Watt-Evans (Touched by the Gods, etc.) opens his latest novel with a bang: 11-year-old Arlian's village is destroyed by dragons, and he, the sole survivor, is enslaved by the minions of Lord Dragon. Raised as a mine slave, at 18 Arlian escapes into the arms of the inmates of the House of Carnal Society. When that brothel is burned and its women abducted by Lord Dragon, Arlian's quest for vengeance intensifies. Under the tutelage of a caravan guard named Black, he learns swordsmanship and trading, and gains great wealth. Using the name Lord Obsidian, Arlian pursues both Lord Dragon's minions and the noble owners of the Carnal House, but his hunt is deterred by two shattering discoveries: that vengeance is, after all, distasteful to him; and that his childhood encounter with dragons has made him like his enemies--nearly immortal, charismatic and eligible to join the ruling Dragon Society. Any reluctance to pursue his vendetta leaves Arlian, however, when he discovers that Lord Dragon is not only a sadist but possibly a traitor to the Dragon Society. Watt-Evans's plot strongly resembles that of The Count of Monte Cristo, but he turns it to his own purposes and produces a thoroughly absorbing tale. His writing is clean of the purple prose that mars so much fantasy, and the book poses many provocative ethical questions about the similarity between the righteous man and the unjust. This novel showcases the understated excellence readers have come to expect from this durable and (too often) underrated author. (Oct.)
