Lordly Ones

Keith Robert's The Lordly Ones offers a wide variety of sf and fantasy (and even a ghost story). The title story is a vision of near-future Britain collapsing in social disorder told from the viewpoint of a slow-witted lavatory attendant. Another take, "e;The Comfort Station"e;, approaches a similar situation from a quite different perspective. In other stories we see Roberts in a more light-hearted vein: "e;The Checkout"e;, another of his series of stories about a modern-day witch, Anita, or "e;Diva"e;, a tale of singer of unique abilities. In "e;Ariadne Potts"e; a man's wish brings a classical statue to life, with, inevitably, unfortunate results. "e;The Castle and the Hoop"e; is an atmospheric ghost story set around the pubs of Southwark. And "e;Sphairistike"e; is perhaps the only sf story ever to centre on the game of tennis.