The ''Castle Perilous'' series is a fantasy adventure series of novels written by
John DeChancie
John DeChancie (born August 3, 1946) is an American author. A Pittsburgh native, he is most famous for his comic fantasy ''Castle'' series, and his science fiction ''Skyway'' series. He is currently engaged in writing screenplays, teleplays, an ...
, starting with the eponymous ''Castle Perilous'' in 1988. The most recent novel, ''The Pirates of Perilous'' was published in 2015, 19 years after the previous novel, ''Bride of the Castle''.
Summary
The ''Castle Perilous'' series revolves around Castle Perilous (the name is drawn from the
Siege Perilous of
Arthurian fable), whose lord is Incarnadine, a
sorcerer. 144,000 doors (or "aspects") of the Castle each lead to another
parallel universe. Some of these dimensions are magical, while others have little or no magic; one of the latter is
Earth. Those who find themselves at the Castle often stay to become residents, and (to their surprise) develop a
magical power of their own. This gift is apparently random, and can range from a minor
telekinesis limited to lifting pencils to super-enhanced senses to
teleportation to full conjuration of matter.
Characters
* Gene Ferraro: main character, a
philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
major from Earth who gains the power of superb swordplay
* Snowclaw: a giant humanoid covered in white fur, who originally comes from a
polar
Polar may refer to:
Geography
Polar may refer to:
* Geographical pole, either of two fixed points on the surface of a rotating body or planet, at 90 degrees from the equator, based on the axis around which a body rotates
* Polar climate, the c ...
-like clime
* Linda Barclay: a woman from Earth who becomes a powerful
sorceress
* Lord Incarnadine: sorcerer and lord of the castle
* Kwip: a lifelong thief who escaped execution by accidentally walking into the Castle through a doorway in his cell
* Cleve Dalton: a mild-mannered retiree
* Peter Thaxton: elder Englishman who is competitive in sports
* Osmirik: royal scribe and librarian of the Castle
* Sheila Jankowski: a young woman from
Wilmerding, Pennsylvania who fell through an aspect of the Castle in her shower
* Jeremy Hochstader: a computer hacker
* M. DuQuesne: a French nobleman
Novels
* ''Castle Perilous'' (1988)
* ''Castle for Rent'' (1989)
* ''Castle Kidnapped'' (1989)
* ''Castle War!'' (1990)
* ''Castle Murders'' (1991)
* ''Castle Dreams'' (1992)
* ''Castle Spellbound'' (1992)
* ''Bride of the Castle'' (1994)
* ''The Pirates of Perilous'' (2015)
External links
Official bibliography of John DeChancie
Novels about parallel universes
American fantasy novel series
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