The circus of Dr. Lao

Description

**Abalone, Arizona, is a sleepy southwestern town whose chief concerns are boredom and surviving the Great Depression—that is, until the circus of Dr. Lao arrives and immensely and irrevocably changes the lives of everyone drawn to its tents.** Expecting a sideshow spectacle, the citizens of Abalone instead confront and 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, and the elusive, ever-changing Dr. Lao himself. 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 and secret dread of every person’s life; sensual undercurrents pour forth for men and women alike; and the dead walk again. Dazzling and macabre, literary and philosophical, The Circus of Dr. Lao has been acclaimed as a masterpiece of speculative fiction and influenced such writers as Ray Bradbury.

Subjects

Genres

• Fiction

Series Statement

• Bison frontiers of imagination

Other Editions

• The circus of Dr. LaoUniversity of Nebraska Press2002-01-01
• The circus of Dr. LaoThe Viking Press1935-01-01
• The circus of Dr. LaoB. Abramson1946-01-01
• The circus of Dr. Lao.PaperbackThe Viking Press1961-01-01
• The Circus Of Dr. LaoMass Market PaperbackBantam Books1964-01-01
• The circus of Dr. LaoAvon1976-01-01