1) I like short stories to interweave with a common thread/theme a-la Le Fanu. This book does not do that, so I struggled a little.

2) Some of the stories are great, or have great sections (The Birds is chilling, Monte Verida has some wonderful descriptions of the joy of climbing a mountain) but most are pockmarked with poor sections.

So in summary: A flawed book this definitely is, but an enjoyable read nonetheless.