Chien du heaume
#8743.72 adjusted 3.87 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 2 books Status Complete 2009–2011 Reading commitment Low Justine Niogret Last reviewed 2026-11-05
Overview
Chien du heaume is a two-book medieval-style fantasy by the French author Justine Niogret, published by Mnémos in 2009 and 2011. The setting is a harsh, realistic medieval world of mercenary companies and frequent battles, with very little magic. The heroine is a small, solitary mercenary known only as Chien du heaume, who has lost her name and her past and fights with a war axe. In the first book she searches for who she is; in the second, a direct sequel, she travels with the warrior Bréhyr towards the place called Tor.
Dark fantasy, Historical fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (2 works) counts toward ranking
Chien du heaume Justine Niogret
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Chien du heaume | 2009 | 1 | core | 3.72 (398 ratings) |
 | Mordre le bouclier; Direct sequel to Chien du heaume. | 2011 | 2 | core | 3.74 (125 ratings) |
A scarred mercenary woman searches for her lost name and past in a harsh medieval world with little magic.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Chien du heaume? Chien du heaume's Core Canon is 2 books.
- What is the reading order for Chien du heaume? Publication order, starting with Chien du heaume. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Chien du heaume finished? Complete (2009–2011).
- How much reading does Chien du heaume take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 2 Core Canon books).
- How is Chien du heaume ranked? #874 in this site's official ranking, based on 523 reader ratings across 2 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #874?
Ranked #874 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.72 across 2 core books.
- A smaller readership (523 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Remarkably consistent across the whole series: all 2 rated core books rate within 0.02 of each other.
- 0.12 behind #873, The Salt Roads.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 2 books · Complete · 523 ratings · Ranks #874 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment dark fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (2 Core Canon books)
- Chien du heaume (2009)
- Mordre le bouclier (2011)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- Prix Imaginales (Best French-language novel), 2010: won: Chien du heaume
- Grand prix de l'Imaginaire (French-language novel), 2010: won: Chien du heaume
- Prix Oriande, 2010: won: Chien du heaume
- Prix européen Utopiales des pays de la Loire (Novel), 2012: won: Mordre le bouclier
- Prix Elbakin.net (French novel), 2012: won: Mordre le bouclier
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Suggestions computed from what Chien du heaume and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- Ghost Talkers Historical fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.87
- A Market of Dreams and Destiny Historical fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.86
- The White Raven Historical fantasy / Mythic fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.85
- The Damiano Trilogy Historical fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 3.83
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.72 across 523 ratings on 2 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: 22 universes from the candidate register; Cursed Bunny ruled out; open synopses for Anna Strong, Allie Beckstrom and Alex Craft accepted 2026-11-05
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- French Wikipedia: Justine Niogret Tier 2
- French Wikipedia: Chien du heaume Tier 2
- SciFi-Universe review: Chien du heaume Tier 2
- SciFi-Universe review: Mordre le bouclier Tier 2
- Critiqueslibres: Chien du heaume Tier 2
- Les petites fugues: Justine Niogret bio-bibliography Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-11-05
Rule: Core Canon = Chien du heaume (2009) and Mordre le bouclier (2011). Niogret's other novels are standalone works in other settings and are excluded.