In this intriguing short story collection the author explores the human spirit through a series of fantasy vignettes. The opening story, "The Machine Stops," examines the heartland of a dehumanized subterranean civilization. "The Point of It," "Mr. Andrews," and "Co-ordination" probe the nature of the human heart on earth and at the gates of heaven; "The Story of the Siren" is a haunting supernatural tale set by the sea; and the long title story - written in the best tradition of Mr. Forster's novels - tells of an English writer's ironic return to the Italian village.