Writing in The New York Times Book Review, Gerald Jonas praised the anthology, saying "One would think that the back files of the pulp magazines had been so thoroughly combed by earlier anthologists that there is nothing of value left. One would be wrong. There are 11 stories in this collection. Seven seem first rate." Jonas singled out Blish's "A Dusk of Idols" as the best story in the anthology, describing it as a "brief excursion into nightmare, told with complete stylistic control by an author who knew what to put in and what to leave out".[6]