Percheron
#7213.76 adjusted 3.80 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Complete 2005–2007 Reading commitment Medium Fiona McIntosh Last reviewed 2026-10-09
Overview
Fiona McIntosh's Percheron trilogy (2005-2007) is set in a palace-and-harem city-state on the edge of the desert, where an old Zar's death puts his fifteen-year-old son Boaz on the throne and the real power in the hands of his scheming mother Herezah. Into the new harem comes Ana, an odalisque who wants nothing but her freedom, and around her move Lazar, the Spur of Percheron, a former slave turned the city's protector, and Pez, the jester everyone thinks mad, who is in truth the demigod Iridor. Behind the court intrigue a new cycle of the war of faith between the demon Maliz and the goddess Lyana is beginning, and war with Galinsea gathers on the sea. Odalisque was longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award.
Epic fantasy, Romantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
Percheron Fiona McIntosh
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Odalisque | 2005 | 1 | core | 3.73 (2,184 ratings) |
 | Emissary | 2006 | 2 | core | 3.83 (1,607 ratings) |
 | Goddess | 2007 | 3 | core | 3.74 (1,359 ratings) |
Fiona McIntosh's trilogy of Percheron, a harem-and-palace city-state on the edge of the desert where a new cycle in the war of faith between the demon Maliz and the goddess Lyana is beginning: the odalisque Ana, the young Zar Boaz, his mother Herezah, the Spur Lazar and the 'mad' dwarf Pez.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Percheron? Percheron's Core Canon is 3 books.
- What is the reading order for Percheron? Publication order, starting with Odalisque. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Percheron finished? Complete (2005–2007).
- How much reading does Percheron take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books).
- How is Percheron ranked? #721 in this site's official ranking, based on 5,150 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #721?
Ranked #721 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.76 across 3 core books.
- A smaller readership (5,150 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Remarkably consistent across the whole series: all 3 rated core books rate within 0.10 of each other.
- Less than 0.01 behind #720, Tales of Einarinn (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 3 books · Complete · 5k ratings · Ranks #721 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length epic fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- Odalisque (2005)
- Emissary (2006)
- Goddess (2007)
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)
- International Dublin Literary Award, 2007: nominated: Odalisque; Longlisted (nominated by a library), per the award's own record.
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Suggestions computed from what Percheron and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- Shadowmarch Epic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 3.91
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- The Braided Path Epic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 3.90
- Their Bright Ascendency Epic fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 3.90
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.76 across 5,150 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: Canon extension: Percheron (Fiona McIntosh) accepted 2026-10-09
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-10-09
Rule: Core Canon = Odalisque (2005), Emissary (2006) and Goddess (2007), complete trilogy.