When Ray Dansk is released from prison he vows to return to Smallville and take revenge on the people responsible for his incarceration. Hiding out in some abandoned caves he falls asleep. On waking he finds himself soaked with a curious green liquid and possessing strangely enhanced physical abilities.

Invited to a party at the Luthor mansion, Lana Lang decides to buy a party-gift for her boyfriend, Whitney. She visits Miss Mayfern's Special Gifts where the proprietor asks some questions about her feelings for Whitney. When Lana leaves the shop she seems to have forgotten her relationship with Whitney and has bought a gift for Clark. A few days later, following a similar gift-shop visit, Clark returns home with apparently no memory of his superpowers.

Will Martha and Jonathan find out what has happened to their son before Ray Dansk destroys the whole of Smallville?

Dragon is another Smallville TV tie-in novel. However, this one is aimed at the young adult reader. The older target readership becomes immediately apparent when you find that the main villain is a psychopathic murderer!

The writing style is noticeably grittier than in the "Atom" range of Smallville books. It is also a smaller type face (strange how all publishers seem to believe that children's books need to be in a larger print – I suppose it is a psychological thing. Maybe the smaller print is a little too daunting for some children?).

The interplay between the characters is well described. The inter-relationships feel natural and definitely not contrived. You get a real feeling of camaraderie between them all. Lex, however, is placed on the outside looking in on the friendship. Most people are suspicious of him, mainly due to his father's actions. They seem to believe the old axiom that the acorn never falls too far from the tree. Clark is different. He sees Lex as a friend and treats him as such.

The series of Smallville stories published under the Orbit label form a natural bridge between the Atom-published children's books and adult novels. Hopefully they will encourage young adult readers to continue reading into adulthood.