In Good Condition - Hardcover with dustcover 
 
Pageants of Despair is a story of a boy caught in a battle between good and evil. After unknown assailants attack his mother, Peter is sent by train to stay with his grandparents. On that ride an uncanny figure leads him back in time to the fourteenth century village of Dunfield, where Peter will take part in a mysterious play in which the actors become the characters they portray. Peter believes he has been brought there to counter an unearthly, menacing influence, but a succession of terrifying experiences leads him to suspect, instead, that he might be destined to cause the disaster he is trying to avert. He needs courage to face the crisis and intelligence to solve the mystery. In this tale where ancient pageants morph into horrific realities, the author draws on the actual medieval Townley Cycle of Mystery Plays—which were performed annually at Wakefield, England—to give Peter's experience in the imaginary village of Dunfield a vivid true-to-life.
Dennis Hamley was born in 1935 in Kent, England. He read English at Cambridge University and worked for many years as a teacher, a teacher-trainer, and an adviser to schools. He also founded the Lending Our Minds Out creative writing courses for children. Hamley's first book was published in 1962, a modern version of three Miracle Plays. Pageants of Despair, his first children's novel, was originally published in 1974. In 1992 Hamley turned to writing full-time. His latest title, Ellen's People, is published in the UK by Walker Books. In between, he wrote more than fifty other books, including short stories, books for schools, and non-fiction for all ages. Hamley lives with his wife in Hertford, England.