Dreams of Dark and Light: The Great Short Fiction

Lee has written in several subgenres of imaginative literaturescience fiction, horror, and Arabian Nights-type tales of dark kingdoms in which death and demons take human form and play havoc with mortal lives. She often writes with lyricism, an ominous wit, and a mildly archaic style particularly well suited to her darker fantasies, several of which appear in this excellent collection. The stories here range from light science fiction (""A Day in the Skin'') to outright horror (``The Gorgon,'' a World Fantasy Award winner, ``Nunc Dimittis,'' and the overwrought ``Elle est Trois,'' another WFA winner). At her best, as in ``The Gorgon'' and the slyly titled ``A Room with a Vie,'' Lee is able to effortlessly build to a climax of breathtaking menace with overtones of dislocation and loss. This generous collection of 23 stories is a must for Lee fans, and a good introduction for those new to her work. (August 18)