Lansdale's largest, most varied collection to date. These stories, poems, and novellas--supplemented by the author's introduction and by an invaluable set of story notes--move effortlessly from horror, adventure, and suspense to literary pastiche. It is, by any measure, a major addition to an already impressive body of work. The volume opens with 'Torn Away, ' in which a small town sheriff encounters a man on the run from his own predatory shadow. The stories that follow come from all points of the narrative compass. In 'Morning, Noon, and Night, ' a young boy stumbles across a monstrous, multi-faceted killer from which there is no escape. 'The Bleeding Shadow' is a tale of music, monsters, and deals-with-the devil set in post-WWII Texas. In 'Star Light, Eyes Bright, ' an ordinary husband makes a startling discovery, one that leads to an unimaginable act of personal transformation. Elsewhere, the author offers us twisted Christmas stories ('Santa at the Cafe'), tales of a zombie apocalypse ('A Visit with Friends'), and one story--'Christmas with the Dead'--that encompasses both of these elements. Other highlights include a pair of informed, affectionate acts of literary homage. 'Metal Men of Mars' pays tribute to the Martian novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs, while in 'Dread Island, ' the masterful novella that concludes this collection, the world of Huckleberry Finn merges seamlessly with the worlds of H. P. Lovecraft and Joel Chandler Harris.