Aliette de Bodard Books in Order

The Best Starting Points: Where to Begin

Aliette de Bodard is famous for her ability to write across entirely different speculative subgenres. Because her main universes are highly distinct, your ideal starting point depends on what you enjoy most:

• For Space Opera & Sci-Fi: Start with the Nebula-winning novella The Tea Master and the Detective (2018). It is a standalone mystery in her Xuya Universe that perfectly showcases her signature blend of Vietnamese-influenced space travel and sentient mindships.
• For Aztec Fantasy & Noir: Begin with Servant of the Underworld (2010), the first novel in the Obsidian and Blood trilogy. This is an alternate-history Mesoamerican fantasy that functions as a dark, gritty murder mystery.
• For Gothic Fantasy & Angels: Start with The House of Shattered Wings (2015), the opening novel of the Dominion of the Fallen series, which features fallen angels fighting for dominance in a ruined, magical version of Paris.

The Xuya Universe Reading Order

The Xuya Universe is de Bodard's most expansive setting. It is an alternate history space opera where the Chinese reached the Americas before European powers, leading to a space-age future dominated by Chinese and Vietnamese cultures, complete with communal mindships (sentient spaceships that are members of human families).

Important Note on Order: Because these stories span centuries and focus on different characters across the galaxy, there is no single narrative line. You can read them in any order you choose, as they are designed to function as standalones. However, they are generally divided into full-length novels, romances, and key novellas.

The Xuya Universe Romances

These are standalone space opera romances set in the Xuya Universe. While they share the setting, they can be read independently and in any order:

1. The Red Scholar's Wake (2022) – A sapphic space pirate marriage-of-convenience story between a captured botmaker and the sentient pirate mindship Rice Fish.
2. A Fire Born of Exile (2023) – A sapphic reimagining of The Count of Monte Cristo set in space, focusing on vengeance, disguise, and court politics. Note: Some online databases list a book named "A Fire of Ten Thousand Flags" with a 2020 date; this is an erroneous ghost title that actually refers to the development of A Fire Born of Exile.

Key Xuya Novellas and Novels

If you want to explore the broader Xuya space opera, these longer standalone works are highly recommended:

• On a Red Station, Drifting (2012) – A classic novella following two cousins on a space station whose artificial intelligence is beginning to fail.
• The Citadel of Weeping Pearls (2015) – A mystery focusing on a missing station and the search for high-tech weapons.
• The Tea Master and the Detective (2018) – A Sherlock Holmes-style investigation featuring an eccentric detective and a traumatized mindship brewer.
• Seven of Infinities (2020) – A romantic heist mystery involving a poor tutor, a sentient mindship thief, and a mysterious murder.
• In the Shadow of the Ship (2024) – A novella exploring family obligations and the mindship community.

Dominion of the Fallen & Dragons and Blades

Set in a dark, post-apocalyptic Gothic Paris, the Dominion of the Fallen series details the struggles of magical Houses ruled by fallen angels. The main trilogy should be read in publication order.

The companion series, Dragons and Blades, is a lighter, cozy fantasy spin-off featuring the characters Thuan (a dragon prince) and Asmodeus (a Fallen angel). While it is best read after the main trilogy, it is self-contained.

Recommended Reading Path:

1. In Morningstar's Shadow (2015) – A prequel novella that introduces the dark atmosphere of the fallen-angel Paris.
2. The House of Shattered Wings (2015) – The official Book 1 of the main trilogy.
3. Of Books, and Earth, and Courtship (2015) – A companion romance story set in the universe.
4. The House of Binding Thorns (2017) – Book 2 of the main trilogy.
5. The House of Sundering Flames (2019) – Book 3 and the conclusion of the main trilogy.
6. Of Dragons, Feasts and Murders (2020) – Book 1 of the Dragons and Blades spin-off.
7. Of Charms, Ghosts and Grievances (2022) – Book 2 of the Dragons and Blades spin-off.

Obsidian and Blood Trilogy

This trilogy is a complete, finished dark fantasy sequence set in a 15th-century Aztec empire where the gods are real and demand blood sacrifices to keep the sun rising. It follows Acatl, the High Priest of the Dead, who must solve magical murders to protect his people. This series must be read in order:

1. Servant of the Underworld (2010)
2. Harbinger of the Storm (2011)
3. Master of the House of Darts (2011)

If you want to read the prequels, you can read the short stories "Obsidian Shards," "Beneath the Mask," and "Safe, Child, Safe" before starting the main trilogy, though the first book stands perfectly on its own.

Standalone Novels and Novellas

For readers who want complete stories without diving into shared worlds, de Bodard has written several highly praised standalone books:

• In the Vanishers' Palace (2018) – A dark, sapphic fantasy reimagining of Beauty and the Beast set in a post-colonial, Vietnamese-inspired world ruled by powerful, dragon-shifting rulers.
• Fireheart Tiger (2021) – A lush, sapphic fantasy novella set in pre-colonial Vietnam, focusing on diplomacy, magic, and escape from an abusive relationship.
• Navigational Entanglements (2024) – A fast-paced, xianxia-inspired space opera about rival clans navigating deadly star systems.