"These stories, well translated from the Spanish, describe the severe beauty and cruelty of southern Chile_cold, inhospitable, full of craggy, treacherous channels_the end of the world. As in Jack London_s stories, the environment forms a crucible in which man_s true_or perhaps worst_nature is revealed: two stranded lighthouse keepers fight each other as their provisions run low (_The Hen Who Laid Eggs of Light._) The collection would be worth reading just for the spectacular scenery from the tip of the world, but Coloane is also a master storyteller, distilling the universal from the extreme."_Publishers Weekly

Francisco Coloane has received rave reviews in Europe, where he is considered the greatest Latin American author.