THE LAUGHTER OF HEROES by Jonathan...

THE LAUGHTER OF HEROES by Jonathan Neale (Serpent’s Tail: $11.99; 123 pp., paperback original). The gently silly tone of Neale’s first novel recalls Armistead Maupin’s “Tales of the City” series. As John, a talented young puppeteer, gradually succumbs to AIDS, his family and friends band together to fulfill what they believe is his fondest wish: to visit Walt Disney World. John actually longs for the spiritual serenity of Tibet, but everyone gets so caught up in the complications surrounding the trip to Florida, including U.S. laws barring HIV-infected visitors, that he doesn’t get a chance to protest. The result is a pleasant comedy of mannerisms.