Somewhere in the Mediterranean lies the mysterious archipelago of Venera, a city-state drenched in erotic romanticism, fuelled by atavistic ritual, and suffused with surreal adventure and intrigue. Outside forces repeatedly attempt to steal its most closely guarded treasure: the secret of the sacred spice vermilion, and its power to alter consciousness and perhaps even reality. Venera Dreams chronicles the city-state's mythic history through antiquity, Roman times, the Renaissance, the Victorian era, the twentieth century, the present, and the far future.