Volume 1 Review: The "first night" was a bit of a slog to get through, but it provided all the story set-up, so that's forgivable. The first volume has a good mixture of comedy, adventure, and drama. Much of the comedy is farcical and would lend itself well to a visual performance. The adventure is more or less middling at this point, but the book hasn't yet gotten to its most famous tales of adventure (Ali Baba, Sinbad, etc). The drama is, of course, dramatic, and usual winds up with a humorous or astounding ending. I could do without all the poetry, but what are you gonna do about it? Not like I can complain to the author! ( )