A collection of Harrison's short stories, many of which have appeared in previous collections. American
editions have an introduction by Barry N. Malzberg, and
include the story "Not Me, Not Amos Cabot!". UK editions drop both the introduction and this story, adding
"The Wicked Flee" and "We Ate the Whole Thing."
Each story has a short introduction by the author.
"In 23 years writing science fiction, Harrison has distinguished himself as a prolific author of consistently good advantures and parodies ... [These stories], interspersed with Harrison's autobiographical and critical comments, well represent his skills at both. Among the highlights are 'The Streets of Ashkelon,' a 1962 story that broke one of SF's more repressive taboos; 'By the Falls,' one of Harrison's few forays into horror, and 'Space Rats of the CCC,' a typically hilarious burlesque of the SF space opera."
"It's no knock to say there seem to be more stories [here] than the 20 it actually holds. Harrison is a writer of such variety, handling broad parody, somber explorations of the future, indignant treatments of stupidity and injustice, sardonic horrors and straight adventures equally skilfully, that the reader is apt to feel he's had at least two books - and perhaps two authors. 'A Criminal Act,' 'Portrait of the Artist' and 'I Have Kept My Vigil' are outstanding but almost all are top grade. As usual in this series, the author's prefatory comments on each story add to the interest."