37 stories, more than 600 pages, the ultimate collection of Tchaikovsky's short(er) fiction. Delve within. Hungry ants that want to reconstruct the world in their own image. Occult investigations into private clubs. A philosopher's attachment to his beloved pet. A new definition of battlefield archaeology. What the homunculi do when the wizard's away. A trans-dimensional theatre troupe.

Murder by flower-arrangement. The infectious consequences of a fairytale wedding. A magician conjures Sherlock Holmes. What happens when the mining robots mine, but not for you. The ultimate polycule. What is the groppler and why does it gropple? Spanning the full spectrum of science fiction and fantasy to the deliciously strange, this collection stretches Tchaikovsky's prolific career, accompanied by a foreword from author of Old Man's War , John Scalzi. *** 'No one has an an imagination like Adrian Tchaikovsky.' Jim Al-Khalili, presenter of BBC Radio 4's The Life Scientific 'I swear the man is some kind of genius.

' Peter Watts, author of Blindsight 'This is superior stuff.' Financial Times.