The Dark Secret of Weatherend
Encyclopedia
The Dark Secret of Weatherend is a gothic fantasy novel directed at child readers. It was written by John Bellairs
and originally published in 1984. The book was illustrated by Edward Gorey
.
when they pass the old Weatherend estate, a dilapidated mansion where the eccentric J.K. Borkman once lived. He was obsessed with the weather and spent his years monitoring the skies. Despite posted signs enforcing No Trespassing, Anthony and Ms. Eells explore the grounds and find grotesque statues symbolizing wind
, hail
, snow
, and lightning
and a small diary hidden in the floorboards of the garage. The two would-be treasure hunters take the book home as a souvenir. Soon thereafter, Anthony and Ms. Eells are visited by Anders Borkman, the son of the man who built Weatherend, who has come reclaim his father's book. Terrifying weather that can only be created by magic begins sweeping through Minnesota and Wisconsin, and Anthony and Ms. Eells realize all too quickly the connection between the weather and what's happening out at the justly named Weatherend estate.
John Bellairs
John Anthony Bellairs was an American author, best known for his well-respected fantasy novel The Face in the Frost as well as many gothic mystery novels for young adults featuring Lewis Barnavelt, Anthony Monday, and Johnny Dixon.-Biography:After earning degrees at University of Notre Dame and...
and originally published in 1984. The book was illustrated by Edward Gorey
Edward Gorey
Edward St. John Gorey was an American writer and artist noted for his macabre illustrated books.-Early life:...
.
Plot summary
Anthony and Myra Eells are touring the countryside near their hometown in MinnesotaMinnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
when they pass the old Weatherend estate, a dilapidated mansion where the eccentric J.K. Borkman once lived. He was obsessed with the weather and spent his years monitoring the skies. Despite posted signs enforcing No Trespassing, Anthony and Ms. Eells explore the grounds and find grotesque statues symbolizing wind
Wind
Wind is the flow of gases on a large scale. On Earth, wind consists of the bulk movement of air. In outer space, solar wind is the movement of gases or charged particles from the sun through space, while planetary wind is the outgassing of light chemical elements from a planet's atmosphere into space...
, hail
Hail
Hail is a form of solid precipitation. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is referred to as a hail stone. Hail stones on Earth consist mostly of water ice and measure between and in diameter, with the larger stones coming from severe thunderstorms...
, snow
Snow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
, and lightning
Lightning
Lightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
and a small diary hidden in the floorboards of the garage. The two would-be treasure hunters take the book home as a souvenir. Soon thereafter, Anthony and Ms. Eells are visited by Anders Borkman, the son of the man who built Weatherend, who has come reclaim his father's book. Terrifying weather that can only be created by magic begins sweeping through Minnesota and Wisconsin, and Anthony and Ms. Eells realize all too quickly the connection between the weather and what's happening out at the justly named Weatherend estate.