In McClanahan"s second novel, the antics of Professor Philander Cosmo Rextroat, B.S., M.A. and "Pee Aitch Dee," an amusing, Kentucky-bred flimflam artist tie together three novella length, modern-day fairy tales. Set during World War II, the opening story, "Juanita and the Frog Prince," recounts a maid"s deliverance from an unlucky pregnancy through a magical encounter with a dwarf awaiting trial for murder in the jail where she cleans. In the title story, Rextroat is the proprietor of a phony freak show who tries to quell a young boy"s concern for his brother who is going to war. Each neo-gothic tale contains a bittersweet message laced with alchemy and love.