Richard Green has a knack of taking an event or an idea and reframing it to hilarious effect, throwing us off balance into a world of absurd and compelling storytelling. The three wise men desperately try to keep the nativity story straight; a leopard has a job as an overzealous police officer; and time- travelling poets critique each other’s work in a Gentlemen’s Club. But Green’s stories are not merely clever comedy. As characters are exaggerated and history re-imagined, a keen intelligence satirises self-importance, ambition and stupidity. Painful puns and cartoonish characters live side-by-side with hidden references and historical knowledge that might have you running for Google. Chosen by Random will make you laugh, groan, learn and above all, brighten your day with its wit and imagination.