Dedicated to Hermes - messenger to the gods and conductor of souls to the afterworld - this collection is composed of masterpieces of fantasy. Written at various dates before World War I, these 12 stories contain themes that were to re-emerge in E.M. Forster's later work, in particular the attempt to escape from the "respectable claim of reality". "The Machine Stops" is an Orwellian reaction to the earlier heavens of H.G. Wells; "The Road From Colonus" sees the victory of a tedious family over an old man's vision; and "The Celestial Omnibus" has innocence triumping over experience. Above all, Forster demonstrates his belief in freedom, self realization and a spiritual honesty that may be used to defeat the lies of repression.