It is the third book in The Stone Dance of the Chameleon trilogy, which concerns the harrowing experiences of the young and inexperienced heir to a ruling dynasty who is suddenly taken from his protected childhood and thrust into a cruel society where he must fight for his family honour, his position and his life.

The first in the series is perhaps the most nearly a traditional fantasy epic, with the unsuspecting hero growing into his role as a master of the Guarded Land and taking part in the election of the new god-emperor...before everything comes apart.

In the second, he experiences the lot of a slave, being cast out together with Osidian (who was brought up at court so is thoroughly versed in the best of Masterly sadistic intrigue) before building a following amongst the plains people, leaving a steadily growing wake of death as they go.

The rising tide of destruction is an object lesson in unforeseen consequences and the risks of carelessly destroying all you hold dear through the singleminded pursuit of some goal.

The plot is a good fantasy epic with plenty of twists and turns, and despite all the devastation manages to maintain a thread of hope for the final resolution to the conflict.