Ben Okri brings both poetry and story together, paring writing and image down to their essentials. The significant title story "The Comic Destiny" forms the centerpiece of this collection, complemented by 13 magical stokus. In his new introduction Ben Okri describes it as a talisman, an alchemic instigator for much of his later work. The stoku is a blend of story and haiku. And 13, according to the author, is the number of liberation. All these stories are about freedom. They flow easily, but burn slowly. And they offer the possibility of freedom beyond the confines of our usual perception.
