Ill Met in the Arena by Dave Duncan

The Nobles of Aureity have bred their children for psychic powers for ages. Women, who rule, can tell if someone is lying just by being near them. Touching someone allows them to read the person's mind. They can also create extremely realistic illusions and can control the minds of men. Men, on the other hand, have powers that allow them to lift great amounts of weight simply with their minds, and teleport to any place they know well. But to keep men under control, the men compete in gladiatorial games against each other, using their mind strength, in hopes of attracting a high-born woman who will allow him to serve her, and eventually marry her and produce new children, stronger in mind-powers than the generation before.

Mudar of Quoin is a man under a doom, who is competing in the games under the name of Quirt of Mundil. He is looking to find the man who raped his mother and drove her into madness, as well as killing two other competitors in the open games she held. The same man also killed his lady wife and the woman he loved, and her mother forced his doom upon him.

Now Quirt/Mudar has found the son of the man responsible, but he must befriend him and convince him that their father is a murderer and rapist. And that isn't going to be easy, as his half-brother is engaged to marry a woman Quirt has fallen in love with, but is prevented from marrying by his doom and lack of credentials. So while they fight over the love of this woman, Quirt must reveal his own past to convince his half-brother Humate of Alfret of the truth of his claim. And find an unexpected ability- to teleport to a person rather than a place, that both share with their father.

But the deception of his father runs deeper than Quirt/Mudar might expect, and when his mother is put into danger once more by his seeking of the truth, Quirt/Mudar must do his best to save her if he ever wants to see justice done for her and regain his own name.

Though this is not a thick book, Dave Duncan is a past master at cramming a great deal of story into a small amount of pages and making it look easy. Though some of the book is told in flashback, the rest does an amazing job of filling us in on the background of this world and Mudar/Quirt's past and reasons for competing.

The story is compelling and will draw you in like nothing else. I became wrapped in the story almost from the first page, and couldn't stop reading until it was done. It wasn't just Mudar and Humate who drew my attention, but all of the characters, main and secondary both. This is one of the finest novels I have read in terms of story, and recommend it to everyone who likes fantasy and well-constructed novels. Amazingly well done.