Odalisque: Book One of The Percheron Saga
A magnificent setting distinguishes this first of a new fantasy  trilogy from McIntosh (The Quickening), who  imbues the city-state of Percheron with many attributes of Constantinople under  the Ottoman Turks. Joreb, the zar (or ruler) of Percheron, is well served by  his military leader, the handsome Lazar, who fought his way to freedom from  slavery. When Joreb dies an untimely death, Boaz&mdash;Joreb's 15-year-old son by  his beautiful, intelligent and ambitious first wife&mdash;becomes zar. But not even  Lazar or Pez, a dwarf jester whom nearly everyone thinks is mad, can shield  young Boaz from the cruel necessities of ruling Percheron. (McIntosh, who  doesn't stint on depicting the brutality of slaughter, includes a disturbing  castration scene.) Meanwhile, gods and goddesses feud, a new odalisque joins  the harem, and a neighboring kingdom threatens invasion. While the author  leaves the culture's religious aspects undeveloped, strong characters and an  enticing plot bode well for future installments.(Mar.)Copyright &copy; Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.