This book is an eclectic compilation of nine short stories. It includes: Two versions of 'Silk' - a horror tale set underground, featuring a lurking aberration of nature. 'The Grief of Lawrence Gould' - a story of ghostly events that plague a would-be author suffering from the death of his wife. 'Masks' - where a young protege of the curator of the Capponi Library, Italy, is kidnapped. 'The Blockade Runner' - an action-packed science fiction story charting the exposure of high-level corruption. 'Hideous Humanity' - the outrageous and vitriolic journal of Nicholas Weir, a young man who has reached the end of his patience with 21st Century Society; and more. Featuring a New Introduction by the author and a new, expanded edition of 'Hideous Humanity'.