Filmed as the 7 Faces of Dr. Lao
The novel is set in the fictional town of Abalone, AZ, the inhabitants of which epitomize ordinary Americans as they are simultaneously backhandedly celebrated & lovingly pilloried for their emergent reactions to the wonders of magic & of everyday life. A circus owned by a Chinaman named Dr Lao pulls into town one day, carrying legendary creatures from all areas of mythology & legend, among them a sea serpent, Appolonius of Tyana, a medusa, a satyr etc. Thru interactions with the circus, locals attain various enigmatic peak experiences appropriate to each one's particular personality. The tale ends with the town becoming the site of a ritual to a pagan god whimsically given the name "Yottle", possibly an allusion to the Mesoamerican god Yaotl, whose name means "the enemy". The ritual ends when the god himself slays a virgin, her unrequited lover & the priest. The circus over, the townsfolk scatter to the winds. Few of them profit from the surreal experiences. A Catalogue appendix notes all the people, places, items & mythological beings mentioned in the novel, summing up the characters pithily & sardonically, revealing the various fates of the townsfolk & listing a number of plot holes & questions unaddressed by the book.