The legendary storyteller Scheherazade kept her head on her shoulders by giving the King of Persia a new tale every night. She always left off on such a note of suspense that the King could barely wait for her to pick up the story again. We still have these stories today in The 1001 Nights, one of the world's oldest and most beloved books.
But what if Scheherazade were to run out of material on the 1002d night? In this novel, with the help of the slave Ariana, the Queen Consort cuts a deal with the court poet Ali-Haram for more stories. Ariana, who has never been allowed to learn to read and write, eventually replaces Scheherazade as the King's storyteller. Along the way she is freed and enslaved and freed again, and reunited with the son she has never met.
But when the ass-racing craze hits Baghdad, Ali-Haram faces financial ruin. Ariana can save him, but only at a terrible cost to herself. Meanwhile, as the King's new story unfolds, we encounter Djinns that can't grant wishes, a lamb that is heir to Charlemagne, and a sorcerer who is transformed to an Angel. There are rides on sunbeams and a forest contained in an egg. We learn that it takes a pure heart to pilot a flying divan, sorcerers must adhere to a strict Code of Ethics, and true love can be found through marketing as well as magic.