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Title: Pleasant Imitation of the Arabian Nights
Review: Anthony admits in "Bio of an Ogre" that a lot of his fantasy inspiration is from the Arabian Nights. Here he tries a similar story in his style. You are better off buying The Arabian Nights in an unexpurgated edition -- yes, that means that when the hero sneaks into the harem, he really does it with the ladies. Its easy to see that Anthony's bold sexual themes derive from the inspiration of his source. However, the book lacks a certain dimensionality to the characters, as if this is an early work when he was an uncertain writer. I don't remember much of the story or plot, and that says it all -- its a throwaway imitation. Get the original source!
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