Title: Castle Perilous
Author: John DeChanice
Publisher: Ace
Year Published: 1988
It had been long time since I’d read this book, decades. And the style of writing is definitely different than what we read today. No set up, no explanation, just boom in the action. The reader knows no more (okay a teeny bit more) than the characters, but that is only because you get to see it from at least seven, if not more, points of view.
All that being said – it’s a fun ride. People from our world, mostly, find themselves in a magic castle, gain magic abilities, and realize they are under siege from a group that wants the castle and the magic it holds. None of the ‘Guests’, as people from other realms/worlds/realities are called, have any idea what is at stake, yet the characters or Guests we follow end up in the thick of it.
This isn’t a long novel figure probably about 60,000 words. But it is fun, a mostly easy read, and characters you like even though you never become invested. It is a pulp read – action, magic, sword fights, then the story is over. This is book one of a series so you do get a chance to learn more as the series goes on.
If you get a chance to find this book, it is worth the time to curl up and see another world and imagine what powers you would gain in Castle Perilous.
