Hâsib & the Queen of Serpents: A Tale of a Thousand and One Nights

The book begins in the middle of Scheherazade's "One Thousand and One Nights," with the tale of Hâsib the woodcutter. When his friends betray him for profit and abandon him to die deep in a forest, Hâsib meets the Queen of Serpents, who will help him find his way home but not before weaving her own spellbinding saga. Both Scheherazade and the Queen of Serpents are framing devices for magnificent tales of magicians, demons, princes, and spiritual gurus, in a dizzying story-within-a-story extravaganza. Though the stories may seem convoluted, the twists and turns come to a delightful close. The author has clearly spent time with the ancient classic, updating the language without losing its mythical tone. Stretching out like a tapestry, the illustrations are a detailed feast for the eyes, rendering the text nearly superfluous. Some violence and nudity make this more appropriate for mature readers.