A desperate boy escapes his abusive home by joining a carnival and is drawn into a dark conspiracy in this tale by âa master storytellerâ (Kurt Vonnegut).
 Though only eight years old, little Horton âHortyâ Bluett has known a lifetime of sadness. Tormented and abused by his adoptive family, heâs had enoughâand with a beloved broken toy he calls âJunkyâ as his sole companion, the desperate little boy runs away to join a carnival. There, among the fortune tellers, fire-eaters, sideshow freaks, and assorted âstrange people,â Horty hopes to find acceptance and, at long last, a real home. But disgraced doctor Pierre âManeaterâ Monetreâs traveling show is no ordinary entertainment, and its performers are not what they appear to be. The Maneater has sinister plans for the world that go far beyond fleecing unsuspecting rubes and other easy marksâa dark and terrible scheme that requires unleashing the extraterrestrial power of the dreaming jewels, and the unwitting assistance of a young boy who may be far more remarkable than heâs ever imagined.
The full-length debut by Theodore Sturgeon, a legendary writer who won Nebula and Hugo Awards and authored such classics as More Than Human, this journey into a circus of shadows is âan intensely written and very moving novel of love and retributionâ (The Washington Star).
 This ebook features an illustrated biography of Theodore Sturgeon including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the University of Kansasâs Kenneth Spencer Research Library and the authorâs estate, among other sources.