Time in the Round by Fritz Leiber

In a future engineered to erase pain, dirt, and violence, a stubborn boy called the Butcher refuses to be civilized. While his polished peers accept safe simulations and careful conditioning, he dreams of real hardship, real conflict, and the old human appetite for danger, insisting that one day he will restore war and become World Director. His rebellion leads him with Hal and Joggy toward the Time Theater, a forbidden place of adult power and hidden history. There, strict rules keep under-fives out, but the Butcher bluffs, sneaks, and pushes past every limit until the boys witness a mysterious Time Bubble showing rain-soaked warriors and a hooded sorcerer. An electronic interpreter explains the strange temporal phenomenon, but the Butcher remains impatient for action. When the ancient scene suddenly breaks through the barrier and warriors surge into the theater, chaos erupts. The Butcher charges in with his levitator and fierce little uninjes, whose savage loyalty helps drive the invaders back. As the spectacle ends, the crowd buzzes with wonder and theories, while the Butcher basks in triumph and the affectionate embrace of his loyal companion, Brute. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.