In the Empire of Shadow

by Lawrence Watt-Evans

Published 21 February 1995

Pel Brown knew nothing about parallel universes, let alone travel between them. Then he stepped through a portal that appeared in his basement - and his life turned upside down.

That first inexplicable doorway took him into a magic world called Faerie, ruled by the evil and mysterious Shadow. Another portal provided escape to a world of science and spaceships - and ruthless space pirates plundering the Galactic Empire.

Imperial forces rescued Pel. They would even send him home - but only after he returned to Faerie and destroyed Shadow. And so, with wizards, spacemen, and swordsmen as his unlikely allies, Pel set out to beard the enemy in its stronghold.

But real life is what happens while you're making other plans - as Pel learned when he uncovered his malign foe's true nature...


The dark force known as Shadow had been defeated, but its world-spanning web of power had survived. This incredible magical weapon was now held not by a prince or wizard, but by Pellinore Brown, a marketing consultant from Germantown, Maryland.

Pel Brown wished no one ill; he merely wanted his family back. But the Galactic Empire that had seen Shadow as a threat saw him as Shadow's heir, a menace to be destroyed as Shadow had been. And when the awesome magical might of Shadow's legacy was turned against the rayguns and spaceships of the Empire, entire planets were caught in the middle.

Pel Brown wished no one ill - but hundreds would die to put an end to ... THE REIGN OF THE BROWN MAGICIAN


Out of This World

by Lawrence Watt-Evans

Published 8 February 1994

Pel Brown has troubles in his basement. But it's not water leaking in - it's magic. Sword-carrying barbarians are spilling through, demanding that Pel help them defeat Shadow, a dark force taking over their world.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, a spaceship has crashed in Amy Jewell's backyard, and the aliens want Amy's help against the Shadow seeking to conquer their world. When Pel and Amy go through the basement portal into the world of magic, the Shadow attacks and traps them inside.

Now Pel and Amy find themselves entangled in escapades that will make them into heroes ... or corpses.