Black Dragon Codex by R. D. Henham

Satia is a sneak-thief who is always lying, about herself and others. Septimus is a young black dragon who wants to buy a certain artifact, Gilean's Cup, for his hoard of magic and money. But when Septimus is betrayed by a young human he thought was on his side, he changes back into dragon form in his rage and proceeds to lay waste to the town.

Satia hears the commotion and goes to investigate, only to be snatched up by Septimus and carried off by him. If he can't have the Cup, he can at least have a snack... But when he brings Satia back to the lair he shares with his mother, the lair is under attack by a Wizard and Dragonlord named Thordane, and his two small red dragon, along with a horde of Draconians. Using Magic, the wizard imprisons Septimus' mother, along with turning Septimus into a small human boy.

Bereft of magic, Septimus tries to order Satia to help him save his mother, but she refuses. When they are attacked by Draconians, and he asks for her help, she agrees, discovering for herself the power of the draconians, and the changes that occur after they die. she finds the changed Septimus an arrogant companion, but she realizes how truly lost he feels without her mother.

The Dragonlord takes Septimus's mother, Nox, from her home back to his fortress, where he intends to force her to do his bidding. But she refuses, even when he claims to have Septimus in bondage. Septimus reveals to Satia that his mother did not work with the Highlords, nor did she work with the Priests of the Goddess Takhisis to turn the good dragon eggs into Draconians. Perhaps she failed her Goddess by doing so, but she didn't feel it right.

Now, Thordane has taken her to his fortress, built on the ruins of a city once belonging to the formerly beautiful Ogres, before their race fell, doomed by their arrogance, the Irda. Supposedly, the Irda had a treasure concealed below the city, and the Ogres who live there still seek it, forcing the Goblins to dig for the treasure. Nor are they alone, for a fallen Solamnic knight also labors there, named Mosango, and he has befriended the goblin workers. The armor that Thordane wears once belonged to Mosango, who lost it when he fell into a drunken stupor after his squire died.

Once Mosango learns that Septimus is a dragon, he assumes that he is a good Dragon, and eagerly joins their cause. He leads them to a Goblin Shaman named Gneech, but Satia loses Septimus's favor and friendship when her lies about herself up to that point are revealed to be just that... lies. But Gneech points out that despite her lies, she has already tried to save Septimus, so even though she may be a liar, she is valorous.

One of the treasures that the Ogres seek is a sword of Kingship over the Ogres, and to save themselves, Satia and the others agree to seek this sword for an Ogre named Zargut, who detests Thordane. But the sword may be hidden in a deep tunnel filled with traps that none of the Ogres nor goblins are able to disarm. Can Satia get the others to the treasure without getting them killed? And if they find the sword, can she and the others free Nox from Thordane, and redeem Mosango's honor?

Another excellent Dragon Codex book from R. D. Henham. The Chromatic Dragons are usually portrayed as being unredeemably evil, but even Evil Dragons can be honorable and live up to their promises. And evil dragons aren't all alike- even Evil dragons may not choose to do an evil act because they don't care about those things. This nicely points out that evil isn't always predictable, not even evil foes like dragons.

And even though Septimus and his mother may be evil, Septimus still loves his mother, and there is affection between them on both sides- so evil can know love. Now, Satia, on the other hand, is a liar, and she knows it. But she almost can't seem to help herself when she lies. but even though she's a liar and the viewpoint character, she never really comes off as unsympathetic, especially because of the kinds of lies she tells. She's an orphan, with no family, and she tells lies about who her father is. at first she claims that her father is a Prince, so that Septimus will hopefully not kill her and see her as valuable instead.

She continues lying until it all breaks down when she's told too many lies about herself. And that's when the story takes off, because she doesn't need to lie to be valued for herself and her skills. But even though she continues to lie to everyone and herself earlier, she's able to admit they are lies. I liked this story as a wonderful adventure and for showing that Evil is complex, not simple black and white. And that evil isn't so much what you are, but what you do.

This is an excellent book that any kids in the 4th to 6th grades (and maybe even older than that) would like. Younger kids, unless they have advanced reading skills, may find the story too advanced for them, with language that may occasionally be confusing. Kids who like Dungeons and Dragons, and kids that have read or seen the Dragonlance books will find this story, and the other Dragon Codex books, the most interesting. Highly recommended.