World Fantasy Award winner Tanith Lee channels the allusive Esther Garber to tell these dark, erotic tales of lesbian ardor and obsession. The "fatal women" found within these pages lead exotic lives and adventures and have grim secrets. From fin de siecle Paris to Egypt of the 1930s and contemporary England, the Garber novellas create feverish dreams of danger, scandal, and sensuality. This new edition includes the novella "Femme Fatale," never before in print, as well as an essay by Mavis Haut, author of The Hidden Library of Tanith Lee, about the eminence of this collection within Lee's body of work.

Despite the great diversity of settings in Tanith Lee's novels--from the pre-historic origins of Christianity to robot-dominated futurescapes--certain underlying thoughts and references appear consistently. While adhering formally to many of the writing conventions of the fantasy, science fiction and horror genres, Lee also engages the meaning of myths of the Greeks (particularly Dionysos), Egyptians, Persians and Indians. The dynamics of magic, alchemy, shamanism, Gnosticism and reincarnation also surface frequently. This critical work examines Lee's highly original applications of such themes and subtexts. Less prominent themes are also covered, as well as her insights into human nature, her humor, her numerous tributes to literature, her comments on writing, her games with space, time and language, and her preoccupation with detail and background. Also included is an interview with Tanith Lee, a bibliography of Lee's work, a general bibliography, and an index.