The main character of this novel is a psychiatrist, but one with a difference. To effect his cures he enters the dream state of his patients and confronmts them with their own mind. He is known as a Shaper. The story tells his involvement with one particular patient and the effect that contact has.

This is not a badly written book which it can't be I suppose as it won the Nebula Award. It's just that I was left feeling a little disappointed as the story was fairly predictable. You should not let this put you off the book by any means but I would still start elsewhere with Zelazny - try Damnation Alley.