The pair of novellas in this book are among the rich treasure-house of work that August Derleth produced during his most productive period of writing—the late 1930s to the early 1950s. They have remained unpublished until now, and they shed light on the expansive Sac Prairie saga that Derleth spent a lifetime in elaborating. Both are set in Badger Prairie, a town apparently lying northwest of Sac Prairie. “The Dark House” mingles domestic conflict, mystery, and even hints of the supernatural in its tale of the Stowardes family, and the fate of two elderly sisters, Emma and Maria, who take in their niece, Brenda, after her mother has died. “Cassandra” portrays the vibrant and beautiful Cassandra Leeds, who makes the unfortunate decision to elope with Dick Rawson, only to find her life a living hell. Can she be rescued by her former teacher, Simon Jeffers? Both of these tales are full of vivid character portrayal and dramatic suspense, all set in a small town in Wisconsin that lies close to the eternal verities of the natural world.
Genre: Literary Fiction
Genre: Literary Fiction
Used availability for August Derleth's The Dark House and Cassandra