The Circus of Dr. Lao

The Circus of Dr. Lao is a 1935 novel written by Arizona newspaperman Charles G. Finney, and illustrated by Boris Artzybasheff. Many later editions omit these illustrations.

Plot summary

The novel is set in the fictional town of Abalone, Arizona, the inhabitants of which epitomize ordinary Americans as they are simultaneously backhandedly celebrated and lovingly pilloried for their emergent reactions to the wonders of magic and of everyday life. A circus owned by a Chinese man named Dr. Lao pulls into town one day, carrying legendary creatures from all areas of mythology and legend, among them a sea serpent, Apollonius of Tyana, a medusa, a satyr, and others. Through interactions with the circus, the 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 and the priest. The circus over, the townsfolk scatter to the winds. Apparently few of them profit from the surreal experiences. A "Catalogue" (similar to an appendix), notes all the people, places, items and mythological beings mentioned in the novel, summing up the characters pithily and sardonically, revealing the various fates of the townsfolk and listing a number of plot holes and unanswered questions not addressed in the book.

List of Dr. Lao's Captured Animals:

1. Satyr: 2,300 years old, he was captured in Tu-jeng, China near the Great Wall. He was born of the union of a goatherd and one of his goats.
2. Medusa: She was very young and wore very little clothing. She had many species of snakes in her hair only three are mentioned: Tantillas, the brown, with black ring around their necks, Night Snakes, grey snakes with black spots on them, and Arizona elegans, faded brown snakes. She was a Sonoran Medusa from Northern Mexico.
3. Roc Chick: The roc chick had hatched from its egg (which would sweat salt water) Its feathers were the size of Ostrich's and the corners of the mouth were as yellow as butter. Its bill was yellow as well. The book describes a full grown roc as, "No where near as big as Sindbad said it was, but plenty big enough to do what Sindbad said it did!"
4. Hound of the Hedges: Created when water touched a dry ricefield for the first in many years, the hound was born. He was the only one of his species, no mate, no offspring. He had a tail that was made of ferns, his fur was green grass, instead of teeth he had rose thorns, his blood and saliva were chlorophyll.
5. Mermaid: She was captured in the Gulf of Pei-Chihli, the same day as the sea serpent. Her tail was sea-green and sleek scaled, her tail fin was as pink as a trout's. Her hair was seaweed green, her human half was young and slender with slight breasts.
6. Sphinx: A hermaphroditic, African Sphinx. Its head was blunt nosed and womanlike, it had breasts like a woman and had the voice of a man. It is not mentioned whether it had wings like the Greek sphinx, or no wings like an Egyptian sphinx.
7. Chimera: The chimera was male unlike the chimera in Greek myth thus its body was different. Although it still had a lion's body and a snake's tail, it had eagle's wings and a metal barb at the end of the tail.
8. Sea Serpent: He was almost a hundred feet long and was dark grey, his tongue was as thick as a man's arm and bright yellow. His eyes were bronze and had black slits for pupils. His tail was paddle shaped similar to a sea snakes. The Sea Serpent that is the only animal that did not become tame after being captured. He planned to escape with the mermaid and return to the sea.
9. Werewolf: She started her transformation as a large gray wolf. When she transformed she changed into an old woman, not the young lady the men were expecting.
10. Unicorn: a Kirin of Asian Myth.
11. Golden Ass: A man who had been extremely rude to Isis was transformed in to a golden haired donkey and was kept by the circus.

Film adaptations

The novel was later adapted by Charles Beaumont into the script for an effects-filled 1964 movie 7 Faces of Dr. Lao.

New Editions

• The Circus of Dr. Lao, ISBN 4-87187-664-0 

References

• Bleiler, Everett (1948). The Checklist of Fantastic Literature. Chicago: Shasta Publishers. p. 115.