Passing Through a Prairie Country

by Dennis E. Staples

A darkly humorous thriller about the ghosts that haunt the temples of excess we call casinos, and the people caught in their high-stakes, low-odds web

For decades, a dark force has terrorized the Languille Lake reservation. Spoken of only in whispers as “the sandman,” he lurks in the Hidden Atlantis Lake Resort and Casino, the reservation’s main attraction and source of revenue, leeching its patrons’ dreams and preventing the ghosts that linger there from moving on. Fleeing a breakup, Marion Lafournier, a midtwenties Ojibwe, seeks solace in the slot machine’s siren song. Here he falls afoul of the sandman, an encounter he barely escapes through the timely intervention of his cousins Alana and Cherie, who both work at the casino and are intimately aware of the sandman’s power. Meanwhile, Glenn Nielan, recently out of the closet and an aspiring documentarian, hopes to capture the faces of the Ojibwe land while experiencing the casino’s thrills. But he will learn that all who choose to play the sandman’s games are in danger of falling into his grasp.

Marion and Alana are members of the Bullhead clan, a family with ties to a sacred past and a fierce determination to ensure their future. Alana, with her sevenfire sight, is the only person to fully understand the danger the sandman poses. Aware of Marion’s occasional ability to navigate the spirit world, she enlists his aid in defeating this wraith. But the power and reach of the sandman go far beyond Alana’s worst fears. Soon she and Marion find themselves in a battle for their lives and for the souls of the reservation’s residents, both the living and the dead.

Genres: Horror, Indigenous, Fiction, LGBT, Queer, Audiobook, Paranormal

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 18, 2025

About the author

DENNIS E. STAPLES is an Ojibwe writer from Bemidji, Minnesota. He graduated from the Institute of American Indian Arts with an MFA in fiction. He is a graduate of the 2018 Clarion West Writers Workshop and a recipient of the Octavia E. Butler Memorial Scholarship. His work has appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction and Nightmare magazine. He is an enrolled member of the Red Lake Nation.

Reviews

[Book Riot Community]

The author of This Town Sleeps is back with a new thriller. A mysterious deadly force known as the sandman haunts Hidden Atlantis Lake Resort and Casino. Queer aspiring documentarian Glenn Nielan hopes to capture the many sides of Ojibwe land, including the thrills of the casino, but he doesn't realize he's being pulled into the sandman's orbit. Meanwhile, cousins Marion, Alana, and Cherie prepare for a battle with the sandman that will determine the future of the reservation's residents.

—Danika Ellis, 11 Must-Read New Queer Books Out in March 2025

[Lisa Lynch · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked this book's exploration of native culture and folklore, but the narrative, overall, is executed poorly.

There were too many underdeveloped characters that I just didn't care about. And the way we randomly ping-pong between them made everything feel disconnected and pointless.

This book relies a lot on a Sandman boogyman randomly appearing to look cool and be spooky and, while I appreciated some of the imagery used, it just wasn't scary. There's no tension or dread because he's always, all of a sudden, just there. Maybe if there had been more of a build up to him appearing before these people, I would have liked this more.

And lastly, this is one of those fever dream-like books, but it felt unintentionally so. Like, the fever dream part comes from incompetent, disjointed storytelling instead of being purposefully crafted.

But anyway.

2 out of 5 stars.

[Gyalten Lekden · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having read Staples’s previous novel I knew what to expect coming into this story, and not only was I not surprised but, lo and behold, we are continuing the story of the main character in This Town Sleeps in a stealth sequel. Truthfully, this novel stands on its own without that novel, and considering how much of an ensemble story this was I understand why it wasn’t marketed as a sequel. The writing was haunting and lyrical, flirting with perceptions of reality and surreality in ways that were fun and immersive. All the individual characters I cared about and they felt genuine, grounded. That, though, is part of the problem. The story itself is vague, and while we see the various POV characters being affected by the same supernatural forces they really have independent stories, and the floating between them didn’t give me enough of any one of them. I felt like each had more story, and more narrative, to share, and the multiple POV wasn’t additive in that way. I suppose it was additive when you try to step back and look at this as not the story of those particular characters but the story of a place, a [peoples, something culturally inherited and systemic, both, and these characters just the temporary warm bodies in the path of something bigger. However, if that is the story being told then I think the sense of place, the environment, needs more personality and depth. The result is an amorphous story that introduces compelling characters and an exciting core premise but then spreads it too thin to ever let it develop teeth.

I liked the emotionality and vulnerability to the story, as well as to the writing and characters. There is a weariness to the tone that feels like it captures a lot and when combined with some of the feverish narrative distortions the vibes for the story are strong. I think that the real thing that kept me from really enjoying this story is that there didn’t feel like any sense of urgency or reasoning for these things to be happening now, to these people. I can roll with the tentative relationships with individual characters as we float among various people experiencing the same force in different ways. But why now? Why these people? When the mystery of the events is revealed, by the end, it isn’t the case that this is something new, or something directly related to the people we follow. I can’t help but compare this to This Town Sleeps which also has a haunting or two at its heart, but the way those supernatural events are connected to the main character make sense, there is some rationale grounding our characters to the events of the narrative. Here, by the end, we may have an idea of why this supernatural entity is doing what it is doing but I didn’t feel like there was any satisfying reason why it is happening now, to these people, at this time. Which meant that, beautiful and lyrical writing aside, everything felt too ethereal and had nothing tying it all together. So characters, subplots, environments, hauntings, fever dreams, dating apps, ancestral spirits, curses & blessings, these were all just floating in the ether and didn’t coalesce into much more than vibes and ideas. Everything feels so dispersed that you can’t even really say that narrative is sacrificed for a vibe-based character study because we don’t spend enough time with any one character to really celebrate their victories or mourn their losses (even though we do get to see some change in them, I suppose, by the end). Every aspect of the story feels so gentle as to be slipping out of reach.

The writing is beautiful and the ideas, about identity, inheritance, trauma, responsibility, appropriation, colonization, devotion, affection, vulnerability, honesty, self-acceptance, and more are all interesting. Having read both of his novels, now, I still am interested in seeing what he writes next as I appreciate his ideas and style, even if not everything came together for me this time around.

(Rounded from 2.5)

[Ava · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC!

I really, really wanted to like this -- the concept is refreshingly unique and I was drawn in by the variety of interesting characters. However, the jarring jumps between POVs, locations, and timelines, as well as the generally dreamlike descriptions - just didn't work for me. I know it was intended to disorient the reader and match the experiences of the characters in the thrall of the sandman, but having to read passages several times to gain basic context of who was speaking and where I was took me out of the effect and made it more frustrating and confusing than effective. I'm still recommending it though, because I really did love the passages I was able to really get sucked into.

[Abant Berke · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wanted to like this so bad but there were way too many typos/editing oversights and the story was too amorphous to come across in any sort of tangible narrative for me. Glenn as a character was almost entirely pointless and I don’t really like that this is a sequel marketed as a standalone because it mentioned the previous book’s plot enough that I looked up the author to see if I had missed something and sure enough there’s another book about everything Marion mentions that it seems like the reader should be familiar with. Overall pretty disappointed in this one and the gay puppy play subplot was just so fucking weird for no reason like keep that shit to yourself

[Jenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

First thing, apparently this is a pseudo-sequel to the author's first book This Town Sleeps. It is not marketed that way, but Passing Through a Prairie Country references it enough that I felt like I was missing major context. I would highly recommend reading the first one so that you can understand POV character Marion's experiences with spirits up to the point that this second one starts.

As for this book itself... I very much wanted to like it, but I think it is just not for me. I enjoyed parts of it. I really hated parts of it. Ultimately, the issues I have with it outweigh the things I liked about it.

The pros:
-Magical realism, I LOVED this very very much and is what led me to reading this book in the first place.
-Haunted casino. There's so much to work with in a story about vices and horror. This one fell flat, but there was a lot of potential.
-Gay characters. Always nice to get more diverse POVs.
-Ojibwe lore. The ending was a beautiful exploration of Ojibwe death beliefs and that almost made the whole book worth it.

The cons:
-I am immediately against the trope of a middle-aged man getting with 18-23 year olds. I don't care what their sexuality is, it's gross to me no matter what. Anytime Glenn's POV came up, I just wanted to skip through him objectifying his "boys" and "pups". I don't really know what he added to the story at all, to be honest.
-Narration like a fever dream, but not in a good way. I spent too much time re-reading to figure out when the scenes had shifted into new settings, to figure out when certain events had happened. There is still an event I've been digging through the book trying to decide if it happened on-page or off-page. I feel like these narrative sequences would've done better in a visual medium to be honest.
-Too many characters were introduced without ever really expanding on them, and none of them made me care about their plights. Maybe that's part of the point, though.
-This does not feel like a thriller. Nothing was scary, just abstract and feverish.
-Everything felt like it needed a little more development for the storyline to really come together.

[Bookaholic__Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was initially drawn to this based on the title and cover. I wanted to love this and I just didn't. Maybe I am not the right audience or maybe it was just timing on my part, but I struggled connecting to the story. The back and forth was just too much for me and I didn't really connect to any of the characters .

Passing Through A Prairie Country has solid bones and was a great concept, but the overall execution fell flat.

I do think that the narration was also done really well.

[ciara · Rating 2 out of 5]

i wanted to like this so bad but man. what in the hell was all that

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marion's narrative continues in Passing Through a Prairie Country, an abstract, fever dream of a novel centered around a reservation casino and the wandering ghosts (dead and alive) that haunt it. A literary horror mystery that had me mentally tripping over sentences to revisit and comprehend the haze of happenings within it, whether a dream or the waking world.

[Amandatory Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

I stopped reading at page 149. The plot was too confusing for me. I don’t really understand what’s going on nor what is real versus the sandman. There’s too many POVs to keep to with. The story itself was interesting at first and I found some characters like Glenn intriguing. But I honestly can’t keep up with the changing storylines and POVs. It might be a me problem so giving it 3 stars.

[Tara Prince · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful indigenous horror story. There is a dark spirit that is haunting a casino and the area around the casino and some of the characters are trying to get rid of it. The descriptions are so vivid and the writing was beautifully done.

[Varadia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the worldview and Ojibwe stories in it. I liked the complexity around casinos and what it means and what the cost is or can be.

The connecting tissue across the plot often seems to be missing, and I can't tell if that was on purpose to reflect themes and the sandman's modus operandi, or if it was incidental and a side effect of only having some key scenes to really dig deep on.

Also the whole point of Glenn and his puppy play fetish and possibly imprisoning 3 twinks was confusing to me. I didn't quite get how it linked up with Marion and Alana. So it goes.

[Rosie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book had a lot of potential but needed another round of editing. In addition to a few typos, I often had no idea what was happening. The narrative dipped in and out of reality, which felt like reading someone's extended and nonsensical dream. There were flashes of meaning and cohesion but I was left unsure of what it all meant.

[Joscelyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was weird and not in a fun way. I wasn't able to tell the difference between characters and that might have been the audiobook. There were some elements that I thought were super interesting but those got lost in the many different changing POVs. I liked the beginning and then it went downhill pretty fast. The ghosts were neat at the start and I don't know where they went later. Also most of it was in third person but one POV was first person?? I also do not understand what the puppy play was about that really came out of no where and confused me every time it appeared on page but okie dokie! Wish I could have liked it more maybe I can re-read it in novel form instead.

[Seneca Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel exactly like Brittany broski felt her first time trying kombucha

[A Rush Of Emotions · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as part of an indigenous horror book club pick, and thoroughly enjoyed it and the discussions that we had around it. This was the first book I've read by this author. A young man makes his way to a casino/resort on a reservation, and quickly gets sucked into the mystery and supernatural things that have been occurring there. That's how the book begins, but we meet a huge cast of characters in this book, each getting their own space and story on the pages.

At the heart of this book, we continuously are introduced to paranormal activities that haunt tribal members, casino employees, and casino guests. Who is the Sandman? And what is he want? There were some definite eerie moments in this book, and as a non horror reader, I appreciated the goosebumps that came here and there. With such a big cast of characters, I definitely think that some of the underlying storyline gets eclipsed by side plots, and keeping track of all of this on the audiobook at times felt like an impossible task, but overall I liked the vibes of this book.

[Diana Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really interesting read! Unlike some other reviewers, I wasn’t bothered by the multiple POVs, but instead found they really fleshed out the community and the casino and the souls who (literally, sometimes) passed through there. What didn’t work for me was how difficult the plot was to follow at times. I understand that this was part of the dreamy, trippy quality of the narrative, but I felt it could have been executed in a way that didn’t impede enjoyment of the story. I would also agree with other reviewers that this was less of a horror novel than an example of speculative fiction or magical realism. That being said, I’m glad I read this novel and think this author is doing some really interesting things with narrative. I would read more stories written by him!

[Abbi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such an honest portrayal of life working in a tribal casino. The setting felt real and grounded, capturing the strange mix of resignation and resilience that permeates the atmosphere. That said, the metaphor of the dark, sentient evil overtaking the gamblers as addiction was a bit on the nose—powerful, yes, but lacking subtlety.

I once asked a Native coworker why the tribe chose cigarette sales and a casino as their main revenue streams. She replied, "That's all they left us." That context haunts the pages more effectively than the supernatural elements ever could.

[Jared Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I struggled to keep up with some jarring switches in the action, and the narrative lost me at times, but overall I ended up enjoying the story. The style is unique, and the story is good, so overall I think it is worth adjusting to. This author's "voice" requires more attention - that can be off-putting at first, but ultimately might be what you really like. I recommend giving it a read, for sure.

[Alix · Rating 3 out of 5]

I stayed up late to finish this. It was interesting, and different. I woukd have given it more stars, but the graphics (bits of paper etc) were difficult to read distracting from the story because I took time out to try and figure them out, that's on me. Not something I would recommend to others but not a bad book.

[madison moses · Rating 2 out of 5]

okayyyy so the prequel that’s not a prequel really didn’t help at all even though it was referenced actually so much. another review called this disjointed and it’s just the best way to describe it, it’s not even the multiple povs it’s just so all over place that i felt like i was missing so much the entire time

[Karina · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded to 5. This book wasn’t what I was expecting but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The storytelling was creative and the pivoting through points of view and timelines kept me on the edge of my seat.

[Quinn]

DNF page 104

[Laura Williams · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nothing humorous or thrilling about this book. Characters could not have been less appealing or interesting!

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75⭐️

[DaniPhantom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ooo, I did like the casino setting and the lore of the Sandman, as well as the Native tales and stories interwoven throughout.

[charlotte, · Rating 2 out of 5]

i definitely remember the first book being much better than this

Rep: Ojibwe gay mc, Ojibwe mcs

[bookishjae · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars!

I wish there was maybe more weight put into explaining certain concepts or vocabulary used within this book for readers who haven't had much past interaction with Native American history and languages, but this book was so well done. It reminded me of Stephen King's work, but better, I'm thinking specifically the Outsider duology.

The last ten chapters were what really hooked me in, not to say the rest of the book wasn't interesting but I just really enjoyed that last segment. I didn't find myself relating or heavily rooting for any one specific character beside Marion, mostly because he's the first character and the one tasked with the main challenge, but I really wish I could have seen more from Alana and Cherie.

[Hannah Davidsen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not enjoy this book. I had no idea what was happening at any given time - I think the author was going for a fever-dream like vibe but it just ended up disjointed and a total organizational mess. As a general rule, just because the characters are disoriented and confused doesn’t mean the reader should be!!

[Cristina Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The story was something new and interesting. I love how it is based on Ojibwe culture and spirituality. I also really enjoyed the inclusion of queer characters especially queer indigenous characters. I actually enjoyed reading from each character’s point of view and seeing their world from each perspective. The jumping from one place back to the casino confused me sometimes but it felt intentional. My only complaint would be that I feel the book could have been longer to better expand on each character and make the resolution/ending longer. It felt like a very fast abrupt ending. Otherwise I would definitely recommend this book to others.