I came to this collection with fairly high expectations, given Harlan Ellison’s effusive praise and the Nebula Award for the eponymous entry. And there were indeed several strong stories in this collection, two of which (“Twilla” and “Under the Hollywood Sign” I rated as high as an 8 out of 10). But on balance I came away a little bit disappointed.

These stories are largely dark fantasy, bordering on horror, often with a healthy dash of the perverse. They are not particularly complex. At their most effective they connect on a direct emotional level. Some of them called to mind some of the best of the X-Files episodes. “Dinosaurs,” a far future story which reminded me of George R.R. Martin’s fabulous “In the House of the Worm,” is the sole science fiction entry. Two of my favorites were shorter stories that felt a bit less labored and established mood convincingly, “The Mistress of Windraven” and “Waiting for Billy Star.” I don’t think it will ever again be possible to the think about the concept of death in a moment of passion (I can't think of an appropriate euphemism) in a lighthearted way (i.e., “but what a way to go”) after reading “Twilla.”

I gather that the title story and “The Detweiler Boy” are generally regarded as Reamy’s best, but to my taste neither offered particularly convincing characters. “Insects in Amber” felt like a concept paper for a really bad horror movie, and “2076: Blue Eyes” felt like an outline for a really bad Kevin Costner movie.

Still, I am intrigued enough to add “Blind Voices,” Reamy’s sole novel, to my wishlist. ( )

An astonishing book of superb short stories, all very varied - amusing, tragic, exciting. Wonderful, wonderful book. ( )