Combined for the First Time. John Kendrick Bang's Hilarious Books A House-Boat on the Styx and The Pursuit of the House-Boat. Where do the "immortal" poets, writers, generals and scientists go to spend eternity? It turns out they gather in a gentleman's club, on a houseboat, on the River Styx-the dividing line between earth and hell. There they can discuss poetry, social theory, and the arts. Bacon can argue with Shakespeare over who wrote Hamlet; Darwin can gain new insights into evolution from Baron Münchhausen; and P.T. Barnum can question Noah over his selection of animals for the ark. But a cloud soon passes over this idyllic scene. What do you do when Captain Kidd and his crew highjacks the houseboat while it is filled with the immortal women? The answer should be obvious-you call in Sherlock Holmes. High Praise for A Houseboat in Hell. William Thackeray: "Worthy of Dickens." Charles Dickens: "Worthy of Thackeray." Henry VIII: "I have sent copies to all my wives."