Laurence M. Janifer 43 min read

At a carnival where a rocket climbs overhead unheeded, a sideshow of oddities frames a tale in which two good arms are a real handicap.

Laurence M. Janifer's 1962 story unfolds along a garish midway of spectacle tents and girlie shows, building a wry social-SF paradox around ability and disability. Colorful, ironic golden-age SF with a carnival's tawdry glamour. Read it for a clever tale that turns an obvious advantage into an unexpected liability.

In its time

Published in 1962, during the 1960s, new wave revolutionizes the genre.

Reading it

43 min read (a novelette, room for a turn or two).

Illustrated by

Ed Emshwiller