The Cardinal's Blades
#7443.70 adjusted 3.78 for sample size in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 3 books Status Complete 2007–2010 Reading commitment Medium Pierre Pevel Last reviewed 2026-08-27
Overview
In the France of Louis XIII, Cardinal Richelieu reassembles a disbanded company of agents, the Cardinal's Blades, to counter a conspiracy involving a secret society of dragon-blooded nobles. French author Pierre Pevel's trilogy blends swashbuckling historical adventure, in the tradition of Alexandre Dumas's musketeer novels, with dragons living openly, if uneasily, alongside 17th-century society, some passing as human and others manifesting as vast, ancient beasts of the sky. The sequence comprises The Cardinal's Blades (2007), The Alchemist in the Shadows (2009), and The Dragon Arcana (2010), originally published in French as Les Lames du Cardinal before being translated into English, and follows the reassembled company as they are drawn deeper into a wider conspiracy threatening the French crown itself.
Historical fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (3 works) counts toward ranking
Les Lames du Cardinal Pierre Pevel
| Work | Year | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Cardinal's Blades | 2007 | core | 3.61 (1,325 ratings) |
 | The Alchemist in the Shadows | 2009 | core | 3.78 (697 ratings) |
 | The Dragon Arcana | 2010 | core | 3.84 (498 ratings) |
Pierre Pevel's swashbuckling historical fantasy trilogy: dragons and secret agents in the France of Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Cardinal's Blades? The Cardinal's Blades's Core Canon is 3 books.
- What is the reading order for The Cardinal's Blades? Publication order, starting with The Cardinal's Blades. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is The Cardinal's Blades finished? Complete (2007–2010).
- How much reading does The Cardinal's Blades take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 3 Core Canon books).
- How is The Cardinal's Blades ranked? #744 in this site's official ranking, based on 2,520 reader ratings across 3 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #744?
Ranked #744 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.70 across 3 core books.
- A smaller readership (2,520 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- 0.07 behind #743, The Tensorate Series.
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
Why explore this universe?
Modestly rated · 3 books · Complete · 3k ratings · Ranks #744 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length historical fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
Publication order (3 Core Canon books)
- The Cardinal's Blades (2007)
- The Alchemist in the Shadows (2009)
- The Dragon Arcana (2010)
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.70 across 2,520 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: The Cardinal's Blades admitted; Core Canon = the original 2007-2010 trilogy accepted 2026-08-27
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-08-27
Rule: Core Canon is the complete original trilogy (all 3 books), translated into English by Tom Clegg.