The first in Friesner's Twelve Kingdoms series, though the actual plan for the series wasn't revealed until the second book. The series was to be much larger and multi-generational, not just a sequence of more adventures starring the title characters. This book is mostly a pastiche of an Arabian Nights tale, florid language and all. There's one very dark moment, but distanced to reduce the impact. Overall, enjoyable, and certainly recommended if you've enjoyed any of Friesner's other books. ( )

I have had these books for probably 20 years, maybe more. Was looking for a book that was short and I could finish before the end of the year. I always loved the covers and thought they looked fun. It wasn't terrible, but felt pretty "lite" maybe YA and the main quest just seemed completely ridiculous so that was a repeating, "Why?" that kept popping up in my head. ( )