Dragon Weather [Turtleback]

Lawrence Watt-Evans (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2002

Arlian had never left his home village in the Obsidian Mountains. The green hills, white peaks, and black glass were all he had ever known of life, and though he dreamed of travel and adventure, he knew deep in his heart that he would probably never leave.

Until the dragon weather came. Incredible heat, oppressive humidity, dark and angry clouds... and dragons. Dragons with no feelings, no empathy, no use for humans; dragons who destroyed his entire village and everyone in it. Everyone, that is, except Arlian.

Orphaned and alone, Arlian the child is captured by looters and sold as a mining slave. Seven years later Arlian the man escapes, fueled by years of hatred for the dragons, bandits, and slavers who took his youth away -and by a personal vow to exact retribution from those who wronged him.

As Arlian makes his way through life, he is obsessed with the concept of justice, and that obsession informs every task, every decision. Even Black, the man he befriends and grows to love as a brother, has little influence over Arlian's obsession. His entire life has one purpose, and one purpose only: to mete out justice.

But can one righteous man change the entire world for the better? Or is he doomed by his own actions to become as unjust as those he seeks to destroy?

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

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 enemiesAnearly 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.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

New fantasy from the author of Touched by the Gods (1997), etc. When dragons destroy the village of Obsidian on the Smoking Mountain, young Arlian is the sole survivor. Trapped beneath his grandfather's body in a cellar, Arlian accidentally ingests a mixture of dragon venom and human blood, and thereby becomes a ``dragonheart,'' blessed with health and long life. But first he's sold into slavery by the scavenging Lord Dragon and his henchmen. After many years, Arlian escapes from the slave mines and takes shelter in a brothel. The kindly inmates are slaves whose feet have been amputated to prevent their escape. Discovered at last by the madam, Arlian flees, but the owners, all Lords, kill or carry off the girls and burn the building. One day, Arlian vows, justice will be done. With gold stolen from a Lord's hoard, he equips a wagon and joins a caravan heading for the distant Borderlands. Along the way, his companion, Black, teaches him to fight. After many adventures, Arlian returns with vast wealth. Several of his enemies, he discovers, belong to the Dragon Societydragonhearts like himselfincluding his mortal enemy, Lord Dragon! The Society is dedicated to learning about dragons and sorcery, and all are sworn to share information. But Lord Dragon is holding out. How, for instance, did he know that the dragons were coming to destroy Obsidian? Often remarkably inventive, and commendably well organized: pity the implementation's largely flat and mediocre. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Turtleback: 553 pages
• Publisher: Demco Media (February 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0606206388
• ISBN-13: 978-0606206389
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,906,925 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I've been writing fantasy for thirty years... no, my fantasy's been published for thirty years. I've been writing it since I was eight. It's what I always wanted to do for a living, and I've been very fortunate in that I've been able to manage that. I try to write fantasy with an element of common sense to it -- not so much mythic archetypes as sensible people.

Other than my job, my life's pretty ordinary -- a nice house in a quiet neighborhood, a wife, two grown kids, and an overweight cat.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great work from one of the unheralded masters, October 26, 1999

By 

George (APO, AE USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dragon Weather (Hardcover)

Lawrence Watt-Evans seems to be below the radar among fantasy writers these days. I can't imagine why -- his post-Ethshar novels ("Dragon Weather" and "Touched by the Gods") have each been gripping reworkings of tried-and-true fantasy themes.

In the case of "Dragon Weather," it's the old young-man-grows-up-and-avenges-wrongs formula, but Watt-Evans manages to breathe his own fresh life into it. Especially refreshing (well, maybe that's not the right word) is the casual brutality he brings into it -- diseased and maimed people fill the pages, much as one would actually expect in a barbaric pre-technological world.

Sure, some of the plot points are seen kind of early, but Watt-Evans even manages to bring them around in a refreshing way, even going so far as to pull a triple-cross on the reader at one point.

The ending suggests a sequel to the point that "To Be Continued" might as well have appeared beneath the last few lines. We can but hope.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Very Solid Read, April 19, 2000

By 

Brian C. Rogers - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dragon Weather (Hardcover)

Lawrence Watt-Evans has created a great multi-level sci-fi read. With spectacular character development he shows us a world with falable heroes and villains that are both cruelly evil yet sometimes right. The author undauntingly asks the question of greater good versus justice. Then is polite enough not to answer for us. Instead he throws in a very interesting plot twist(One I found better than a certain Oscar naominated movie). Although, The book was a little ponderous towards middle the climax was well worth the wait. A very solid read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lawrence does it again, April 27, 2001

By 

Carolyn Richardson (Lakewood, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dragon Weather (Obsidian Chronicles) (Mass Market Paperback)

It's been a long time since I enjoyed reading a fantasy novel this much. While a long time fan of this author, I think this is one of his best efforts since the publication of the Overman series. This book in the classic "person wronged and getting even" genre like the "Count of Monte Cristo". In fact, the main character, Arlian, follows a very similar path, from a boyhood cut short by being sold into slavery, to his eventual escape and plan to revenge himself on those who did this to him by posing as a Lord and getting wealthy from a hidden stash. I could hardly put it down. It's a definite must read for anyone who has admired Lawrence Watt-Evans' books as long as I have, and for anyone who wants to try him out for the first time. An excellent work of fantasy.