Showing results by author "John DeChancie" in All Categories

Imagine life in an ironically magical world where 144,000 doors separate fiction from reality. A place that can hypnotize even the most grounded philosophy major and deliver a fantastical rhyme to his reason. A place where a best buddy resembles a shaggy carpet, and adventures surpass a boy's dreams . . . welcome to Castle Perilous.

Take a trip through the imaginations of 18 visionary writers as they explore the future of trucking in this new science fiction anthology! There's something for every genre fiction fan in this follow-up to the hit 18 Wheels of Horror: A Trailer Full of Trucking Terrors. The highways of the universe will never be the same!

Independent space trucker Jake McGraw, accompanied by his father, Sam, who inhabits the body of the truck itself, his "starrig," picks up a beautiful hitchhiker, Darla, and a trailer-load of trouble. One of the best of the indies, Jake knows a few tricks about following the Skyway, which connects dozens, or maybe hundreds, of planets—nobody knows how many and nobody really knows the full extent of the Skyway, and much of it remains unexplored.

Jake McGraw, independent space trucker, has been shanghaied. He and his crew, fresh off their adventures in Starrigger and Red Limit Freeway, are plucked off the Skyway by a creature of unknown power. Now on an alien planet where most of the rules of the regular universe do not seem to apply, Jake confronts the builders of the Skyway once and for all. Will he and his crew make it out alive?

Jake McGraw is a man on the run from half the universe. After stumbling upon what seems to be the fabled roadmap to the stars, Jake must outrun the most detestable vermin and roadbugs in the galaxy and the only thing separating him from them is his tattered starrig. In the lawless region of space Jake must keep his rig running if he knows what's good for him. He has something that everyone wants and they will stop at nothing to get it. But how long can he keep going on the road where there is no relief for light years?

Gene and Linda's wedding seems to bring out the best in Castle Perilous . . . even if that's not much better than the worst. When the happy groom suddenly prefers confronting barbarians over entertaining his wedding guests, a battle ensues that will change his life, infuriate his bride, and make for one bizarre wedding day!

There never seems to be a dull moment for the inhabitants and visitors of Castle Perilous. Adventure and folly are contagious when Lord Incarnadine hosts a legion of bizarre guests, including a bunch of infuriated Greeks bearing a gift horse, reckless thieves, gladiators, and painted ladies. 144,000 doors welcome the most unwelcome of partygoers to the Realms Perilous, where magic and mystery send everyone spinning in hilarious new directions.

Who will claim the throne now that Lord Incarnadine, King of the Realms Perilous, is dead? Under a mysterious spell cast by a mischief-maker, all of Castle Perilous's 144,000 creatures of curiosity clamor for the crown. Outside of the castle's coveting fray, Gene flies off with a adventurous Amazon in supernatural manifestation and Lord Inky explores the dark mysteries that lurk in the realm of the dead!

Partying to death? A parlous party at the Castle Perilous comes to a dead halt when the body of viscount Oren is discovered and foul play is suspected. But who is the killer? And where is the murder weapon? The rambunctious revelers at Castle P. join in a treacherous treasure hunt for party favors of a decidedly deadly nature . . . the murder weapon must be hidden behind one of the 144,000 doors, or will it be buried in the back of the next victim?

Castle Perilous is still tottering from last year's battle with the Hosts of Hell, and regaining stability proves a hard balancing act. Before Jeremy can design a program to calm the tremors of the universe, an alternative wicked reality appears that threatens to topple everything! Castle P. must face its evil twin, replete with its own dastardly doppleganger army—with the shadow self ensues as Good and Evil battle it out in the 144,000th dimension!

Castle Perilous is a magic castle full of mystery and adventure, but sometimes even magic castles can go awry. This particular castle has the power to send its guests to 144,000 alternate worlds, each a fantastic voyage to the unknown. But each voyage seems to backfire. Computer whiz kid Jeremy is stuck on a planet of golf-playing dinosaurs. Gentrified Gene finds himself on a planet overrun with amazon women where the queen has taken a particular shine to him and only the Lord of the Castle Incarnadine can stop this witty madness from shaking Castle Kidnapped to its foundations.

When the king of a magical castle ventures into the realm of the dead, creatures of all kinds vie for the throne in the sequel to Castle Perilous. Who will claim the throne now that Lord Incarnadine, King of the Realms Perilous, is dead? Under a mysterious spell cast by a mischief-maker, all of Castle Perilous's 144,000 creatures of curiosity clamor for the crown. Outside of the castle's coveting fray, Gene flies off with an adventurous Amazon in supernatural manifestation and Lord Inky explores the dark mysteries that lurk in the realm of the dead!