The second book in the trilogy which began with the Booker prize-winning The Famished Road.''A love story and an account of the conflict between the parties of the Rich and Poor... Okri''s voice is all his own'' IndependentHaving outwitted death, Azaro, the spirit child, remains in the land of the Living. Oppression and violence continue to plague the city, and while political factions battle, bar owner Madame Koto backs the ''Party of the Rich'' with magical, bewitching force. But for Azaro, his adventure is tied up with his parents, and so his story takes on yet another heroic adventure to save them both from the forces of the world. ''Ben Okri writes beautifully...a triumph of inspiration over the everyday'' The Times