This is a collection of stories featuring or related to Lumley's occult investigator and researcher Titus Crow. They are vaguely in the vein of Lovecraft, though they do not rely too heavily upon his mythology, nor attempt to ape his writing style--a reference to the Necronomicon here or there; that's about it, which I was glad of, because I generally do not like pastiches. The stories feel original. The wonderful cover art by longtime Lumley illustrator Bob Eggleton is rather misleading, implying high adventure in alien landscapes with fantastic beasts. There are creepy creatures, to be sure, but much of the action takes place in darkened mansions, and in at least one instance, on a train. Frequently, the stories are recounted in the past tense by one character to another. They have as much the air of the mystery story as the horror, and I enjoyed them thoroughly. ( )