Carnival for Gods-V330

This bleak, short first novel chronicles the downtrodden lives of a small band of performers, the remnants of a traveling show billed ""The Carnival for the Gods.'' Dusty and Alta, the managers, are a high-wire team who have traveled on the road for 25 years; their companions are a magician, a midget and a giant. Dusty signs on a voluptuous snake charmer, ``The Amazing Grace'' (with her ruffian adopted kid), and then the troupe travels to the ``Seven Cities,'' a mythical border haven between the U.S. and Mexico. The nomads wander about the cities of Ventura and Old Town and attempt to stage a grand carnival, but here the novel abruptly ends. While the dialogue is clever, convincing and entertaining, this motley, unattractive group's pitiful dreams provide an unsatisfying and discursive story. (August)