 The anthology was one of the first projects the newly founded CSFG embarked on, as a way to provide a focus for members' activities and as a showcase for their work.The theme of "fantastic creatures" was inspired by a guest speaker at one of the Guild meetings, the Australian cryptozoologist known as "Tim the Yowie Man", and two of the anthology stories feature yowies (a creature roughly comparable to the American Bigfoot).The book was launched by SF writer Jack Dann.