A Graveyard for Lunatics: Another Tale of Two Cities is a zany retrospectiveof the "studio system" of the Hollywood motion picture industry in its decline. From the 1920s through the 1940s, Hollywood studios contracted the exclusive services of actors and other important personnel, thus giving the studios great power over the careers of their employees. Studio heads such as Samuel Goldwin and Louis B. Mayer became famous for building industry giants. By the early 1950s, the studio owners were losing control of their personnel; unions, court rulings, and the desire of actors to control their own pursuits ended the studios' ability to dominate motion picture careers. A Graveyard for Lunatics takes place in 1954, when one studio, Maximus Films, is reaching the end of its heyday. During the novel, the studio falls apart; by the end, much of it has literally been leveled, with sets uprooted and...