Ten speculative fiction tales in which the author impersonates a virtuoso ring master, pulling up the curtain on a series of players who yearn, shock, succor, and entertain. Mermaids twine tails around foul-mouthed oil executives; wounded children forge their own magical salvation; a cup of tea on Bell Island is a conduit to another planet; a hiking trail leads to the end of the world, and beyond. Hilarious, moving, and dazzling by turns, this speculative...