The Path of Anger

Ten years after a revolution topples an empire in favor of a republic, Dun-Cadal, one of the empire’s foremost knights and generals, has become a bitter drunk living in obscurity. When a young scholar tracks him down, pursuing rumors that Dun-Cadal knows the whereabouts of the emperor’s legendary sword, the encounter awakens a host of memories. The story seamlessly alternates between past and present as Dun-Cadal recalls long-ago events, when he took on a mysterious young man as protégé, only to lose him to treachery at the height of Dun-Cadal’s career. In the present, Dun-Cadal leads his new friend to the sword, unsuspectingly setting new calamitous plans into motion. Revenge and tragedy are the hallmarks of this weighty epic drama, French author Rouaud’s debut. The atmosphere and setting are that of a postrevolutionary pseudo-France, with a complex sense of worldbuilding and an ambitious plot. Unfortunately, slow pacing and ponderous dialogue provide an overwrought, intensely portentous feel, making this more of a chore than a delight. Agent: Stéphane Marsan, Bragelonne (France). (Sept.)