America at the end of the Twentieth Century was a dangerous place. It was a place conceived in liberty, yet threatened by the forces of oppression and evil. It was a place where fanatics -- political and religious, foreign and domestic--sharpened their swords to attack an innocent populace whose love of freedom was matched only by its lack of irony. It was a sick place in need of sick heroes. And so they came: PORNO GIRL, whose consumption of filth was merely a disguise to conceal her purity of soul... THE RACIST RANGER, whose repugnant jibber-jabber masked the fact that his strength was as the strength of ten... And Danny Clayton, the infamous LAUGHIN' BOY -- born in tragedy, caught in a despicable act -- who would become both the most beloved and most hated man on earth. In other words: Its Savior. Or not. It would depend on whether he lived long enough for the rest of us to find out

Blackburn is a serial killer. But, like the rest of us, he confronts the same hypocrisies and frustrations of the world and, unable to help himself, or at the mercy of circumstance, he crosses a dangerous threshold--and he kills. In this novel, we meet many of his twenty-one victims: law enforcers, writers, adulterers, auto mechanics, and other liars. And each crime reveals another side of his psyche . . . and his disturbing rationale for murder.

Jack has been widowed for close to a year, and his behavior has his friends worried. Arrested for public indecency, Jack insists that he was meeting a moon goddess of desire named Lily. Furthermore, he claims that she can only find him if he waits outside, naked under a full moon. To prevent further troubles with the law, Jack's friends begin taking him to a cabin in the woods each full moon.  But one at a time, they are each touched by Lily and forced to deal with their desires before they can truly know their hearts.

Be prepared! These stories are sure to set the mind afire, spanning time and space, written by one of the most inventive authors of his generation. Stories include "Skidmore, " "The Sin-Eater of the Kaw, " "The Hero of the Night, " "The Territory, " and the title piece.

Featuring stories to set the mind on fire, this 1994 World Fantasy Award-winning collection includes such tales as "In the Fullness of Time, " "Top of the Charts, " "The Chaff He Will Burn, " "Music of the Spheres, " "The Summer We Saw Diana, " and the title piece.