From award-nominated science fiction and fantasy author Phyllis Eisenstein comes this first collection of stories of the dark fantastic. From time-viewing to teleportation, from secret worlds to dream worlds, from the medieval to the modern, these stories explore the yearnings of the human heart. In these pages you will meet Edward, Jane, and Stephen, whose dreams are more real than their realities. You will journey with Alaric to the fortress in the Lake of Death, walk the seashore with Lydia in search of the great dark bird, and follow the blind man under the subway with Donnie and his father. You will pursue revenge with Tayis and heart's desire with the sleeping beauty's one true love. And nothing will be as it seems at first, because this is the dark, and you can never be sure of what might be waiting for you there.

Contents:
- Introduction (2003)
- In the Western Tradition (1981)
- The Island in the Lake (1998)
- Nightlife (1982)
- Wallpaper World (2001, with Alex Eisenstein)
- Subworld (1983)
- Altar Ego (1977, with Alex Eisenstein)
- The Amethyst Phial (1984)
- Dark Wings (1982)
- Sleeping Beauty: The True Story (1976, with Alex Eisenstein)

Front cover illustration by Ed Emshwiller