Sebastian Darke has the world on his narrow shoulders. The son of a human father and an elvish mother, he is deperately trying to become the family breadwinner and has taken on his late father's job - celebrated jester, Prince of Fools.

Trouble is, Sebastian can't tell a joke to save his life. Dressed in his father's clothes and accompanied by his talking (and endlessly complaining) buffalope, Max, he sets off for the fabled city of Keladon, where he hopes to be appointed court jester to King Septimus. On the way he encounters a tiny but powerful warrior called Cornelius; the beautfiul Princess Kerin; blood-thirsty Brigands and enough perils to make him wonder why he ever decided to leave home.

A hilarious and swashbuckling adventure!