'Every page holds a twist, while the prose is rich, but perfect in its control, and its calibration between the poetic and the exotic ... readers might feel that they have reached the book equivalent of the Promised Land.' -- The Times 'It's been a while since I had such fun reading a book ... It's like dipping into a leather-bound chronicle full of exciting legends and reminded me of the fathomless pleasure with which I used to read as a child. I was rapt.' -- Daily Telegraph 'From the opening sentence of this rip-roaring, swashbuckling yarn, you know you're in the hands of a master ... That level of brio, invention and panache continues at breakneck pace throughout ... smart, clever and stylish' -- Scotland on Sunday 'A rip-roaring ride of a novel' -- Independent on Sunday 'Intricate and exuberant ... It's hard to resist its gathering momentum, not to mention the sheer headlong pleasure of Chabon's language.' -- New York Times Book Review 'a celebration of male friendship' -- Sunday Telegraph 20081109 'great fun' -- Sunday Times 20081109
