The author of this book has set herself no mean task, that of proving the ongoing need of contemporary man for "valid myth" and the "stored wisdom of the past." The book is intended as an enjoyable voyage of discovery for the reader and with this aim in view, the first part comprises three easily interpreted stories which draw on ancient and modem myths and tales for their themes. In the second part of the book, the author traces the ancestry and scope of these stories. Indeed, she systematically examines the underlying inspiration of a wide body of literature from the science fiction works...