Arrival in the Stars is a product of the aftermath of the Great War, and it deals directly with one of the widespread psychological effects of the war: a resurgence of interest in spiritualism. It is an extended conte philosophique seriously addressing the question of life after death as it was conceived at the time by scientifically-enthused psychic researchers, and as it bears upon human psychology under stress.

Also included in this volume are eleven stories from Rameau's collection Fantasmagories, which represent one of the more exaggerated developments of the conte cruel genre. These tales are extreme both stylistically and thematically, combining the cynicism and irony definitive of the subgenre with grotesque black comedy.