The collection of stories about the dragon, Griaule, gathered in this volume contain one of the most extraordinary ideas in fantasy fiction: a dragon so huge that it forms the landscape: a mouth that opens into a vast cavern, a back that forms a range of hills, claws like towers. The dragon in question is petrified, an evolving ecosystem of life living on and in its remains. But although it does not move, it still, apparently, lives in some geological way, its influence moulding and shaping the lives of those who inhabit the nearby settlements and further afield.

As I said, it’s one of the most fascinating ideas ever put on page. But as to whether you will like it, that depends a lot on what you think of magical realism. As written, the book draws a lot from that genre, even to its setting in an invented but clearly South or Central American country. If you love magical realism then you’ll adore The Dragon Griaule. If you hate the genre, then steer clear of this novel. For myself, I am relatively indifferent to magical realism, in particular a realism that generally concentrates on the degraded and the decadent, so that reduced my appreciation for the book. A brilliant concept written in a style that I am not particularly sympathetic towards.