Some are outright horror stories, some fantasies, some allegories for our times. Some will make you laugh nervously, others will shock you; two will make you cry. One will freeze your spine. All will turn the mirror of reality in a disturbing manner, revealing the shadows and dark places of our world that hold terrors far worse than madness or death. Terrors born of “future shock” and greed and the weakness of the human spirit. (And yet, throughout, there is a whisper of “Be noble! Be strong! You can live in your finest dreams ... all you have to be is worthy of them.”)
Aficionados of the special wonder that is the work of Harlan Ellison will recognize this as his most important book to date. The stories have been written over a period of ten years; and while several of them have already become famous (“Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes” and “The Whimper of Whipped Dogs” to name only two), together they form a myth-cycle that will trap the imaginations of readers who respond to the visions of Vonnegut, Barthelme, Borges, and John Collier.

THIS IS THE FIRST EDITION, so stated on copyright page. Collection of stories first published in 1975, by one of the most award-winning living fantasists. Introduction: Oblations at Alien Altars (1975) by Harlan Ellison. STORIES: The Whimper of Whipped Dogs (1973); Along the Scenic Route (1969); On the Downhill Side (1972); O Ye of Little Faith (1968); Neon (1973); Basilisk (1972); Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes (1967); Corpse (1972); Shattered Like a Glass Goblin (1968); Delusion for a Dragon Slayer (1966); The Face of Helene Bournouw (1960); Bleeding Stones (1973); At the Mouse Circus (1971); The Place with No Name (1969); Paingod (1964); Ernest and the Machine God (1968); Rock God (1969); Adrift Just Off the Islets of Langerhans: Latitude 38° 54 N, Longitude 77° 00 13" W (1974); The Deathbird (1973).