When Ramsay Wood retells a story he makes a proper job of it: not for him those pale imitations of a nobel original which is what your average reteller palms off on his readers.

A beautiful book full of mirth and human interest and unsentimental wisdom and vigorous writing.

Unique retelling… may well jolt literary sensibilities tuned to the solemnity or quaintness of our best known versions of animal fables.

This fresh creation follows the more than two thousand year old precedent of adapting, collating and arranging the material in any way that suits present purposes. It is contemporary, racy, vigorous, full of zest. It is also very funny. I defy anyone to sit down with it and not finish it at a sitting. Ramsay Wood’s own enjoyment in doing the book has made it so enjoyable.

Ramsay Wood follows his originals closely, and slips with skill in and out of stories as closely interfolded as the petals of a rose.

Sans frontière linguistique ni culturelle, ces fables ignorent aussi celles du temps. Au sein du recueil, les paradoxes temporels abondent. Des lettres très antiques, enfermées dans une série de coffres par le roi Houschenk autrefois, s’adressent aux souverains de l’avenir. Elles renferment des conseils dont le sens ne s’éclaire qu’à mesure, parfois avec un très grand retard.

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