The Fades, several worlds far from Earth, are home to many exotic creatures and people: Swink, the scoundrel, is just trying to survive a journey through the Hag's Wood; The halo-stage technician Welry is in love with Sanda who is in love with Welry's best friend, but this is not a typical love triangle; the student Magda spends her tuition to parole a comatose treasure hunter, hoping to discover where his hidden wealth is; and the forgetful goddess, Faience, who seeks to destroy a wicked city, and the only one standing in her way is Famij, a house painter.These stories have intertwined themes that go beyond their common setting of the Fades. There is the dangerous wildlife, some of it the result of long ago scientific meddling; there are the Temokch, the conquered indigenous race of the Fades with its varied cultures and dialects; and there is sparlarka, a powerful substance of mysterious origin, fantastical medicinal properties, and unpredictable and deadly side effects.Additionally, there are universal themes in these stories, themes such as love, survival, death, and adventure, themes that appeal to most people because they speak of the human experience and to the human condition and are, therefore, inescapable. Of course, these stories are nothing if not escapist!