This is the amazing story of a man trapped in a mad, fantasy world that begins to change against his will. We are never quite sure whether he is in the real world or in the strange, surreal world that seems to have the power to take over his whole being at will. At times this book is hysterically funny and at other times it is incredibly moving. You will have to decide if it is the story of a madman trying to come to terms with the real, uncaring world or that of a caring, sane man in a world gone completely mad. Whatever answer you arrive at you will be certain that the author gives a brilliant and original insight into the workings of an unbalanced mind. Succre has found the 'Tatterdemalion' in all of us and in doing so could well have given us a better understanding of our place in an uncertain universe.