diff --git a/internal/services/genre_lexicon.go b/internal/services/genre_lexicon.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e905c5d3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/services/genre_lexicon.go
@@ -0,0 +1,142 @@
+package services
+
+import "strings"
+
+// Smart genre selection for sidecar/embedded metadata (A2c plan §2.5).
+//
+// Sources arrive as comma-blobs ("Epic, Action & Adventure, Military,
+// Sword & Sorcery" — one Audible genre string), media-format noise
+// ("Audiobook"), or maximally generic tags ("Fiction"). This is a
+// deterministic ranked rule set — no network, no guessing service:
+//
+//  1. split candidate strings on , ; /
+//  2. alias-map to canonical genres
+//  3. discard demoted (format/edition) tokens — they never win
+//  4. most specific (longest) canonical hit wins; "Fiction" is last resort
+//  5. every candidate (split parts included) still lands in tags, so
+//     filtering keeps full coverage even when the genre column holds one
+
+var genreAliases = map[string]string{
+	"sci-fi": "science fiction", "scifi": "science fiction", "sf": "science fiction",
+	"sff": "science fiction", "sci fi": "science fiction",
+	"speculative fiction": "science fiction",
+	" detectives":         "mystery", "detective": "mystery",
+	"whodunnit": "mystery", "whodunit": "mystery",
+	"adventure fiction":    "action & adventure",
+	"action and adventure": "action & adventure",
+	"ya":                   "young adult",
+	"mg":                   "middle grade",
+	"graphic novel":        "graphic novels",
+	"coming of age":        "coming of age",
+	"coming-of-age":        "coming of age",
+	"histfiction":          "historical fiction",
+	"epic":                 "epic fantasy",
+	"high fantasy":         "epic fantasy",
+	"military scifi":       "military science fiction",
+	"military sf":          "military science fiction",
+	"space opera":          "space opera",
+	"post apocalyptic":     "post-apocalyptic",
+	"self help":            "self-help",
+	"sci_fi":               "science fiction",
+}
+
+// canonicalGenres is the known-genre set (lowercase). A candidate that
+// normalizes to one of these wins the `genre` column; longest match beats
+// shorter (Sword & Sorcery > Fiction).
+var canonicalGenres = map[string]bool{
+	"fiction": true, "nonfiction": true, "literary fiction": true,
+	"classics": true, "poetry": true, "short stories": true,
+	"anthology": true, "coming of age": true, "satire": true, "humor": true,
+	"fantasy": true, "epic fantasy": true, "sword & sorcery": true,
+	"dark fantasy": true, "urban fantasy": true, "paranormal": true,
+	"paranormal romance": true, "high fantasy": true, "fairy tales": true,
+	"mythology": true, "folklore": true,
+	"science fiction": true, "space opera": true, "cyberpunk": true,
+	"military science fiction": true, "dystopian": true,
+	"post-apocalyptic": true, "apocalyptic": true, "time travel": true,
+	"alternate history": true, "first contact": true, "steampunk": true,
+	"litrpg": true, "progression fantasy": true,
+	"historical fiction": true, "alternate world": true,
+	"romance": true, "contemporary romance": true, "historical romance": true,
+	"mystery": true, "cozy mystery": true, "crime": true, "true crime": true,
+	"police procedural": true, "noir": true, "hardboiled": true,
+	"thriller": true, "suspense": true, "espionage": true, "horror": true,
+	"gothic": true, "supernatural": true,
+	"action & adventure": true, "adventure": true, "western": true,
+	"military": true, "war": true,
+	"biography": true, "autobiography": true, "memoir": true,
+	"history": true, "science": true, "philosophy": true,
+	"psychology": true, "self-help": true, "business": true,
+	"economics": true, "politics": true, "religion": true,
+	"spirituality": true, "travel": true, "cooking": true, "food": true,
+	"health": true, "fitness": true, "sports": true, "music": true,
+	"art": true, "photography": true, "education": true, "reference": true,
+	"young adult": true, "middle grade": true, "children's": true,
+	"comics": true, "graphic novels": true, "manga": true,
+	"legal": true, "medical": true,
+}
+
+// genreDemoted never wins the genre column — media formats and editions,
+// not genres. They still pass through to tags.
+var genreDemoted = map[string]bool{
+	"audiobook": true, "unabridged": true, "abridged": true,
+	"dramatization": true, "dramatized": true, "audio drama": true,
+}
+
+// splitGenreCandidates splits compound genre strings ("Epic, Action &
+// Adventure" — one Audible blob) into individual candidates.
+func splitGenreCandidates(genres []string) []string {
+	var out []string
+	for _, g := range genres {
+		for _, part := range strings.Split(g, ",") {
+			for _, p := range strings.Split(part, ";") {
+				for _, piece := range strings.Split(p, "/") {
+					t := strings.TrimSpace(piece)
+					if t != "" {
+						out = append(out, t)
+					}
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+// pickSmartGenre chooses the best genre from candidate strings. Returns the
+// winner ("" when there are no candidates) and the full candidate list for
+// the tags array.
+func pickSmartGenre(genres []string) (genre string, all []string) {
+	all = splitGenreCandidates(genres)
+	best := ""
+	bestLen := -1
+	for _, c := range all {
+		lower := strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(c))
+		if lower == "" || genreDemoted[lower] {
+			continue
+		}
+		if genreAliases[lower] != "" {
+			lower = genreAliases[lower]
+		}
+		if !canonicalGenres[lower] {
+			continue
+		}
+		// Specificity: the longest canonical form wins; earlier candidates
+		// win ties (source order is provider significance).
+		if len(lower) > bestLen {
+			best = lower
+			bestLen = len(lower)
+		}
+	}
+	if best != "" {
+		return best, all
+	}
+	// No lexicon hit: fall back to the first non-demoted candidate verbatim
+	// (display honesty over false taxonomy), "" when only noise existed.
+	for _, c := range all {
+		lower := strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(c))
+		if lower != "" && !genreDemoted[lower] {
+			return strings.TrimSpace(c), all
+		}
+	}
+	return "", all
+}
diff --git a/internal/services/media_scanner.go b/internal/services/media_scanner.go
index b24932fc..53f0d69b 100644
--- a/internal/services/media_scanner.go
+++ b/internal/services/media_scanner.go
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ import (
 	"regexp"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
+
+	"github.com/microcosm-cc/bluemonday"
 	"sync"
 	"sync/atomic"
 	"time"
@@ -94,6 +96,11 @@ type MediaMetadata struct {
 	ScanInformation string // Scan information
 	Summary         string // Summary from ComicInfo.xml
 
+	// A2c: ordering-construct series entries parsed from the sidecar
+	// ("The Witcher (Reading Order) #5"). They never touch the series
+	// columns — the collections layer curates them into playlists.
+	PlaylistSeries []SeriesCandidate
+
 	// Audiobook fields (media_items.audio_metadata JSONB — only the
 	// audio paths read it; see media_scanner_audio.go)
 	AudioMeta *AudioMetadataPayload
@@ -738,8 +745,15 @@ func (s *MediaScanner) extractFolderStructureMetadata(path, rootFolder string) *
 			}
 		}
 	} else {
-		// Simple structure: Author/Title
-		metadata.Title = strings.ReplaceAll(components[1], "_", " ")
+		// Simple structure: Author/Title — with the A2c conservative
+		// "Title: <series>, Book N" split when the post-colon tail is
+		// unambiguous (arbitrary colons never split).
+		if title, subtitle, split := splitTitleOnSubtitle(strings.ReplaceAll(components[1], "_", " ")); split {
+			metadata.Title = title
+			metadata.Subtitle = subtitle
+		} else {
+			metadata.Title = strings.ReplaceAll(components[1], "_", " ")
+		}
 	}
 
 	return metadata
@@ -990,6 +1004,12 @@ func (s *MediaScanner) processMediaFile(ctx context.Context, path string) (bool,
 		}
 	}
 
+	// A2c §2.7: title/subtitle-derived series fallback. Lowest precedence —
+	// fills blanks only. "The Witcher, Book 3" as subtitle (or the post-colon
+	// segment of the title) yields series "The Witcher" + number 3, so
+	// Audible-style filenames carry working series data with no sidecar.
+	applyTitleDerivedSeries(metadata)
+
 	// Final fallback if still missing essential metadata
 	if metadata.Title == "" {
 		metadata.Title = strings.TrimSuffix(filepath.Base(path), filepath.Ext(path))
@@ -1027,6 +1047,7 @@ func (s *MediaScanner) processMediaFile(ctx context.Context, path string) (bool,
 		SeriesNumber:       pgtype.Float8{Float64: metadata.SeriesNumber, Valid: metadata.SeriesNumber > 0},
 		Publishers:         nilToEmpty(utils.SingleOrSlice(metadata.Publisher, metadata.Publishers)),
 		PublishersSearch:   utils.NormalizeTagsSearch(utils.SingleOrSlice(metadata.Publisher, metadata.Publishers)),
+		Language:           pgtype.Text{String: metadata.Language, Valid: metadata.Language != ""},
 		DatePublished:      pgtype.Date{Time: metadata.PublishDate, Valid: !metadata.PublishDate.IsZero()},
 		Genre:              pgtype.Text{String: metadata.Genre, Valid: metadata.Genre != ""},
 		Contributors:       metadata.Contributors,
@@ -1121,6 +1142,55 @@ func (s *MediaScanner) processMediaFile(ctx context.Context, path string) (bool,
 	return true, nil
 }
 
+// applyTitleDerivedSeries fills a missing series and/or ordinal from the
+// item's own subtitle or title text when they follow the unambiguous
+// Audible/Amazon "<series>, Book N" convention. Lowest-precedence source:
+// anything any other extractor set stays untouched. No display mutation —
+// title/subtitle render exactly as written; only the series fields fill.
+func applyTitleDerivedSeries(metadata *MediaMetadata) {
+	if metadata == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	needName := metadata.Series == ""
+	needNum := metadata.SeriesNumber == 0
+	if !needName && !needNum {
+		return
+	}
+
+	// Prefer the subtitle, then the post-colon segment of the title.
+	tryTexts := []string{metadata.Subtitle}
+	if _, tail, split := splitTitleOnSubtitle(metadata.Title); split {
+		tryTexts = append(tryTexts, tail)
+	}
+	// A number parsed alongside a DIFFERENT series name belongs to that
+	// name, not to the series we already have — accept it only when the
+	// derived name matches the existing series (case-insensitive).
+	for _, text := range tryTexts {
+		name, num, hasNum, ok := deriveSeriesFromText(text)
+		if !ok {
+			continue
+		}
+		if name == metadata.Title {
+			continue // degenerate: "the series" is the whole title
+		}
+		if needName {
+			metadata.Series = name
+			metadata.SeriesNumber = num
+			needName = false
+			needNum = false
+			if !needName && !needNum {
+				return
+			}
+			continue
+		}
+		if needNum && hasNum && strings.EqualFold(name, metadata.Series) {
+			metadata.SeriesNumber = num
+			needNum = false
+			return
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 // extractCalibreSidecar checks for and parses a Calibre metadata.opf sidecar file
 func (s *MediaScanner) extractCalibreSidecar(path string) *MediaMetadata {
 	// Get directory of media file
@@ -1190,17 +1260,18 @@ func extractAudiobookshelfSidecar(path string) *MediaMetadata {
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	// Series is tolerant: ABS/Calibre sidecars write an ARRAY of
-	// {series, sequence} objects; Libation writes a plain STRING (or
-	// null). An array-typed field made Libation's whole sidecar fail to
-	// parse and silently fall to folder-structure metadata (found by
-	// the audiobook ingest).
+	// Series is tolerant across ALL on-disk shapes: ABS abmetadata writes
+	// an array of STRINGS ("The Witcher #3"), some exports write an array
+	// of {series, sequence} OBJECTS, Libation writes a plain STRING. The
+	// string-array case used to fall through silently, dropping series for
+	// every ABS-matched book (the A2c finding).
 	var sidecar struct {
 		Title         string          `json:"title"`
 		Subtitle      string          `json:"subtitle"`
 		Authors       []string        `json:"authors"`
 		Narrators     []string        `json:"narrators"`
 		Abridged      *bool           `json:"abridged"`
+		Explicit      *bool           `json:"explicit"`
 		Series        json.RawMessage `json:"series"`
 		Genres        []string        `json:"genres"`
 		Tags          []string        `json:"tags"`
@@ -1217,44 +1288,88 @@ func extractAudiobookshelfSidecar(path string) *MediaMetadata {
 		return nil
 	}
 
-	var seriesName, seriesSequence string
-	var seriesArr []struct {
-		Series   string `json:"series"`
-		Sequence string `json:"sequence"`
-	}
-	if len(sidecar.Series) > 0 {
-		trimmed := strings.TrimSpace(string(sidecar.Series))
-		if strings.HasPrefix(trimmed, "[") || strings.HasPrefix(trimmed, "{") {
-			if err := json.Unmarshal(sidecar.Series, &seriesArr); err == nil && len(seriesArr) > 0 {
-				seriesName = seriesArr[0].Series
-				seriesSequence = seriesArr[0].Sequence
-			}
-		} else if trimmed != "null" && trimmed != "" {
-			// Plain string form (Libation)
-			seriesName = strings.Trim(trimmed, "\"")
-		}
-	}
+	candidates := parseSeriesCandidates(sidecar.Series)
 
 	metadata := &MediaMetadata{
 		Title: strings.TrimSpace(sidecar.Title),
 	}
-	// Subtitle joins the title Calibre-style ("Main: Subtitle") - there is no
-	// separate subtitle column, and Calibre-sidecar books arrive pre-joined.
-	if subtitle := strings.TrimSpace(sidecar.Subtitle); subtitle != "" && metadata.Title != "" {
-		metadata.Title = metadata.Title + ": " + subtitle
+	// Subtitle is a first-class column now (A2b) — never joined into the
+	// title, never trimmed away.
+	if subtitle := strings.TrimSpace(sidecar.Subtitle); subtitle != "" {
+		metadata.Subtitle = subtitle
 	}
 	if len(sidecar.Authors) > 0 {
+		// Full array is the write truth; keep the legacy single fill for
+		// paths that still read metadata.Author.
+		metadata.Authors = sidecar.Authors
 		metadata.Author = strings.TrimSpace(sidecar.Authors[0])
 	}
-	if seriesName != "" {
-		metadata.Series = strings.TrimSpace(seriesName)
-		if index, err := strconv.ParseFloat(strings.TrimSpace(seriesSequence), 64); err == nil {
-			metadata.SeriesNumber = index
+	if sidecar.Publisher != nil && strings.TrimSpace(*sidecar.Publisher) != "" {
+		metadata.Publisher = strings.TrimSpace(*sidecar.Publisher)
+		metadata.Publishers = []string{metadata.Publisher}
+	}
+	if sidecar.Explicit != nil {
+		metadata.Explicit = *sidecar.Explicit
+	}
+
+	// Three-way series assignment (A2c §2.2):
+	//   primary bibliographic series  -> series / series_number columns
+	//   additional bibliographic ones -> alternate_info JSONB (comic shape)
+	//   ordering constructs           -> PlaylistSeries (curated collections;
+	//                                    never the series column)
+	var extras, playlists []SeriesCandidate
+	var primary *SeriesCandidate
+	for i, c := range candidates {
+		if isPlaylistSeriesName(c.Name) {
+			playlists = append(playlists, c)
+			continue
 		}
+		if primary == nil {
+			primary = &candidates[i]
+			continue
+		}
+		extras = append(extras, c)
+	}
+	if primary != nil {
+		metadata.Series = primary.Name
+		metadata.SeriesNumber = primary.Number
+		if primary.HasNum && primary.Sequence != "" {
+			seq := strings.TrimSpace(primary.Sequence)
+			if _, err := strconv.ParseFloat(seq, 64); err != nil {
+				// Lossy extraction ("1a", "Book 2"): keep the raw text so
+				// nothing the source said is lost.
+				metadata.AlternateInfo = preserveSeriesSequenceRaw(metadata.AlternateInfo, seq)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	if len(extras) > 0 && metadata.AlternateInfo == "" {
+		e := extras[0]
+		alt := map[string]interface{}{"alternate_series": e.Name}
+		if e.HasNum {
+			alt["alternate_number"] = e.Number
+		}
+		if b, err := json.Marshal(alt); err == nil {
+			metadata.AlternateInfo = string(b)
+		}
+	}
+	if len(playlists) > 0 {
+		metadata.PlaylistSeries = playlists
+		fmt.Printf("Series: %d playlist-style series entries on %q route to curated collections, not the series column\n", len(playlists), metadata.Title)
+	}
+
+	// Smart genre (A2c §2.5): most-specific canonical genre wins the genre
+	// column; every candidate (split parts included) stays in tags.
+	if genre, _ := pickSmartGenre(sidecar.Genres); genre != "" {
+		metadata.Genre = genre
 	}
 	if tags := append(append([]string{}, sidecar.Genres...), sidecar.Tags...); len(tags) > 0 {
 		metadata.Tags = utils.NormalizeTags(tags)
 	}
+	if sidecar.Language != nil {
+		// Display names ("English") normalize to ISO 639-1 ("en") — the
+		// media_items.language convention.
+		metadata.Language = normalizeLanguageCode(*sidecar.Language)
+	}
 	if sidecar.PublishedDate != nil {
 		if date, err := time.Parse("2006-01-02", strings.TrimSpace(*sidecar.PublishedDate)); err == nil {
 			metadata.PublishDate = date
@@ -1271,7 +1386,10 @@ func extractAudiobookshelfSidecar(path string) *MediaMetadata {
 		metadata.Publisher = strings.TrimSpace(*sidecar.Publisher)
 	}
 	if sidecar.Description != nil {
-		metadata.Description = strings.TrimSpace(*sidecar.Description)
+		// ABS descriptions are Audible HTML (already sanitized upstream, but
+		// untrusted). bluemonday UGC policy keeps the basic formatting tags
+		// the UI renders and strips everything else.
+		metadata.Description = strings.TrimSpace(sanitizeSidecarDescription(*sidecar.Description))
 	}
 	if sidecar.ISBN != nil {
 		metadata.ISBN = utils.NormalizeISBNSafe(strings.TrimSpace(*sidecar.ISBN))
@@ -1287,13 +1405,32 @@ func extractAudiobookshelfSidecar(path string) *MediaMetadata {
 	if sidecar.Abridged != nil {
 		metadata.Abridged = *sidecar.Abridged
 	}
-	if sidecar.Language != nil {
-		metadata.Language = strings.TrimSpace(*sidecar.Language)
-	}
 
 	return metadata
 }
 
+// sanitizeSidecarDescription normalizes untrusted sidecar HTML to a safe
+// subset. Plain text passes through unchanged.
+func sanitizeSidecarDescription(raw string) string {
+	return bluemonday.UGCPolicy().Sanitize(raw)
+}
+
+// preserveSeriesSequenceRaw records the un-parseable original sequence text
+// ("1a", "Book 2") inside the alternate_info JSONB so the float column can
+// stay an honest ordering key while no source information is lost.
+func preserveSeriesSequenceRaw(existingJSON, raw string) string {
+	entry := map[string]interface{}{}
+	if existingJSON != "" {
+		_ = json.Unmarshal([]byte(existingJSON), &entry)
+	}
+	entry["series_sequence_raw"] = raw
+	b, err := json.Marshal(entry)
+	if err != nil {
+		return existingJSON
+	}
+	return string(b)
+}
+
 // mergeMetadata intelligently merges metadata from multiple sources
 // Priority: metadata.opf (Calibre) → embedded metadata → folder structure → filename
 // For comics: metadata.opf → ComicInfo.xml → folder structure → filename
diff --git a/internal/services/media_scanner_audio.go b/internal/services/media_scanner_audio.go
index 98cce1c2..77ff7a0e 100644
--- a/internal/services/media_scanner_audio.go
+++ b/internal/services/media_scanner_audio.go
@@ -408,12 +408,10 @@ func applyAudioTagFallbacks(metadata *MediaMetadata, report *ffprobeReport) {
 			metadata.Title = album
 		}
 	}
-	// Subtitle joins the title Calibre-style, mirroring the ABS sidecar
-	// path — there is no separate subtitle column. Skip when the title
-	// already contains it (tools sometimes pre-join).
-	if subtitle := report.tag("----:com.apple.itunes:subtitle", "subtitle"); subtitle != "" && metadata.Title != "" &&
-		!strings.Contains(strings.ToLower(metadata.Title), strings.ToLower(subtitle)) {
-		metadata.Title = metadata.Title + ": " + subtitle
+	// Subtitle is a first-class column (A2b) — no more Calibre-style title
+	// joining; the tool-provided subtitle lands in its own column.
+	if subtitle := report.tag("----:com.apple.itunes:subtitle", "subtitle"); subtitle != "" {
+		metadata.Subtitle = subtitle
 	}
 	if metadata.Author == "" {
 		if artist := report.tag("album_artist"); artist != "" {
diff --git a/internal/services/media_scanner_audio_metadata_test.go b/internal/services/media_scanner_audio_metadata_test.go
index e2adf018..adc41486 100644
--- a/internal/services/media_scanner_audio_metadata_test.go
+++ b/internal/services/media_scanner_audio_metadata_test.go
@@ -148,9 +148,13 @@ func TestApplyAudioTagFallbacks(t *testing.T) {
 			"----:com.apple.iTunes:ASIN":        "B0ASIN1234",
 			"----:com.apple.iTunes:ABRIDGED":    "1",
 		}))
-		if meta.Title != "The Tagged Album: Or, A Life" {
+		// A2b: subtitle is a first-class column — no title joining.
+		if meta.Title != "The Tagged Album" {
 			t.Fatalf("title = %q", meta.Title)
 		}
+		if meta.Subtitle != "Or, A Life" {
+			t.Fatalf("subtitle = %q", meta.Subtitle)
+		}
 		if meta.Author != "Tag Author" {
 			t.Fatalf("author = %q", meta.Author)
 		}
diff --git a/internal/services/media_scanner_audio_multifile.go b/internal/services/media_scanner_audio_multifile.go
index 6dab408e..44aa9b17 100644
--- a/internal/services/media_scanner_audio_multifile.go
+++ b/internal/services/media_scanner_audio_multifile.go
@@ -533,6 +533,9 @@ func (s *MediaScanner) extractAudioBookMetadata(representative, rootFolder strin
 // zip books. The hash columns stay NULL — content dedup is path-based for
 // multi-file books (there is no single byte stream to hash).
 func (s *MediaScanner) createAudioBookItem(ctx context.Context, libraryID pgtype.UUID, metadata *MediaMetadata, relPath string, totalSize int64, mimeType string, modTime pgtype.Timestamptz) (database.MediaItems, error) {
+	// A2c §2.7: same title/subtitle-derived series fallback as the
+	// single-file path — folder-of-tracks books carry the same naming.
+	applyTitleDerivedSeries(metadata)
 	return s.db.CreateMediaItem(ctx, database.CreateMediaItemParams{
 		LibraryID:       libraryID,
 		Title:           metadata.Title,
diff --git a/internal/services/series_parsing.go b/internal/services/series_parsing.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ebfe1af3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/services/series_parsing.go
@@ -0,0 +1,235 @@
+package services
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"regexp"
+	"strconv"
+	"strings"
+)
+
+// Series-metadata parsing helpers for the scanner (A2c overhaul).
+//
+// Sources disagree wildly on how a series and its ordinal are spelled:
+// ABS sidecars write ["Name #3"] string arrays or [{series, sequence}]
+// objects, Libation writes a bare string, Audible prefixes ordinals with
+// "Book ", Calibre uses decimal indices. These helpers normalize all of
+// them into candidates the scanner can rank and assign.
+
+// SeriesCandidate is one parsed series membership from any source.
+type SeriesCandidate struct {
+	Name     string
+	Sequence string  // raw sequence text ("3", "1.5", "1a", "Book 2")
+	Number   float64 // leading number of Sequence (0 = none parsed)
+	HasNum   bool
+	FromSidecar bool
+}
+
+// Playlist markers that identify ordering constructs rather than
+// bibliographic series. Deliberately explicit: this classification routes
+// entries away from the series column into curated collections, so a false
+// positive creates user-visible objects. Prefer misses over false hits.
+var playlistMarkers = []string{
+	"reading order",
+	"chronological order",
+	"publication order",
+	"in order",
+	"timeline",
+}
+
+var (
+	seriesSeqSuffixRe = regexp.MustCompile(`\s+#([^#\s]+)$`)
+	// Leading ordinal inside a sequence string: "3", "1.5", "Book 2",
+	// "2, Dramatized Adaptation" → 2. Mirrors ABS cleanSeriesSequence.
+	seriesLeadingNumRe = regexp.MustCompile(`\d+(?:\.\d+)?`)
+	// "<Series Name>, Book N" (also ; – : separators), Audible/Amazon style.
+	deriveSeriesRe = regexp.MustCompile(`(?i)^\s*(.+?)\s*[,;:–-]\s*book\s+(\d+(?:\.\d+)?)\s*$`)
+	// Conservative "Title: <name>, Book N" split — only when the post-colon
+	// text is itself a series-and-number tail.
+	titleSubtitleSplitRe = regexp.MustCompile(`(?i)^(.{1,200}?)\s*:\s*(.+,\s*book\s+\d+(?:\.\d+)?)$`)
+	whitespaceRe         = regexp.MustCompile(`\s+`)
+)
+
+// splitSeriesString splits "Name #1a" into name + sequence, ABS
+// parseSeriesString-compatible: the sequence is anything after the last
+// " #" up to end-of-string, containing no whitespace or further '#'.
+func splitSeriesString(s string) (name, sequence string) {
+	s = strings.TrimSpace(s)
+	loc := seriesSeqSuffixRe.FindStringSubmatchIndex(s)
+	if loc == nil {
+		return s, ""
+	}
+	return strings.TrimSpace(s[:loc[0]]), s[loc[2]:loc[3]]
+}
+
+// seriesSequenceNumber extracts the ordinal from a raw sequence string.
+// Returns the number, whether one was found, and whether information was
+// lost in the extraction (caller should preserve the raw text, e.g. "1a").
+func seriesSequenceNumber(sequence string) (num float64, found, lossy bool) {
+	trimmed := strings.TrimSpace(sequence)
+	if trimmed == "" {
+		return 0, false, false
+	}
+	token := seriesLeadingNumRe.FindString(trimmed)
+	if token == "" {
+		return 0, false, false
+	}
+	num, err := strconv.ParseFloat(token, 64)
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0, false, false
+	}
+	// "1.5" tokenizes exactly (not lossy); "1a"/"Book 2" keep a raw tail.
+	return num, true, trimmed != token
+}
+
+// isPlaylistSeriesName reports whether the series name is an ordering
+// construct ("The Witcher (Reading Order)") rather than a bibliography.
+// Match discipline: the marker must be a parenthetical qualifier or a
+// trailing phrase — a series merely CONTAINING the word "timeline" mid-name
+// ("The Timeline of...") is a real series, not a playlist.
+func isPlaylistSeriesName(name string) bool {
+	lower := strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(name))
+	for _, m := range playlistMarkers {
+		if strings.HasSuffix(lower, m) {
+			return true
+		}
+		if open := strings.Index(lower, "("); open >= 0 {
+			if strings.Contains(lower[open:], m) {
+				return true
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+// parseSeriesCandidates normalizes the sidecar `series` field, which is
+// written as an array of STRINGS ("Name #3" — ABS abmetadata), an array of
+// OBJECTS ({series, sequence} — some exports), or a plain JSON string
+// (Libation), into candidates.
+func parseSeriesCandidates(raw json.RawMessage) []SeriesCandidate {
+	trimmed := strings.TrimSpace(string(raw))
+	if trimmed == "" || trimmed == "null" {
+		return nil
+	}
+	var out []SeriesCandidate
+
+	add := func(name, sequence string, fromSidecar bool) {
+		name = strings.TrimSpace(name)
+		if name == "" {
+			return
+		}
+		num, found, _ := seriesSequenceNumber(sequence)
+		out = append(out, SeriesCandidate{
+			Name: name, Sequence: sequence, Number: num, HasNum: found,
+			FromSidecar: fromSidecar,
+		})
+	}
+
+	if strings.HasPrefix(trimmed, "[") {
+		// Array of objects first ({"series": ..., "sequence": ...}).
+		var objs []struct {
+			Series   string `json:"series"`
+			Name     string `json:"name"`
+			Sequence string `json:"sequence"`
+		}
+		if err := json.Unmarshal(raw, &objs); err == nil && len(objs) > 0 {
+			for _, o := range objs {
+				name := o.Series
+				if name == "" {
+					name = o.Name
+				}
+				add(name, o.Sequence, true)
+			}
+			return out
+		}
+		// Array of strings: ABS abmetadata form "Name #3".
+		var strs []string
+		if err := json.Unmarshal(raw, &strs); err == nil {
+			for _, s := range strs {
+				name, seq := splitSeriesString(s)
+				add(name, seq, true)
+			}
+			return out
+		}
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	// Plain JSON string (Libation): "Name" or "Name #3".
+	var single string
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(raw, &single); err == nil {
+		name, seq := splitSeriesString(single)
+		add(name, seq, true)
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+// deriveSeriesFromText extracts "<series>, Book N" from a title/subtitle
+// string (Audible/Amazon convention). Returns ok=false when the text is not
+// obviously a series tail — this fallback must not guess.
+func deriveSeriesFromText(text string) (name string, num float64, hasNum bool, ok bool) {
+	if strings.TrimSpace(text) == "" {
+		return "", 0, false, false
+	}
+	m := deriveSeriesRe.FindStringSubmatch(text)
+	if m == nil {
+		return "", 0, false, false
+	}
+	name = whitespaceRe.ReplaceAllString(strings.TrimSpace(m[1]), " ")
+	if name == "" || len(name) > 200 || strings.HasPrefix(strings.ToLower(name), "book ") {
+		return "", 0, false, false
+	}
+	num, err := strconv.ParseFloat(m[2], 64)
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", 0, false, false
+	}
+	return name, num, true, true
+}
+
+// splitTitleOnSubtitle splits "Title: <name>, Book N" into title +
+// subtitle, but ONLY when the post-colon text is itself a series-and-number
+// tail — arbitrary colons in titles are never touched.
+func splitTitleOnSubtitle(folderTitle string) (title, subtitle string, split bool) {
+	m := titleSubtitleSplitRe.FindStringSubmatch(strings.TrimSpace(folderTitle))
+	if m == nil {
+		return folderTitle, "", false
+	}
+	return strings.TrimSpace(m[1]), strings.TrimSpace(m[2]), true
+}
+
+// normalizeLanguageCode maps sidecar/display language names to ISO 639-1
+// codes (the media_items.language convention). Values already in code form
+// pass through; unknown display names are kept verbatim when they fit the
+// VARCHAR(10) column, else dropped (empty) — never truncate mid-word.
+func normalizeLanguageCode(v string) string {
+	v = strings.TrimSpace(v)
+	if v == "" {
+		return ""
+	}
+	if code, ok := languageNameToCode[strings.ToLower(v)]; ok {
+		return code
+	}
+	lower := strings.ToLower(v)
+	if len(lower) == 2 {
+		return lower // already a code (or close enough to be harmless)
+	}
+	if len(v) <= 10 {
+		return v
+	}
+	return ""
+}
+
+var languageNameToCode = map[string]string{
+	"english": "en", "spanish": "es", "español": "es", "french": "fr",
+	"français": "fr", "german": "de", "deutsch": "de", "italian": "it",
+	"italiano": "it", "portuguese": "pt", "dutch": "nl", "russian": "ru",
+	"ukrainian": "uk", "polish": "pl", "czech": "cs", "slovak": "sk",
+	"swedish": "sv", "norwegian": "no", "danish": "da", "finnish": "fi",
+	"icelandic": "is", "hungarian": "hu", "romanian": "ro", "bulgarian": "bg",
+	"greek": "el", "turkish": "tr", "arabic": "ar", "hebrew": "he",
+	"persian": "fa", "hindi": "hi", "bengali": "bn", "urdu": "ur",
+	"thai": "th", "vietnamese": "vi", "indonesian": "id", "malay": "ms",
+	"japanese": "ja", "korean": "ko", "chinese": "zh", "mandarin": "zh",
+	"cantonese": "zh", "swahili": "sw", "afrikaans": "af", "catalan": "ca",
+	"croatian": "hr", "serbian": "sr", "slovenian": "sl", "lithuanian": "lt",
+	"latvian": "lv", "estonian": "et", "georgian": "ka", "armenian": "hy",
+	"welsh": "cy", "irish": "ga", "basque": "eu", "galician": "gl",
+}
diff --git a/internal/services/series_parsing_test.go b/internal/services/series_parsing_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6c20237b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/services/series_parsing_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,300 @@
+package services
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/jackc/pgx/v5/pgtype"
+)
+
+func TestSplitSeriesString(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct{ in, name, seq string }{
+		{"The Witcher #3", "The Witcher", "3"},
+		{"Name #1a", "Name", "1a"},
+		{"No Sequence", "No Sequence", ""},
+		{"Name #1#a", "Name #1#a", ""}, // embedded # is not a sequence
+	}
+	for _, c := range cases {
+		name, seq := splitSeriesString(c.in)
+		if name != c.name || seq != c.seq {
+			t.Errorf("splitSeriesString(%q) = (%q, %q), want (%q, %q)", c.in, name, seq, c.name, c.seq)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSeriesSequenceNumber(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct {
+		in        string
+		num       float64
+		found     bool
+		lossy     bool
+	}{
+		{"3", 3, true, false},
+		{"1.5", 1.5, true, false},
+		{"1a", 1, true, true},
+		{"Book 2", 2, true, true},
+		{"2, Dramatized Adaptation", 2, true, true},
+		{"", 0, false, false},
+		{"novella", 0, false, false},
+	}
+	for _, c := range cases {
+		num, found, lossy := seriesSequenceNumber(c.in)
+		if num != c.num || found != c.found || lossy != c.lossy {
+			t.Errorf("seriesSequenceNumber(%q) = (%v,%v,%v), want (%v,%v,%v)",
+				c.in, num, found, lossy, c.num, c.found, c.lossy)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// The A2c headline bug: ABS abmetadata writes series as an array of
+// "Name #seq" STRINGS. The old parser only accepted object arrays and
+// silently dropped every ABS-matched series.
+func TestParseSeriesCandidatesStringArray(t *testing.T) {
+	raw := []byte(`["The Witcher #3", "The Witcher (Reading Order) #5"]`)
+	candidates := parseSeriesCandidates(raw)
+	if len(candidates) != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("got %d candidates, want 2", len(candidates))
+	}
+	if candidates[0].Name != "The Witcher" || candidates[0].Number != 3 || !candidates[0].HasNum {
+		t.Errorf("candidate[0] = %+v", candidates[0])
+	}
+	if candidates[1].Name != "The Witcher (Reading Order)" || candidates[1].Number != 5 {
+		t.Errorf("candidate[1] = %+v", candidates[1])
+	}
+	if !isPlaylistSeriesName(candidates[1].Name) {
+		t.Errorf("reading-order entry must classify as playlist-ish")
+	}
+	if isPlaylistSeriesName(candidates[0].Name) {
+		t.Errorf("publication series must not classify as playlist-ish")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParseSeriesCandidatesOtherShapes(t *testing.T) {
+	objs := parseSeriesCandidates([]byte(`[{"series":"Great Series","sequence":"2.5"}]`))
+	if len(objs) != 1 || objs[0].Name != "Great Series" || objs[0].Number != 2.5 {
+		t.Errorf("object form: %+v", objs)
+	}
+	libation := parseSeriesCandidates([]byte(`"Libation Series #4"`))
+	if len(libation) != 1 || libation[0].Name != "Libation Series" || libation[0].Number != 4 {
+		t.Errorf("plain string form: %+v", libation)
+	}
+	if parseSeriesCandidates([]byte(`null`)) != nil {
+		t.Errorf("null must yield no candidates")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestIsPlaylistSeriesName(t *testing.T) {
+	positives := []string{
+		"The Witcher (Reading Order)",
+		"Discworld Reading Order",
+		"Narnia Chronological Order",
+		"Robin Hobb in order",
+		"Series Publication Order",
+		"Middle Earth Timeline",
+	}
+	for _, p := range positives {
+		if !isPlaylistSeriesName(p) {
+			t.Errorf("%q should be playlist-ish", p)
+		}
+	}
+	negatives := []string{"The Witcher", "Witcher Saga", "The Timeline of..."}
+	for _, n := range negatives {
+		if isPlaylistSeriesName(n) {
+			t.Errorf("%q must not be playlist-ish", n)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestDeriveSeriesFromText(t *testing.T) {
+	name, num, hasNum, ok := deriveSeriesFromText("The Witcher, Book 3")
+	if !ok || name != "The Witcher" || num != 3 || !hasNum {
+		t.Errorf("got (%q,%v,%v,%v)", name, num, hasNum, ok)
+	}
+	name, num, hasNum, ok = deriveSeriesFromText("The Witcher, Book 1.5")
+	if !ok || name != "The Witcher" || num != 1.5 || !hasNum {
+		t.Errorf("decimal: got (%q,%v,%v,%v)", name, num, hasNum, ok)
+	}
+	// Not obviously a series tail → must refuse rather than guess.
+	for _, negative := range []string{"1984", "The Fellowship", "Book Ends"} {
+		if _, _, _, ok := deriveSeriesFromText(negative); ok {
+			t.Errorf("%q must not derive a series", negative)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSplitTitleOnSubtitle(t *testing.T) {
+	title, subtitle, split := splitTitleOnSubtitle("Baptism of Fire: The Witcher, Book 3")
+	if !split || title != "Baptism of Fire" || subtitle != "The Witcher, Book 3" {
+		t.Errorf("got (%q,%q,%v)", title, subtitle, split)
+	}
+	// Arbitrary colons never split.
+	_, _, split = splitTitleOnSubtitle("Star Wars: A New Hope")
+	if split {
+		t.Errorf("non-series colon must not split")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestApplyTitleDerivedSeries(t *testing.T) {
+	// The user's actual naming, two-level folder, no sidecar anywhere.
+	meta := &MediaMetadata{Title: "Baptism of Fire: The Witcher, Book 3"}
+	applyTitleDerivedSeries(meta)
+	if meta.Series != "The Witcher" || meta.SeriesNumber != 3 {
+		t.Errorf("series = %q #%v, want The Witcher #3", meta.Series, meta.SeriesNumber)
+	}
+	if meta.Title != "Baptism of Fire: The Witcher, Book 3" {
+		t.Errorf("fallback must never mutate the display title, got %q", meta.Title)
+	}
+
+	// Subtitle already split by the folder parser: number + name both land.
+	meta = &MediaMetadata{Title: "Blood of Elves", Subtitle: "The Witcher, Book 1"}
+	applyTitleDerivedSeries(meta)
+	if meta.Series != "The Witcher" || meta.SeriesNumber != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("series = %q #%v, want The Witcher #1", meta.Series, meta.SeriesNumber)
+	}
+
+	// Existing series data is never overwritten (blanks-only fallback)...
+	meta = &MediaMetadata{Title: "X", Subtitle: "Derived, Book 9", Series: "Real Series"}
+	applyTitleDerivedSeries(meta)
+	if meta.Series != "Real Series" || meta.SeriesNumber != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("a number from a different series name must not apply, got %q #%v", meta.Series, meta.SeriesNumber)
+	}
+	// ...but a number whose derived name MATCHES the existing series fills it.
+	meta = &MediaMetadata{Title: "X", Subtitle: "Real Series, Book 9", Series: "Real Series"}
+	applyTitleDerivedSeries(meta)
+	if meta.Series != "Real Series" || meta.SeriesNumber != 9 {
+		t.Errorf("matching-name number must fill, got %q #%v", meta.Series, meta.SeriesNumber)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestPickSmartGenre(t *testing.T) {
+	// The real Malazan Audible blob: one string, four genres.
+	genre, all := pickSmartGenre([]string{"Epic, Action & Adventure, Military, Sword & Sorcery"})
+	if genre != "action & adventure" {
+		t.Errorf("genre = %q, want action & adventure", genre)
+	}
+	if len(all) != 4 {
+		t.Errorf("candidates = %v, want the 4 split parts", all)
+	}
+	// Format noise never wins.
+	if genre, _ := pickSmartGenre([]string{"Audiobook"}); genre != "" {
+		t.Errorf("audiobook is not a genre, got %q", genre)
+	}
+	// Fiction is the last resort, not the winner.
+	if genre, _ := pickSmartGenre([]string{"Fiction"}); genre != "fiction" {
+		t.Errorf("plain Fiction should still resolve, got %q", genre)
+	}
+	if genre, _ := pickSmartGenre([]string{"Fiction", "Epic Fantasy"}); genre != "epic fantasy" {
+		t.Errorf("specificity must beat generic, got %q", genre)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestNormalizeLanguageCode(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct{ in, want string }{
+		{"English", "en"},
+		{"en", "en"},
+		{"German", "de"},
+		{"", ""},
+		{"Norwegian (Bokmål)", ""}, // too long for VARCHAR(10); dropped, never truncated
+		{"Pig Latin", "Pig Latin"}, // unknown display name that fits: kept
+	}
+	for _, c := range cases {
+		if got := normalizeLanguageCode(c.in); got != c.want {
+			t.Errorf("normalizeLanguageCode(%q) = %q, want %q", c.in, got, c.want)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// End-to-end: a REAL ABS-shaped sidecar (string-array series, the shape
+// every ABS-matched book writes) must land series, language, explicit and
+// the full author array.
+func TestExtractAudiobookshelfSidecarStringArraySeries(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	sidecar := `{
+		"title": "Blood of Elves",
+		"authors": ["Andrzej Sapkowski"],
+		"narrators": ["Peter Kenny"],
+		"series": ["The Witcher #1", "The Witcher (Reading Order) #3"],
+		"genres": ["Fiction"],
+		"language": "English",
+		"explicit": true,
+		"publisher": "Orbit"
+	}`
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(dir, "metadata.json"), []byte(sidecar), 0644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	meta := extractAudiobookshelfSidecar(filepath.Join(dir, "book.m4b"))
+	if meta == nil {
+		t.Fatal("sidecar not extracted")
+	}
+	if meta.Series != "The Witcher" || meta.SeriesNumber != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("series = %q #%v", meta.Series, meta.SeriesNumber)
+	}
+	if len(meta.Authors) != 1 || meta.Authors[0] != "Andrzej Sapkowski" {
+		t.Errorf("authors array = %v", meta.Authors)
+	}
+	if meta.Language != "en" {
+		t.Errorf("language = %q, want en", meta.Language)
+	}
+	if !meta.Explicit {
+		t.Errorf("explicit flag lost")
+	}
+	if len(meta.PlaylistSeries) != 1 || meta.PlaylistSeries[0].Name != "The Witcher (Reading Order)" {
+		t.Errorf("playlist series = %+v", meta.PlaylistSeries)
+	}
+	if meta.AlternateInfo != "" {
+		t.Errorf("playlist entry must not leak into alternate_info, got %q", meta.AlternateInfo)
+	}
+}
+
+// Additional real series (the Drizzt case: Icewind Dale #1 = Legend of
+// Drizzt #4) land in alternate_info with the comic-established shape.
+func TestExtractAudiobookshelfSidecarExtraSeriesToAlternateInfo(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	sidecar := `{
+		"title": "The Crystal Shard",
+		"authors": ["R.A. Salvatore"],
+		"series": [
+			{"series": "The Icewind Dale Trilogy", "sequence": "1"},
+			{"series": "The Legend of Drizzt", "sequence": "4"}
+		]
+	}`
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(dir, "metadata.json"), []byte(sidecar), 0644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	meta := extractAudiobookshelfSidecar(filepath.Join(dir, "book.m4b"))
+	if meta.Series != "The Icewind Dale Trilogy" || meta.SeriesNumber != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("series = %q #%v", meta.Series, meta.SeriesNumber)
+	}
+	if meta.AlternateInfo == "" {
+		t.Fatal("second series must land in alternate_info")
+	}
+	// Lossy sequence text is preserved, never silently dropped.
+	meta2 := extractAudiobookshelfSidecarPath(t, dir, `{"title":"X","series":["Saga #1a"]}`)
+	if meta2 == nil || meta2.Series != "Saga" || meta2.SeriesNumber != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("lossy series = %+v", meta2)
+	}
+	if meta2.AlternateInfo == "" || !strings.Contains(meta2.AlternateInfo, "series_sequence_raw") || !strings.Contains(meta2.AlternateInfo, "1a") {
+		t.Errorf("raw sequence not preserved: %q", meta2.AlternateInfo)
+	}
+}
+
+func extractAudiobookshelfSidecarPath(t *testing.T, dir, json string) *MediaMetadata {
+	t.Helper()
+	// extractAudiobookshelfSidecar looks for exactly "metadata.json"; use a
+	// fresh dir per call instead.
+	fresh := t.TempDir()
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(fresh, "metadata.json"), []byte(json), 0644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	return extractAudiobookshelfSidecar(filepath.Join(fresh, "book.m4b"))
+}
+
+// The series page tiebreaker rides on the same ordering contract the
+// scanner feeds: numbers sort numerically, NULLs last (§3.6).
+func TestSeriesNumberFloatOrderingValues(t *testing.T) {
+	if !(pgtype.Float8{Float64: 1}.Float64 < pgtype.Float8{Float64: 1.5}.Float64) {
+		t.Fatal("1 must sort before 1.5")
+	}
+}