Extraordinary collection of stories -- all are wonderful and terrible -- but the story Allal stands out as one of the most masterful descriptions in the English language of altered consciousness -- when the mind of a human being enters the body of a snake -- and vice versa -- by mistake under the effects of kif. A must read for anyone interested in modernist fiction techniques. ( )

These stories are creepy -- in every one of them, you are sure someone is about to get killed, kidnapped or tortured and the thrill is trying to guess which character and when they are going down. The settings are all exotic locations and the characters are not usually very nice people. They all get their come-uppance. Very excellent. ( )