșnovului (2018).
- Gastro Noir (2018) — Tritonic.
- Noir de Timișoara (2019) — Tritonic.
- Noir de Brașov (2021) — Tritonic.
- Noir de Cluj (2022) — Tritonic.
- Noir de Crăciun (2024).
Romance Anthologies
- Schițe de iubire (2018) — Tritonic.
- Castele de nisip (2019) — Tritonic.
- Marea despărțire (2023) — Tritonic.
These anthologies demonstrate the breadth of Matei’s literary activity, from fantasy and speculative fiction to crime stories and relationship-driven narratives.
✒️ Anthologies Edited or Co-edited by Teodora Matei
In addition to writing fiction, Teodora Matei has worked as an anthology editor and coordinator.
The following volumes are documented editorial collaborations:
- Schițe de iubire (2018) — with Lucian Dragoș Bogdan.
- Castele de nisip (2019) — with Lucian Dragoș Bogdan.
- Sub apa dragonului strâmb (2019) — with Lucian Dragoș Bogdan.
- Marea despărțire (2023) — with Bogdan Hrib.
- Noir de Crăciun (2024) — with Bogdan Hrib.
These titles also appear under anthology contributions where relevant. Their inclusion here identifies Matei’s additional editorial role, rather than treating them as new novels.
📝 Poetry
Although best known for prose, Teodora Matei has also published poetry.
Early Poetry
- 9 — published in Gazeta Cărților, January 2015.
Her poetry also appeared in Romanian literary publications, including Viața medicală.
Poetry Collection
- Lacrimi de tei (2024) — Tritonic.
The poetry collection is listed once in the main chronological bibliography and identified here by genre.
🌍 English Translations
Living Candles (2019)
Original Romanian title: Lumânări vii (2018)
Author: Teodora Matei
English publication: Corylus Books, 2019
Genre: Crime Fiction / Mystery / Thriller
Living Candles follows Commissioner Anton Iordan and Inspector Sorin Matache as they investigate a disturbing case in Bucharest.
The novel was introduced to English-language readers through Corylus Books, making it an important part of Matei’s international publication history.
This is an English translation of an existing Romanian novel and is therefore not counted as a separate original work.
No English-language edition of Stăpânul castelului has been verified.
📦 Omnibus Editions and Reprints
Povești la castel (2022)
Publisher: Tritonic
Type: Omnibus edition
Contains:
- Stăpânul castelului
- O noapte la castel
- Inima castelului
This volume collects the entire trilogy in one book.
Omul-fluture (2022)
Publisher: Tritonic
Type: New edition
Originally published in 2015 by Tracus Arte and written with Lucian Dragoș Bogdan.
The 2022 publication is treated as a later edition of the same work, not an additional instalment.
📕 Romanian Editions
Teodora Matei writes primarily in Romanian, so most of the titles listed in this bibliography are original Romanian editions rather than translations.
Her books have appeared through publishers including Tracus Arte and Tritonic, with Tritonic publishing the majority of her novels, series, collections and collaborative projects.
Readers looking for her work in its original language can explore the Tritonic catalogue, particularly the Povești la castel trilogy, the Omul-fluture novels, the Commissioner Anton Iordan mysteries and her more recent fantastic fiction.
🦋 Teodora Matei on BookFairy
Stăpânul castelului (2016)
Povești la castel — Book 1
I read Stăpânul castelului in 2016, and it remains one of my most memorable experiences with Romanian fantasy.
Its mysterious atmosphere reminded me of Mircea Eliade’s La țigănci, particularly the way familiar surroundings gradually become strange and the distinction between reality and the supernatural begins to disappear.
I loved the storytelling, the atmosphere and the carefully constructed ending. It was especially exciting to discover that this was only the beginning of a larger trilogy.
BookFairy review: Stăpânul castelului by Teodora Matei.
🔎 Bibliographical Notes
This bibliography distinguishes original works from later editions, English translations, omnibus collections and contributions to multi-author anthologies.
Publication years refer to the earliest verified publication of each work in the relevant format. In particular, Stăpânul castelului first appeared as a serial in 2012 before its expanded book publication in 2016.
Some early short fiction remains difficult to document exhaustively because it appeared in online literary magazines, several of which have changed their archives or publication platforms over time. The individually identified stories listed above are those for which publication information could be established.
The bibliography will continue to be updated as additional first-publication records, anthology contents and new books are confirmed.
