“With his second novel, Staples hits the casino floor with a haunting tale of a nightmarish wraith gambling away the lives of the residents of an Ojibwe reservation.”
A dark force has haunted the Languille Lake reservation for decades. Whispered as “the sandman”, this entity lurks in the Hidden Atlantis Lake Resort and Casino, the source of revenue for the reservation and its main attraction. The sandman drains the casino patrons of their dreams and keeps the other ghosts there from moving on.
Marion Lafournier, an Ojibwe, finds solace in the slot machines after a breakup. He runs afoul of the sandman and barely escapes if not for the help of his cousins. And then there’s Glenn Nielan, recently out of the closet and honing his documentarian skills, aiming to capture the Ojibwe landscape and experience the casino’s thrills. There he will learn that those who chose to play the sandman’s games fall into his grasp.
Marion and his cousin Alana, members of the Bullhead clan, with ties to a sacred past, ensure their futures fiercely. Alana, gifted with sevenfire sight, fully understands how dangerous the sandman is. With Marion’s occasional ability to access the spirit world, Alana needs his help to defeat the entity. The sandman is more powerful than either of them expected, and they soon find themselves battling for their lives, and for the souls of the reservation’s residents, both the living and the dead.
Why we’re excited about this book:
The Ojibwe are one of the largest tribal populations in the Great Lakes region of the US and Canada, with a rich history and folklore. Ojibwe author Dennis E. Staples harnesses that history and folklore, providing a chilling backdrop for stories only he can tell. A graduate of Clarion West with an MFA from the Institute of American Indian Arts, Staples is the author of This Town Sleeps, and has short fiction featured in such publications as Yellow Medicine Review and Asimov’s Science Fiction. With his second novel, Staples hits the casino floor with a haunting tale of a nightmarish wraith gambling away the lives of the residents of an Ojibwe reservation. Lizz Schumer at People says: “Ojibwe writer Dennis E. Staples’ blend of suspense, comedy and thrills is perfect for fans of Reservation Dogs and Stephen Graham Jones.”, and Nick Medina (Indian Burial Ground) says: “Taking readers on a journey through the lavish Hidden Atlantis Casino, where no clocks hang on the walls, to the timeless realm of mysterious and death-dealing spirits, Dennis E. Staples delivers an otherworldly story that’s haunting, darkly humorous, and chock full of fascinating Native lore.”
Releasing from Counterpoint 18 March 2025, Passing Through a Prairie Country by Dennis E. Staples is available for pre-order now.
BOB PASTORELLA
