I liked about half the stories in this volume, if you count the framing device. The Yattering and Jack and the theater story were very enjoyable, high-quality things, but the story set in a boys prison seemed really good and left me totally non-plussed with an out-of-left-field ending. The last story…I really don’t know what to make of “In the Hills, The Cities”. The craft is there, and I was a bit excited, but my exact thoughts on finishing the volume were “That’s it?” This volume’s quality level makes me wonder if clive barker is the author for me, and definitely makes me hesitant to buy the next volume.