Dance of the Dwarfs — Geoffrey Household

A tale of superstition, science, and horror in the Amazon -- an “absolutely splendid spellbinder” by the author of Rogue Male (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).

A dedicated agricultural scientist, Dr. Owen Dawnay has set up a lonely post on the outskirts of Colombia's Amazon River to study the flora that thrives in one of the most remote and inhospitable regions on the face of the Earth. But deep in the heart of darkness, he stumbles across a terrifying nightmare of brutality and death.

The behavior of the local population is odd, full of superstitions and terrors. The native villagers fear music and the night, huddling silently in their homes after sunset. They claim that evil spirits emerge from the trees at night to dance -- and feed.

As a man of science, Dr. Dawnay refuses to believe in the supernatural, yet the mystery behind the fearful beliefs draws him in. But the closer he gets to unraveling the truth, the more he begins to doubt both his science and his sanity. And soon, even in the farthest corners of the rain forest, there will be nowhere left for him to hide . . .

A stunning example of thoughtful and thought-provoking suspense fiction, Dance of the Dwarfs is a must-read blend of science and superstition, sanity and madness -- a deserving heir to The Island of Dr. Moreau and a spiritual predecessor to the works of Michael Crichton.