Volume IV in the Viriconium sequence. This volume is not a novel but rather a series of mood pieces connected to Viriconium. It is respectfully recommended that one reads the first three volumes. Not only that, there are several editions of this title, and some have slightly different collections to this Ace original. The Lamia And Lord Cromis: tegeus-Cromis, a dwarf, and a man named Dissolution Kahn travel to a poisonous bog to destroy a dangerous Lamia. Lamia Mutable(also published as The Bringer With The Window): The demented Dr. Grishkin guides two people to the Ash Flats of Wisdom, there to grant their wishes...Viriconium Knights: Ignace Retz, a young swordsman and treasure seeker, discovers an old man who has a tapestry which shows Retz at different times in Viriconium’s history. Events Witnessed from a City: Aanother tale of teagus-Cromis; The Luck in the Head: In the Artists’ Quarter, the poet Ardwick Crome has been having a recurring dream about a ceremony called “the Luck in the Head.” He wants these disturbing dreams to stop and searches for one of the women in the dream. The Lords of Misrule: tegeus-Cromis visits an estate outside the city of Viriconium which is under threat of invasion and won’t survive if Viriconium won’t help. In Viriconium: Audsley King and Ashlyme, both artists who dwell (and then swell) in the City during the time of a plague. Audsley is dying of the disease and Ashlyme misguidedly attempts to save her. Strange Great Sins: A man from the country goes to Viriconium, falls in love with the ballerina Vera Ghillera, and wastes away... In Viriconium, the young men whistle to one another all night long as they go about their deadly games. If you wake suddenly you may hear footsteps running, or an urgent sigh. After a minute or two the whistles move away int the direction of the Tinmarket or the Margarethestrasse. The next day some lordling is discovered in the gutter with his throat cut and all you remember is the quiet maneuvering in the dark like the dream of a secret war. Who can tell fantasy from reality, magic from illusion, hero from villain, man from monster - in Viriconium? Cover art by Robert Gould.