3.5 stars
When approaching this collection, keep in mind the stories were published over the span of three decades ranging from the late thirties to late sixties. I wouldn't venture to call this a pure horror or science fiction collection but rather speculative. Some resemble a shaggy-dog story while others offer plenty of oddness to smirk at and enjoy.

Harlan Ellison's introduction for Kersh still holds up despite his sloppy love for the man. Keep in mind Ellison is an idol in the sci-fi arena and his anthology Dangerous Visions is supposed to be a milestone in science fiction. I own it and have been very slowly savoring its stories over the years. It was originally published a year before this book.

Valancourt Books is an indispensable resource for contemporary horror fiction fanatics. They're known to purchase rights for long-forgotten novels and collections and reprint them for the new generation. Kersh's collection belongs in this category of republished forgotten gems.

I listened to the Audible version of this collection which was narrated by the fantastic Matt Godfrey. I noticed that he has narrated many Valancourt publishings — he's one of the best narrators in the game.