A House-Boat on the Styx

by John Kendrick Bangs

"A House-Boat on the Styx" by John Kendrick Bangs is a fantasy novel written in 1895. When a mysterious houseboat arrives on the river Styx, it becomes a meeting place for history's most famous dead souls. Charon, the ancient ferryman, finds himself demoted to janitor as legendary figures from history and mythology gather aboard. Each chapter presents a new encounter, mixing historical personalities in unexpected conversations—though questions about who really wrote Shakespeare's plays keep arising.