The anthology features twenty short stories spanning two centuries of Polish literature, written by authors such as Witold Gombrowicz, Stefan Grabiński, Sławomir Mrożek, Władysław Reymont, Bruno Schulz and Jacek Dukaj.

The anthology received critical praise for its thematic coherence, its portrayal of "the reality of evil," and for showcasing how the Polish literary tradition differs from Western European approaches to similar themes.

[1][2][3] The editor, Wiesiek Powaga, wrote that "In choosing the stories for this anthology I tried to do justice to the devil and various strands of tradition which account for his presence in Polish fantastic fiction", which he sees as a unique genre of its own, related to but nonetheless distinct from wider European fiction, concluding that "Stranded between West and East, forever suspended between damnation and redemption, Satan and the Messiah, Polish fantastic stories possess a unique and distinctive voice".

The reviewer described the theme unifying the works in the anthology as "reality of evil", and noted they span many genres (such as "confessional, Gothic, travelogue, dystopian satire").

He concludes that "the [overall] quality [of stories in the anthology] is high", and "the unifying theme of temptation and fall is realized with a bravura variety matched only by the protean forms which the Devil may take".