All of the stories in Break of Dark present plots and characters already familiar from a variety of popular sources, such as comic books, science fiction and horror anthologies, television, and film; it is therefore not terribly original. The first story in the collection, "Hitch-hiker," treats the chance encounter of a man and an apparently alien being. The anonymous narrator, reminiscing about the strange events which occurred ten years ago, relates how he left school and family behind one summer to recklessly pit himself against nature and its elements after being jilted by his college fiance. Although hitch-hiking and cliff climbing were all he had in mind, fate has other plans: He unexpectedly meets a fearless, naked stranger named "Joan Smith," a gorgeous girl for whom he feels both attraction and loathing. His description of their meeting as "every adolescent's wish-fulfillment" illustrates Westall's perception...