this is a remarkable book! Suniti Namjoshi has taken the fables of Aesop and stories from the ancient "Life of Aesop" and inserted herself into the cast of characters as a time-traveling, bodiless Sprite who is the book's narrator. The Sprite meets up with Aesop (he's the one who actually yanks her into his world), along with his friend Androcles, then she sees them sold from one master to another, and finally she accompanies Aesop on his fatal/fateful journey to Delphi. Don't worry: you don't need to have read Aesop's fables or the Life of Aesop to enjoy this book, but if you do know something about the ancient Aesop, you get the extra bonus of seeing how Namjoshi is twisting and poking the old stories, often turning them inside-out. The Sprite has a warm sympathy for all her characters, major and minor (Pythagoras even makes an appearance), and she also challenges them as they debate the possible morals of the fables, and the meaning of freedom, of love, and of storytelling itself, and the duties of the storytellers. If you love stories and storytelling, READ THIS BOOK. It is a delight from start to finish!