Better than I expected. I’m still not enamored with his narrative devices (story-within-a-story) or his characters’ utterances. But the stories themselves are pretty amazing. I particularly liked Shakti—about the warring society ladies. And Kaama. I do NOT like his dialogue-writing. The prose is so stilted sometimes. But, this, thankfully, beats Red Earth Pouring Rain in that the stories are really strong. Despite their protagonists!