This may not be the best of Lafferty's novels (that honor would probably fall to OKLA HANNALI or THE FALL OF ROME) but it's high-quality stuff, real magic. Discover the distinguishing marks of the one, real, Sindbad the Sailor, Master-Spy; find out why Scheherazade is so fond of a particular blue bottle; discover the two kinds of solution to all mathematical problems, and more... There's enough adventure and sheer fun in this one to make it a decent introduction to Lafferty, but the deeper method to the madness is still there to be found.