Skeleton in the Closet: A Dragon Business Adventure - by Kevin J Anderson (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The Princess Bride meets Dirty, Rotten Scoundrels

Join former scamp, Cullin, and his merry band of confidence men (and one liberated princess) as they put The Sting in the Middle Ages. With dreams of being a hero, or at least a storyteller, Cullin travels with Sir Dalbry, a washed-up knight in shining armor; Reeger, ready and eager for any part of the dirty work; and Affonyl, former princess, who wanted to study science and alchemy rather than embroidery.

Together, they cross the land with one scam after another, concocting their own heroic deeds, preparing mock dragon heads, or selling kraken tusks and mermaid scales.

But when attempting to con King Longjohn, whose castle is supposedly bursting at the seams with treasure, the caper turns sour. The powerful Wizard-Mage Ugnarok and his army of ugly and muscular (if not too bright) orcs takes over Longjohn's castle, imprisoning the king, pillaging the halls, and carrying on with typical orc-like mayhem.

Cullin and his friends are trapped in the castle's labyrinth of secret passages, just trying to survive ... or is this the opportunity for a grander scam than they have ever attempted before?

Orcs are terribly superstitious-you can't bash a ghost, after all--and it's like Die Hard in a castle, as Cullin, Affonyl, Reeger, and Dalbry set up a grand haunting that will scare off even the scariest orc army.

About the Author

Kevin J. Anderson has written over 140 books and has authored spin-off novels for popular franchises such as Star Wars, StarCraft, Titan A.E., and The X-Files. Anderson is also the co-author of the Dune prequel series with Brian Herbert. His original works include the Saga of Seven Suns series and the Nebula Award-nominated Assemblers of Infinity.

Anderson's writing style is known for its richly detailed world-building and compelling characters. He has a talent for creating intricate plots that keep readers engaged from start to finish. Anderson's superhero novels include Enemies & Allies, which tells the story of the first meeting between Batman and Superman, and The Last Days of Krypton, which explores how Superman's planet Krypton came to be destroyed.

Anderson has been a Literary Guest of Honor and Keynote Speaker at the Life, the Universe, & Everything professional science fiction and fantasy arts symposium on a number of occasions. In 2021, Anderson was inducted into the Colorado Authors Hall of Fame along with Stephen King and James Michener.

Anderson's works have been translated into more than 20 languages and have sold over 23 million copies worldwide. He is a prolific writer who has published over 50 books that have been on US and international bestseller lists. Anderson is also a professor at Western Colorado University where he teaches courses on publishing and creative writing.