A disparate group of necro­mancer hunters and artists are trekking through the desert. They’re out of food and the artists must compete not to be eaten by the strongmen by telling stories by the campfire. It’s the Canterbury Tales crossed with Scheherazade. The narrator shows how he skillfully and shame­less­ly ma­nip­u­lat­ed the various parties. His stories within stories sow doubt and dissension. There’s black humor and art criticism and enough suspense to keep you going, once you get past the in­ter­minable beginning.