Valley of the Kings rains. There is currently little year-round rain in this part of Egypt, but there are occasional flash floods that hit the valley, dumping tons of debris into the open tombs. The quality of the rock in the Valley is inconsistent, ranging from finely-grained to coarse stone, the latter with the potential to be structurally unsound. The occasional layer of shale also caused construction and conservation difficulties, as this rock expands in the presence of water, forcing apart the stone surrounding it. It is thought that some tombs were altered in shape and size depending on the types of rock the
In the Valley of the Kings Henry Prize Stories", "The Kenyon Review" and "" periodicals. Holt's book crosses a number of genres, placing several short stories in outer space under a Lovecraftian science fiction theme, while others are highly minimal in setting or consistently focus on the narrator's voice. Nearly all of the works exhibit an element of suspense and sometimes horror as well as an experimental or absurdist tendency. The book's cover art, a semi-transparent detail on a dark blue background, was produced by Ruth Martin. "In the Valley of the Kings" is divided into eight sections (according to the inner lining of the book's