Rudyard Kipling 
A Diversity of Creatures 

A collection of Kipling’s strangest tales with almost everyone accompanied by a linked poem. As an SF fan I am of course delighted that the very first tale in the collection is science fiction ’As Easy as A.B.C.’ the sequel to his ’With the Night Mail’ It also includes a depiction of hatred on the home front in ’Mary Postgate’ and contrasting humour in an extended revenge prank aimed at a whole town ’The Village that Voted the Earth was Flat’. One exceedingly mad tale made no sense the first three times I read it but became much (but not entirely) clearer when I discovered that the key unwritten word was witchcraft. However, I will not give the title of that story so I don’t entirely spoil it (Peter Dunn).