Dominion of the Fallen
#6453.53 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Ongoing 2015–present Reading commitment Medium Aliette de Bodard Last reviewed 2026-08-13
Overview
Fallen angels rule the magically-devastated, post-apocalyptic ruins of Paris through rival, house-based factions, while a Vietnamese-inflected dragon kingdom endures beneath the Seine, a completed trilogy following characters across both worlds as they navigate politics, memory, and survival in a city that has already ended once.
Dark fantasy, Urban fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
The Dominion of the Fallen Trilogy Aliette de Bodard
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The House of Shattered Wings | 2015 | 1 | core | 3.39 (4,640 ratings) |
 | The House of Binding Thorns | 2017 | 2 | core | 3.91 (1,068 ratings) |
 | The House of Sundering Flames | 2019 | 3 | core | 3.93 (541 ratings) |
Fallen angels ruling magically-devastated, post-apocalyptic Paris through rival Houses, with a Vietnamese-inflected dragon kingdom under the Seine. Completed trilogy (2015-2019).
Library / Expanded (2 works)
Dragons and Blades Aliette de Bodard
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Of Dragons, Feasts and Murders | 2020 | N/A | |
 | Of Charms, Ghosts and Grievances | 2022 | N/A |
Two novellas set in the same Paris/dragon-kingdom setting, following secondary characters (Thuan and Asmodeus) -- side-story length, not the primary reading unit for this universe, per the Rivers of London precedent (main-sequence novels Core, side novellas Expanded).
Quick answers
- How many books are in Dominion of the Fallen? Dominion of the Fallen's Core Canon is 3 books, plus 2 more in the wider Library/Expanded material.
- What is the reading order for Dominion of the Fallen? Publication order, starting with The House of Shattered Wings. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Dominion of the Fallen finished? Ongoing (2015–present).
- How much reading does Dominion of the Fallen take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books · ~1,282 pages).
- How is Dominion of the Fallen ranked? #645 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 6,249 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #645?
Ranked #645 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 3.53 across 3 core books.
- A smaller readership (6,249 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 3.39 to 3.93.
- 0.01 behind #644, The Soldier Son Trilogy.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Modestly rated · 3 books · Ongoing · 6k ratings · Ranks #645 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length dark fantasy universe that's still ongoing, with new books still coming.
Reading order
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- The House of Shattered Wings (2015)
- The House of Binding Thorns (2017)
- The House of Sundering Flames (2019)
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)
- British Science Fiction Association Award (Best Novel), 2015: won: The House of Shattered Wings; Confirmed directly via bsfa.co.uk's own Past Winners page: "The 2015 Best Novel winner was The House of Shattered Wings by Aliette de Bodard (Gollancz)" -- presented March 26, 2016 at Mancunicon (per Locus Online's contemporary announcement post). The BSFA labels its award by the eligible work's publication year, not the ceremony year; registered as 2015 to match the award body's own labeling.
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel), 2016: finalist: The House of Shattered Wings; 4th place per the no-cutoff Locus-poll convention. Confirmed via sfadb.com (the accepted primary source for Locus lineage claims).
- European Science Fiction Society Achievement Award (Best Work of Fiction), 2018: won: The House of Binding Thorns; Confirmed via the 2018 ESFS awards results post: "WINNER: The House of Binding Thorns, Aliette de Bodard (France)" in the Achievement Awards' Best Work of Fiction category -- NOT a "Best Novel" category (that label appeared on one secondary source and was not used, since the ESFS's own 2018 results list no separate Best Novel category at all).
- Locus Award (Best Fantasy Novel), 2018: finalist: The House of Binding Thorns; 4th place per the no-cutoff Locus-poll convention. Confirmed via sfadb.com (the accepted primary source for Locus lineage claims).
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Official resources
- Aliette de Bodard: official bibliography
- Wikipedia: Aliette de Bodard
- BSFA: Past Winners
- sfadb: Aliette de Bodard
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.53 across 6,249 ratings on 3 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Dominion of the Fallen admitted; Core Canon = the 3-novel trilogy, Expanded = 2 side novellas accepted 2026-08-13
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-08-13
Rule: Core = the 3-novel main-sequence trilogy. Expanded = the 'Dragons and Blades' side novellas following secondary characters in the same setting, per the Rivers of London main-sequence-vs-side-novellas precedent. Several further short stories set in this world (e.g. "In Morningstar's Shadow", "Of Books, and Earth, and Courtship", "Court of Birth, Court of Strength") were noted during this admission but deliberately left unregistered this pass, out of scope for now, a candidate for a future Expanded Canon follow-up.