In Tall Tales of Demons, Gods and Superstitions, mythological creatures and supernatural phenomena invade the everyday lives of people around the world. Angels and demons conspire in the streets ofLondon, Death drops in at a New York City laundromat, and phantoms lure children in the forests of Amazonia, while the author himself runs into smoky sirens and Mephistophelianhawkers. But ultimately, these are tales of humanity-its loves, its passions, and its brutality.

At times mordant, philosophical, tender, and downright macabre, Ari Abraham's collection of short stories...