Sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll seem a little boring when compared to Lydia Kwa’s concoction of sex, bisexuality, homosexuality, tortured spirits, innocence, desire, betrayal, greed and love in her second novel, The Walking Boy (Key Porter). Kwa deftly weaves an intricate tale (think Brothers Grimm for adults) set in the eighth century Tang Dynasty, about a wicked, horny old emperor, a scheming empress, the equally scheming people who surround her, the most innocent and physically unusual boy, an intelligent poet-slave and a talented and insecure sculptor. The novel is inspired by true events and sets the reader to wondering what is fact and what is fiction. The journey of The Walking Boy is well worth taking.