Eleven stories of science fiction and fantasy by a master writer of the fantastic, including four tales published for the first time.

Throughout the centuries that have passed since humans first ventured into interstellar space, they have been at war with the alien Veich. The human race has, in consequence, been fully militarized, its educational system being a form of military training--which includes, among other disciplines, the elimination of fear from the human psyche. Attitudes to the war have, however, been colored by the gradual discovery of relics revealing that it is echoing an earlier interstellar conflict whose antagonists have completely disappeared, victors and vanquished alike. On a neglected continent of an unimportant world, ex-sergeant Remy and other human and Veich deserters have joined forces to form a mercenary company that places its expert skills at the disposal of the dominant indigenes. This refuge from the greater war is, however, disrupted when archeologists on another world discover evidence that there might be significant relics of the earlier war buried in the inhospitable heart of the continent, where barbarian tribes are currently massing for a religious war. Remy has no alternative but to revert to working for his own race, knowing that whatever he enables them to find, or even if they find nothing at all, his own life will be in grave peril, and that nothing will ever be the same again.... Great military SF! Also published as Optiman.

For hundreds of years the male members of the Kilcannon family have considered themselves to be the beneficiaries of distortions in the statistical distribution of chance, associating their most fortunate windfalls with visual distortions that they call “streaks.” This belief has led to the accumulation of a vast heritage of superstitions—rules which, if broken, might allegedly terminate the privilege. The current heir, Canny Kilcannon, is anxious to dispose of this burden, but is unsure as to how far he can go in tempting fate. When his father dies, his life is further complicated when a female beneficiary of a similar centuries-old lucky streak reveals herself to him. Lissa suggests that they attempt the ultimate experiment—to test the boundaries of their gift. Can they succeed? Or will they bring down upon them the “black lightning” of which both of their traditions warn? A truly compelling tale of luck and probability in the real world. BRIAN STABLEFORD has written and edited almost 200 volumes of science fiction, horror, fantasy, literary criticism, and reference, among others, many of them being published by the Borgo Press Imprint of Wildside Press. He lives and works in England.

It is 1847, and Paris is edging closer to its next revolution, but something is also astir inside Mont Dragon in the Ardèche. This is a place of annual pilgrimage for a band of enigmatic nomads, and also a place of interest to the ambitious Bishop of Viviers. In spite of his distaste for travel, Auguste Dupin makes the long southward journey, in the hope that he might be able to help an old friend, the evolutionist Claude Guérande. Guérande believes that he has made discoveries in the caves of Mont Dragon that might cast new light on the origin of humankind, and of life itself. Over the years, however, not everyone who has gone into the caves has come out again, and not everyone who has come out has been unaltered...and 1847 promises to be a critical year, more dangerous than any before it. And when the bizarre flameflower begins to bloom, everything changes! Another great tale in the Auguste Dupin series.

During an August heat-wave, the Comte de Saint-Germain seeks the help of detective Auguste Dupin. Someone--or someTHING--is trying to kill him! The Comte has inherited a magical cello and a mysterious sealed box. A psychic vampire (an "egregore") intends to use the cello and a magical musical composition to steal another soul. Can Dupin and his faithful companion unravel the puzzle in time to save the Comte?

In the tradition of the old "Ace Doubles" (flip one book over to read the second title), here is the tenth Wildside Double: VALDEMAR'S DAUGHTER: A ROMANCE OF MESMERISM, by Brian Stableford Following the sad demise of Ernest Valdemar, as related in the story by Edgar Allan Poe, his mortal remains are sent to his daughter in Paris--but go astray--and detective Auguste Dupin must track them down. The Comte de Saint-Germain seems implicated in the mystery. Meanwhile, the great writer Balzac lies at death's door, convinced that only Valdemar's body can save him. Will Dupin thwart his adversary in the nick of time? THE MAD TRIST: A ROMANCE OF BIBLIOMANIA, by Brian Stableford The Comte de Saint-Germain has come into possession of The Mad Trist, the book from which Edgar Allan Poe and Roderick Usher read aloud before the collapse recorded in "The Fall of the House of Usher." He intends it as a gift to detective Auguste Dupin, but Dupin's friend, Richard Carstairs, cannot deliver the volume immediately. Richard is unintimidated by the prospect of reading a supposedly cursed book--after all, Dupin has a whole shelf full of them! A classic tale of horror.

Decadent literature is intrinsically and proudly a literature of moral challenge; it is sceptical, cynical, and satirical. It recognizes that everyday morality does not work either in practical or in psychological terms, and is therefore a sham, but that ideal morality is -- not necessarily unfortunately -- unattainable. This volume collects the best of Brian Stableford's decadent work, including: "Salome," "O For a Fiery Gloom and Thee," "The Last Worshipper of Proteus," "The Evil That Men Do," "Ebony Eyes," "The Fisherman's Child," "The Storyteller's Tale," "The Unluckiest Thief," "The Flowers in the Forest," "The Mandrake Garden," and "Chanterelle."