by Brian Stableford

The stories contained herein deal, directly or indirectly, with manifest delusions. By representing the delusions they feature as delusions, they promote the delusion that delusion can eventually be undermined by the strong-minded, who will thus be enabled to avoid the 'bad faith' of which some existentialist philosophers seem to have lived in mortal terror. Included are historical mysteries, fantasies, and science fiction. The tales in this collection include: 'The Gardens of Tantalus,' 'The Lost Romance,' 'Lucifer's Comet,' 'The Miracle of Zunderburg,' 'The Cult of Selene,' 'Ice and Fire,' 'Self-Sacrifice,' 'To the Bad,' 'Riding the Tiger,' 'Curiouser and Curiouser: A Kitchen Sink Drama, by Carol Lewis,' 'Quality Control,' and 'Worse Than the Disease.' Never before collected into book form.