The book collects sixteen novellas, novelettes and short stories by the author, all original published in anthologies, together with one speech and an introduction by Charles de Lint.
Contents
"Introduction" by Charles de Lint
"Wonders of the Invisible World" - a researcher goes back in time to record Cotton Mather's religious visions, finding his ravings not what they expected.
"Out of the Woods" - a reflection on how magic is often missed by those searching for it.
"The Kelpie" - a story of courtship and obsession illustrating the overlap between life and art.
"Hunter's Moon" - a seductive, chilling encounter with the dangers of Faerie.
"Oak Hill" - an ugly young woman on the way to Bordertown is trapped in a terrifying cityscape known as Oak Hill, and explores it in search of magic.
"The Fortune-Teller" - a young woman thieves a pack of strange cards from an unconscious roadside fortune-teller.
"Jack O'Lantern" - a young girl struggling with the impending marriage of her sister seeks out magic during a picnic, fearing it will her last chance before she grows up.
"Knight of the Well" - a society built around the veneration of water finds that element inexplicably rejecting them.
"Naming Day" - a teenage witch who cannot decide on her magical name is compelled to chase after an imp during the titular Naming Day Ceremony.
"Byndley" - a man who once escaped the world of faerie seeks to return that which he stole.
"The Twelve Dancing Princesses" - a macabre retelling of a traditional fairy tale.
"Undine" - a water spirit falls victim to her own prey.
"Xmas Cruise" - a surreal tale that follows two couples aboard an environmentalism cruise.
"A Gift to Be Simple" - a fictional pseudo-Christian religious faction realize that their numbers are dwindling and decide to take drastic action.
"The Doorkeeper of Khaat" - a science fiction tale regarding two alien species with very different cultures, and the poet who attempts to cross that divide in search of meaning and art.
"What Inspires Me: Guest of Honor Speech at WisCon 28, 2004"
Reception
Calling McKillip an "ndlessly astonishing and impressive fantasist" in a starred review of the collection, Publishers Weekly writes that the author "travels the shadowy twilight realm between worlds and returns with the raw stuff of dreams.... With a tremendous range... McKillip charts the wild unknown in all its pathos and danger." "Reshaping ancient archetypes to show us hidden aspects of ourselves and the world around us, these modern myths are timely and timeless, retaining the cosmic resonance of folklore while addressing the struggles embodied in achingly realized spirits, gods, and humans who endure tragic flaws and sudden epiphanies. " Jackie Cassada in Library Journal characterizes the contents as "mesmerizing short fiction," noting that "ny collection of McKillip's short stories will be a valuable asset to any library and a joy to her many fans." She observes that "he text of her Guest of Honor speech as WisCon 2004... offers valuable insight into themind of the writer." The collection was also reviewed by Maureen Kincaid Speller in Interzone no. 242, September-October 2012, Gary K. Wolfe in Locus no. 620, September 2012, Faren Miller in Locus no. 621, October 2012, Paul Di Filippo in Barnes & Noble Review, 2012, Chris Kammerud in Strange Horizons, 17 December 2012, and Joe Milicia in The New York Review of Science Fiction, January 2013.
