is Salman Rushdie's gentlest book, a fairy-tale like story that continues the tradition of Orwell's "Animal Farm". The book is about the land where stories are made, Rashid who is "the Shah of Blah, with oceans of notions and the Gift of the Gab" and his son Haroun. When Rashid loses his gift, his son embarks on an quest to recover it. Interspersed in this delightful tale are some poignant moments dealing with freedom of speech and expression. The book can be read as a commentary on "The thousand and one Arabian nights", placing it as a tri ....