The Circus of Dr. Lao

Abalone, AZ, is a sleepy southwestern town whose chief concerns are boredom & surviving the Great Depression. That is, until the circus of Dr. Lao arrives & immensely & irrevocably changes the lives of everyone drawn to its tents. Expecting a sideshow spectacle, the citizens of Abalone instead confront & learn profound lessons from the mythical made real--a chimera, a Medusa, a talking sphinx, a sea serpent, witches, the Hound of the Hedges, a werewolf, a mermaid, an ancient god & the elusive, ever-changing Dr. Lao. The circus unfolds, spinning magical, dark strands that ensnare the town's populace: the sea serpent's tale shatters love's illusions; the fortune-teller's shocking pronouncements toll the tedium & secret dread of every person's life; sensual undercurrents pour forth for men & women alike; & the dead walk again. Dazzling & macabre, literary & philosophical, The Circus of Dr. Lao has been acclaimed as a masterpiece of speculative fiction & influenced such writers as Ray Bradbury.