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