Starace's cover for the first book features the giant figure of a masked Fant mas, formally dressed and holding a dagger, crouching god-like over the city of Paris. This figure is accompanied by a priest, a policeman and an executioner each appear to possibly be somewhat other than they seem. Fant mas' skill at disguise and his ruthless disregard for law and custom meant that any person, even the most seemingly trustworthy, could be a killer. A doctor's bag could contain poison, a policeman's uniform could cloak an assassin. The sleeve of a Holy Sister's habit could conceal a stiletto.
Death can come at any time.
Although the Fant mas tales certainly reside in the realm of the fantastic, these adventures did not stray too far from the documented realities of the world at the time. The early years of the Twentieth Century were filled with exploration and adventure, and there are few of Fant mas's exploits that would not seem potentially plausible when considered alongside the exploits of Houdini. The unidentified corpse was then sewn shut and chain was wrapped around it. Houdini escaped, although he claimed the fumes of the rotting beast mixed with arsenic used to preserve it for the stunt very nearly killed him. Fortunately, Houdini was able to stay conscious, and managed to escape from his organic prison.