John DeChancie, Where Are You?

John DeChancie has written several series of books over the past 10 or so years. I see them all the time in used bookstores, but I think most are out of print.

Until July 21st, I had no idea what had become of Mr. DeChancie — witness the title of this page. Then, out of the blue came an email with the following link:

http://www.johndechancie.com/

The resulting website has a short biography about John plus other information and even a new short story. Check it out (and thanks to "Arizona" for providing me with the link!)

His three main series have been the Skyway series—where a future world becomes one big highway and the Star Rigger has a delivery to make—The Castle series—ignoring all the laws of physics and located at the nexus of hundreds of alternate realities—and the Dr. Dimension books. He is also the author of several other books, at least three of which have been made into full-cast dramatizations (or comedizations) by Ziplow Productions.

I would classify the Skyway series (3 books) as fairly serious future fiction. The Castle series (7 books) is more fantasy and a bit of sci-fi—plus a fair bit of humor—and his other books are closer to serious science fiction, especially Innerverse, a very dark story about a future where the United States has become a divided nation, and what used to be the eastern states is now controlled by a nano-technology called Innerverse.

The Skyway Series

Starrigger

Jake McGraw is a trucker, driving on the never ending Skyway. His starrigger is outfitted with all the modern conveniences, including a computer that is like his father. Literally.

He may be stuck in a time loop, but that isn't stopping him from experiencing everything for the first time.

Red Line Freeway

Jake discovers what may prove the be the legendary Roadmap. The map to the Big Bang that started it all. But he is being chased by the insectoids, the Roadbugs.

With everybody after him, it's only a matter of time before his badly overworked starrigger could fail, and there are no safe truck stops out on the never-ending highway.

Paradox Alley

Jake and his starrigger crew have been kidnapped by a creature of unknown origin. Taken to an unknown alien planet where past and future collide at the end of the road.

Jake discovers that it is possible to be in two places at once, and confronts the builders of the skyway.

     
The Castle Books

Castle Perilous

Something is following Gene in the car park. It is dark and he needs to escape. He opens a door, steps through and enters the world of Castle Perilous, the nexus for 144,000 alternate realities presided over by Lord Incarnadine. He quickly befriend a being more than 7 feet tall and looking like a huge pike of shag carpeting. Gene begins to experience the mystery of Castle Perilous.

Castle For Rent

The King of Castle Perilous has become time-trapped in New York. The other castle occupants have become lost throughout thousands of bizarre and barbaric realities.

Gene and the rest must find their way back before it is too late, and before demons invade the Castle and make return impossible.

Castle Kidnapped

The magic of Castle Perilous has gone haywire, dropping its guests into strange worlds. The computer whiz, Jeremy, gets trapped on a planet filled with golf-crazy dinosaurs. Gene finds himself on a planet of Amazon women, the love slave to their Queen.

Can Lord Incarnadine fix the Castle?

     

Castle War

War has been declared against the Hosts of Hell. Before Jeremy can rewrite the Castle's programs to stabilize the cosmos, an evil mirror version of the Castle appears, complete with a hostile army of alter egos drawn from its own 144,000 alternate worlds.

Castle Murders

At a party in Castle Perilous, a nobleman is murdered. It smells like foul play.

Everyone at the Castle is scrambling to find clues and evidence ...before the next victim is discovered.

Castle Dreams

Lord Incarnadine is dead. Very. And someone has Castle guests battling among themselves for control of the Castle. Gene finds himself riding shotgun for a suntanned Amazon out on the faster than light frontier.

     
 

Castle Spellbound

The never ending party at Castle Perlious lures some uninvited guests, including a horde of angry Greeks bearing a gift horse. A slight malfunction in the Castle's defense system is about to send the party crashers crashing.

Bride of the Castle

Gene and Linda are getting married, but the castle lives up to its name. Now Gene faces a horde of barbarian instead of the wedding guests. Gene fights the battle of his life on this insane wedding day.

 

 

     
The Other Books

Dr. Dimension

Dr. Demopoulos just invented the first spaceship. Or is it a time ship? Well, it's 1939...it could just be a spacetime ship. Unfortunately, it has just blown his university lab to bits.

A mysterious package arrives filled with electronic gear, like nothing he and his assistants have ever seen. They rebuild the ship and disappear into spacetime, complete with two stowaways...and end up in the middle of a war between the Prunes and the Pizons.

A very funny book, also available as a full-cast recording from Ziplow.

Dr. Dimension: Masters of SpaceTime

Still lost is space and time, Dr. D. and his assistants find themselves in the middle of a planet completely covered in trash.

A broken-down robot seems to be their only hope for rebuilding the spacetime ship they really don't understand much about. But what chances do they stand against the villainous mastermind, Baron Skulkrak? They need to find the M'Guh Fon and save the Universe.

Another hilarious outing from DeChancie.

The Kruton Interface

Captain David Wanker thought his career had hit the very bottom, until he found himself assigned to the Repulse. The lowest-rated ship in the entire Space Force.

When an army of lawyers sues the entire human race, only a hero like Wanker can save humanity from terminal litigation.

     

Innerverse

The eastern third of the United States of American, now known as the Republic of Innerverse, falls mysteriously silent for nearly 20 years.

Frank Sutter, an agent for the Central United States must infiltrate the Republic of Innervrse and learn the secrets of the mind control being used on the zombie-like population.

MagicNet

The brainchild of a renegade computer hacker and warlock, MagicNet is a meld of technology and the supernatural.

Eric "Sky" King picks up his phone and hears a friend being murdered by a demon somewhere across town. But while the victim is dead, he is not out of the picture. He is inhabiting Sky's laptop computer, assisting him in solving the murder and saving Los Angeles from an evil end.

Living With Aliens

Zorg and Flez come to Earth. 13 year old Drew takes them home and hides them in his bedroom, determined to keep them.

They make Drew smarter, help him get a girlfriend, and take him on a flight to Minneapolis, Egypt and Mars. Everything is going great—even though mom and dad find out about Zorg and Flez—that is, until Blog shows up.

     
 

From Prussia With Love

The first of the Castle Falkenstein novels (no relationship to Castle Perilous). The action takes place in an alternate Victorian universe where giant airships are used to wage war, using spells and magic.

In this one, the evil Chancellor Bismarck is developing a steam powered intercontinental ballistic missile to be used to destroy the Kingdom.

Tom Olam, a 20th century computer game programmer and part-time secret agent must foil the Iron Chancellor's plot.

 

Masterminds of Falkenstein

Tom Olam finds his skills put to the ultimate test in this steampunk story.

A world convention of mad scientists is taking place in San Francisco. Everything is going crazy. Steam-powered devices clash with Indian sorcery and European wizardry.

Can he stop Ada Lovelace as she tries to destroy the Empire of California?

 
All covers are and remain the copyright of the artist or artists who originally gave them life. Unless, that is, some publisher paid them a few pounds more to buy the rights away. I have not obtained permission to replicate them, but hope that these fine individuals and international conglomerates recognize that I am just trying to help promote interest (and sales) in their books