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, &quote;The Comfort Station&quote;, approaches a similar situation from a quite different perspective. In other stories we see Roberts in a more light-hearted vein: &quote;The Checkout&quote;, another of his series of stories about a modern-day witch, Anita, or &quote;Diva&quote;, a tale of singer of unique abilities. In &quote;Ariadne Potts&quote; a man's wish brings a classical statue to life, with, inevitably, unfortunate results. &quote;The Castle and the Hoop&quote; is an atmospheric ghost story set around the pubs of Southwark. And &quote;Sphairistike&quote; is perhaps the only sf story ever to centre on the game of tennis.