This dragon hunt and tale of alchemy set in the American wild West winds through hostile settlers, Indians, frontier military, and various religious cults. It also deals with substance abuse, child neglect and domestic violence.

I've always found alchemy fascinating but as the book ran on, I found the main character, Gentle, spending most of his time grieving, depressed, and dosing himself on laudanum. His guilt over the loss of his best friend makes him incapable of guiding his nephew, who could have been a redemption to pull him out of his emotional pit.

Winding through the whole story is a moody, brooding philosophy of the salamander being a metaphor for corruption, leaving me wondering if the creature actually existed.

This book is very dark and has some self-destructive content.