The Afterlife: in the Tribunal of the Dead, the recently deceased Glaikit, an incorrigible cheat in life, is about to be sentenced to a new and very tedious form of existence by Judge Prudence Drinkwater. The sudden appearance of the chariot-driving hero Sleekit allows Glaikit to cheat her fate one more time, before she changes her mind yet again, reincarnating as the surprisingly spry 70-year-old Australian Merci, married to an American ex-marine and living with a small, slightly suspicious dog…

Full of inventive situations and witty insights, Janet Roberts’ sharply written novella combines imaginative fantasy with a sly, surrealistic humour.