After a bit of a slow start with Nine Stories, this volume shows that Angela Carter can write. She wields a broader vocabulary than any writer I can name and can write sentences that flow clear and fast. They sparkle with wit and insight. The subject matter, retold fairy tales with an erotic twist, feels a bit aged, like the darkly lit, wood paneled men's club interiors of chaste Sixties Playboy photoshoots, and there are quite a few wolves, which imagery feels overused. The libido-on-the-loose vibe pervades these stories, but the feminist messaging, if any, went right over my head.