The Ghost Ring is available on Amazon!

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With four five star reviews in, I decided to release The Ghost Ring on Amazon. Last time I released a book it took them a couple of weeks to list it in both Kindle and paperback, this time it took less than day. Hoo rah!

Here are the first two reviews for The Ghost Ring. Always terrifying waiting for the first reviews. Always.

Essien Asian, Readers’ Favorite * 5 stars
A young hero develops an entirely new appreciation for the afterlife in the storyline of Tom Hoffman’s mystery novel. Hoffman’s characters are a delight to read in how he injects either a smidge of humor or a dash of mystery into each of them. His development of Simon’s character is in keeping with what I would expect of a youth, with curiosity overriding caution in several cases and the growing romantic arc he develops with Clara. The best part of this story is how the subplots consist of mysteries that require being solved in a particular order. This builds suspense and guarantees a gripping conclusion. Hoffman deserves plaudits for his innate storytelling approach, which transformed Ghost Ring from a paranormal mystery into a delightfully engaging reading experience that captivated me to the end.
 
Cecelia Hopkins, Readers’ Favorite * 5 stars
The Ghost Ring by Tom Hoffman is an eminently readable coming-of-age fantasy. I enjoyed the wish-fulfillment aspects of the plot as the single-parent Moody family was granted wealth beyond their wildest expectations. I felt frissons of fear as Simon sensed the presence of ghosts but was vastly assured when he began to defuse the situation with Clara’s support. There was a sense of satisfaction as wrongs were righted, and I felt Simon was a deserving candidate. I enjoyed the humor embedded in the point of view of different characters represented throughout the narrative. Simon was endearing with his adolescent fear of being “weird” when asserting his wishes or expressing himself. Clara was refreshingly open to friendship, and I liked how she negotiated Simon’s interest. The Ghost Ring by Tom Hoffman combined mythic and morality tale elements with a teenage voice to create an enchanting young adult novel.

Coming soon: The Ghost Ring

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The Ghost Ring is finally finished and has been sent out for reviews, proofs of the paperback ordered. This is different from all my other books, written for an older audience, dealing with more adult, real world issues. There are ghosts, a murder, a suicide, a drowning, and a mysterious ancient ring which allows the protagonist, eighteen year old Simon Moody, to see the ghosts and talk to them. It’s a character driven coming of age ghost novel, sometimes terrifying, sometimes heartbreaking, filled with quirky, memorable characters, a life changing experience for young Simon Moody.

The Ghost Ring

Simon Moody’s mom inherits her wealthy Uncle Edmund’s estate, giving them more than enough money to pay all four years of Simon’s upcoming college tuition. The only problem is, they have to leave Brooklyn, move to the little town of Caligo Falls, and make Wilder House, the infamous Victorian mansion built by Edmund’s grandfather in 1905, their new home. They’ve also inherited a mysterious caretaker named Harrington, and a punctual but melancholy cook, Mrs. Morley. 

Edmund Wilder leaves Simon a mysterious ring, along with a cryptic note, a quote from Hamlet.  There are more things in heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy. Simon and his new friend Clara Barley soon find themselves entangled in the unfathomable, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes terrifying mysteries of Wilder House. 

Welcome to Caligo Falls, New Hampshire, population 329, not including ghosts. 

The Translucent Boy and the Children of Ice is on Amazon!

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I’m happy to announce the paperback version of The Translucent Boy and the Children of Ice is now listed on Amazon. The Kindle version should show up in a day or so. It has to go through an Amazon review process. I’m going to miss Odo and Sephie, but I’ve sent them off on the best adventure ever, as Odo would say. Here are the first reviews for the book, from Readers’ Favorite.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1736281690

K.C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite • 5 stars

Tom Hoffman has always delivered incredible content in his highly engaging series and I’m sad to see the series end but it was a fantastic way to do it. The stakes have never been higher and the mysteries have never been trickier to unravel than this last adventure, and the titular Children of Ice are terrifying to behold through Hoffman’s lens of creative, cinematic, and multisensory description. It was also emotional to see the conclusion of Sephie’s journey as I’ve always been attached to her and her abilities. Her intellect is celebrated and foregrounded in this story in particular. Overall, I would not hesitate to recommend that fans of the series get their hands on The Translucent Boy and the Children of Ice immediately, and newcomers to Hoffman’s magical writing should start Odo’s adventures as soon as they can.

Liz Konkel for Readers’ Favorite • 5 stars

Tom Hoffman incorporates various science fiction elements such as journeying to another world, an evil robot, form-shifting aliens, and humanoids. These elements create a unique journey that is fun from the beginning with increasingly zany storylines and unexpected adventures. The tone is lighthearted with a serious underbelly that is revealed in the individual stories of the characters since the series began. The ending has a satisfying conclusion. Hoffman’s usual eccentric style is seen in The Translucent Boy and the Children of Ice which cleverly blends superhero-like abilities, science fiction, humor, and wit to deliver another fun installment.

Heather Stockard for Readers’ Favorite • 5 stars

The Translucent Boy and the Children of Ice is the fifth and final book of Tom Hoffman’s Translucent Boy series. It takes readers on one last fantastical journey with Odo and his delightfully odd band of teenage heroes. In addition to the quirky humor and colorful, imaginative characters and settings found in all of The Translucent Boy books, Hoffman has introduced slightly more mature themes of self-discovery, love, and change. If you have read the other books in this series, you won’t want to miss the exciting and touching conclusion.

Essien Asian for Readers’ Favorite • 5 stars

The final book in The Translucent Boy series covers itself in glory with an exciting finale. It is not every author that can balance fantasy with science fiction but Tom Hoffman achieves this with a touch of class. Attention to detail is evident in every aspect of this captivating story with his colorful and precise description of planetary structures and the unique beings inhabiting them. The trees of Suvon are an ideal example of this. The conversations between the characters are lively and filled with more than enough comedic relief to lighten what turns out to be a serious story. Even the growing romantic subplot between Odo and Sephie has its share of light-hearted humor. The Translucent Boy and the Children of Ice is a novel in a class of its own. This is one work I am certain science fiction purists will take a liking to.

Five star review for the final book of the Translucent Boy series!

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After ten complete edits, I finally finished book five of the Translucent Boy series, The Translucent Boy and the Children of Ice. Here’s the first review of the book, which will be released on Amazon in a couple of weeks. The image shown below is of Solis, the newest member of Odo and Sephie’s Odd Squad.

Reviewed by Heather Stockard for Readers’ Favorite • 5 stars

Teenage superheroes Odo, Sephie, Silas, and Emmy are preparing to graduate from high school and go off to college. In the midst of worrying about scholarships and trying to set up campus tours, they find themselves drawn into yet another adventure. An ancient sampler leads them to Solis, a mysterious alien girl with incredible powers, who was raised in the 18th century. Odo and his friends rescue her and bring her to their own time where they work to find out where she’s from and why she was sent to live on Earth. Their investigation leads them to a distant world held hostage by powerful automatons called Ice Children. Like Solis, they can control heat and cold, but they have used their powers to freeze entire cities, killing thousands and plunging the entire planet into chaos. Odo and the Odd Squad must help Solis discover why the Ice Children are destroying her homeworld and how to stop them before it’s too late.

The Translucent Boy and the Children of Ice is the fifth and final book of Tom Hoffman’s Translucent Boy series. It takes readers on one last fantastical journey with Odo and his delightfully odd band of teenage heroes. In addition to the quirky humor and colorful, imaginative characters and settings found in all of The Translucent Boy books, Hoffman has introduced slightly more mature themes of self-discovery, love, and change. If you have read the other books in this series, you won’t want to miss the exciting and touching conclusion.

Meet Sephie Crumb!

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I’ve been doing a lot of work on Midjourney.com, a site that uses text based artificial intelligence to create images. It’s fantastic at some things, and dreadful at others. I won’t even tell you how long it took to get these images of Sephie Crumb, but here she is — half alien, quirky, and the Translucent Boy’s best friend and adventuring companion. If you want to see more amazing images, check out my Facebook site at https://www.facebook.com/TomHoffmanAuthor/ You don’t want to miss the unfortunate quaint English village being invaded by a host of dreadful and hilarious alien creatures!

I’m currently working on the fifth and final book of The Translucent Boy series. It will be sad to let them go, I’ve come to know Odo and Sephie so well, but to everything there is a season….

“Edward, we’re being invaded by those dreadful lizard creatures again. Be a dear and sort it out, would you?”

First review for The Man Who Walked to the Moon!

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The first review of a new book is always scary, but I’m happy to say The Translucent Boy and the Man Who Walked to the Moon got 5 stars. It’s a long review, but I’m posting all of it because it gives a good overview of the book.

Reviewed by Maria Victoria Beltran for Readers’ Favorite • 5 stars

A fascinating young adult fantasy epic, The Translucent Boy and the Man Who Walked to the Moon by Tom Hoffman is already the fourth installment in a series. The main protagonists of this story are the members of the Odd Squad, so-called because all four have supernatural powers. They are Odo, a translucent boy who can walk through doors and walls, Sephie who can see people’s brainwaves and control their thoughts, Emmy who can fly, and Silas who can see ghosts and sometimes even talk to them. The story unravels as Odo and his best friend Sephie share a dream of being on vacation on a white sandy beach together. When Odo enters a dream door, he suddenly finds himself in a dangerous world populated by lizards and volcanoes. Sephie, on the other hand, is intrigued by an old handwritten journal about Antarctica that she’s reading in the dream. The story takes a very interesting turn when Harold, the old man who claims he’s walking to the moon, left a box for Odo that contains an expensive moon rock. He also constantly complains that there’s a dinosaur in his kitchen that’s always eating his food, and people think this is just due to dementia. The Odd Squad decides to visit and check on him. What follows is an amazing adventure as they meet Prince Nokk, the lizard that has been stealing Harold’s food. They must bring him back to Pangaea so he can return to Varania through a portal in Emperia to save the world they live in.

The exposition at the beginning of Tom Hoffman’s The Translucent Boy and the Man Who Walked to the Moon effectively establishes the setting and the characters of this fantasy novel and immediately promises a truly amazing read. As the events unfold, the protagonists’ challenges are gradually revealed, and at the same time, the suspense intensifies. After the first few pages, I would say it’s very easy to get hooked on this narrative. There is seemingly no end to Tom Hoffman’s fertile imagination as he chronicles the adventures of the Odd Squad as they accept the challenge to bring Prince Nokk home to save the world from catastrophe. The author’s descriptive style is vivid and his premise is based on research, and the result is a plausible fantasy epic.

Written for young adults, this is a coming-of-age story of a superhero growing up in another world, but surprisingly, it’s easy to relate to the characters. This is probably because it’s not far-fetched to imagine the world that the author has created here. Although I didn’t have the pleasure of reading the first three installments in this series, I found the book easy and enjoyable to read. So fasten your seatbelts as you read on and experience a series of amazing adventures together with the Odd Squad. This can be enjoyed by the whole family. I highly recommend this novel to readers of all ages!

The Translucent Boy and the Girl Who Dreamed She Could Fly is now available on Amazon!

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It’s here! The paperback version of the new Translucent Boy book is now available on Amazon. The Kindle version will be up tomorrow, January 23. It’s gotten four reviews so far on Readers’ Favorite, all five stars.

From the author K.C. Finn:

Author Tom Hoffman never fails to delight with this superb series, which perfectly packages a magical and mythical adventure alongside highly relatable teen characters with all the emotional drama that comes with their age group. I’ve always enjoyed reading this series, but this third installment really amps up the creep factor with some truly spine-tingling atmospheric touches and allies who are often as frightening and chaotic as the enemies of the story. There’s plenty for YA readers and adults alike to appreciate in the heartfelt characters, amusing dialogue, and the wonderful blend of original material and reworkings of ancient tales. The ending had me both in tears and on the edge of my seat. Overall, I would highly recommend The Translucent Boy and the Girl Who Dreamed She Could Fly and the series in general to fans of accomplished YA fantasy.

Comet Kid Chronicles now on Amazon!

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The first three books of The Comet Kid Chronicles; Under the Blue Comet, The Unfocused Man, and The Sinister Sorcerer are now available on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback formats. This is a really fun series with lots of mystery, adventure, friendship, humor, and a bunch of scary aliens! The books are written for middle grade kids, but they’re getting rave reviews from some folks who were middle graders a long time ago. If you have kids or grandkids, they will love this series.

Here’s the link on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08R9YC59P

BookLife Prize 10 out of 10!

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Wonderful news for Translucent Boy and the Girl Who Saw Him!

UPDATE: THE TRANSLUCENT BOY IS A SEMI-FINALIST!

BookLife Prize (Publishers Weekly) critiqued it, giving it an overall 10 out of 10. The contest has quarter-finalists, semi-finalists, finalists, and a grand prize of $5000. They announce quarter-finalists on Oct 7, semi-finalists Oct 15, finalists Nov 15, Grand Prize Dec 14. Fingers crossed!

Plot/Idea: 10 out of 10
Originality: 10 out of 10
Prose: 10 out of 10
Character/Execution: 10 out of 10
Overall: 10.00 out of 10

Assessment:

Plot: The Translucent Boy and the Girl who Saw Him is an elaborately conceived—at moments convoluted— playfully esoteric story that, for all its fantastical content, delivers a quietly resonant message about the power of being authentically seen and how great strength of character arises from strife and misfortune.

Prose: Hoffman quickly establishes a fairy tale-like storytelling structure and tone, with prose that offers a fine blend of authoritative exposition, action, candid descriptions, and meaningful dialogue.

Originality: While messaging about acceptance of differences, friendship, and the greater good are universal, this work is undoubtedly original in the ways that it examines such ideas. The integration of scientific principles and metaphysics in tandem with the magical, provides an unexpected dimension, while the novel’s wordplay and use of the absurd, calls to mind classic works of children’s literature.

Character/Execution: Hoffman’s characters are shaped by ideas rather than the mere force of their personalities and experiences. Within the world Hoffman creates, their somewhat archetypal nature is an asset rather than a fault.

Who are Bartholomew the Adventurer, Orville Wellington Mouse, The Translucent Boy, and the Comet Kids?

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The Translucent Boy and the Girl Who Saw Him

Odo Whitley is translucent, human frosted glass, eyes peering through him, never at him. His achingly lonely existence is upended when a strange girl with flaming orange hair passes him a cryptic note in science class, sending the two unlikely new friends on an interdimensional quest for a mysterious lost doll.

With help from the enigmatic man in the gray hat, a huge yellow octopus from Plindor, a lovely old brainless dead lady, and their new boss at the Serendipity Salvage Company, Odo Whitley and Sephie Crumb must travel to the terrifying world of Atroxia and find the doll before it falls into the hands of the murderous children of Sensus.

 

Jack Magnus says: “The Translucent Boy and the Girl Who Saw Him is a wise and ineffably lovely coming of age tale that comes complete with vast galaxies, alien beings and a tasty helping of metaphysics as dessert. Watching Odo become complete, as it were, on becoming visible to Sephie is moving and unforgettable; following the two as they set off on amazing, terrifying and exhilarating adventures is an unforgettable experience. Odo and Sephie are marvelous characters; their interactions and their coming of age are joys to behold. Hoffman’s story is gorgeously written and a dream to read. Hoffman deftly toys with infinite possibilities and orchestrates the most amazing stories. Once again, he’s surprised and delighted me. The Translucent Boy and the Girl Who Saw Him is most highly recommended.”  

 

The Translucent Boy and the Cat Who Ran Out of Time

A ghostly forest appears in Odo Whitley’s bedroom the same day he and Sephie Crumb witness the time twisting arrival of a furry extradimensional traveler. Odo and Sephie befriend Silas, the victim of a cruel bully, a frightened boy who possesses a remarkable and sometimes terrifying gift.

With help from the ghostly Lady in Black, Watson the Cat, irksome Mike the Mechanic, and the very peculiar Bakis Merriweather, Odo, Sephie, and Silas must travel to the distant worlds of Palusia and Emerus in search of an eccentric inventor who vanished in 1921.

Reviewed By K.C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite • 5 stars

“It’s hard to top the elegant humor and charming plot lines of The Translucent Boy and the Girl Who Saw Him, but author Tom Hoffman has managed to recreate such style in a brand new exciting plot for his second installment of Odo’s adventures. As the characters develop further from quirky oddballs to emotive young people, so the story deepens and adds some darker shadows to the colorful characters at play. The new people and pets we meet have Hoffman’s stylistic charm when they are described and are full of enigmatic dialogue and humorous mannerisms that ooze charm from each page. As the plot builds and new fantastic possibilities and powers are given to Odo and Sephie, the story expands with unpredictable twists and a satisfying conclusion that will still leave series fans hungry for more. Overall, The Translucent Boy and the Cat Who Ran Out of Time is equally as whimsical and fantastic as its predecessor.”

 

 

The Bartholomew the Adventurer Trilogy

 

“An epic that hits all the perfect notes of science, magic, and sweetness.”   –Kirkus Review

“An endlessly stimulating sequel that caters to intellectually fearless readers.”   –Kirkus Review

The Bartholomew the Adventurer Trilogy and the Orville Wellington Mouse adventures are multi-leveled stories which have been compared to Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, and Neverending Story. The books have underlying themes of ethics, metaphysics, philosophy, quantum physics, and personal growth. A common theme is the idea that there is no magic, only science we don’t understand. The books were written to provide an alternate way to view the world we live in. To see all life as a single force, all life equally precious, no matter the form. A world where violence is not necessary, a world where the protagonists are changed forever by their difficult choices, by their own sacrifices. A world of empathy, kindness, and love. And of course, ten foot tall ancient robotic rabbits and gigantic carnivorous centipedes living on post apocalyptic planets!

A romping tale of adventure set in the far distant future after humans have vanished from the planet. The protagonist is a self centered rabbit named Bartholomew who sets out in search of a missing object which he is unable to describe or name. Along the way he meets his adventuring companion, Oliver T. Rabbit, a brilliant scientist who also undergoes a deep transformation in the trilogy, coming to understand that there is no magic, only science, whether it’s time travel, parallel dimensions, manifesting physical objects with thoughts, or reincarnation. Their adventures take them to lost cities, parallel universes and other planets, along the way meeting a host of memorable characters including ancient robotic rabbits, the Tree of Eyes, the Singing Monks of Nirriim, the Blue Spectre, and Edmund the Explorer.

All the events in the trilogy are based on known metaphysical phenomena and philosophical beliefs which have been in existence for thousands of years. That being said, The Bartholomew the Adventurer Trilogy can be read and enjoyed by a young person with no knowledge of metaphysics or philosophy. The books are written very simply, but are multileveled, having been compared by readers to Chronicles of Narnia, The Alchemist and The Hobbit.  If you’d like to learn more about the stories behind the stories, just click on “The Real Stories Behind Bartholomew the Adventurer”.

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Orville Wellington Mouse Adventures

2016 Gold Medal Winner • Best Young Adult Adventure Book
Readers Favorite International Book Award

The Orville Wellington Mouse series is filled with grand adventure, friendship, and humor while retaining the deeper themes of ethics, metaphysics, science, and personal growth. A fun and inspiring read for all ages, Orville Wellington Mouse titles include:

Orville Mouse and the Puzzle of the Clockwork Glowbirds

Orville Wellington Mouse lives with his Mum in the quiet fishing village of Muridaan Falls, Symoca. His life takes an unexpected turn when he learns his best friend Sophia Mouse is not only from another planet, but is also a member of the Shapers Guild, a group of powerful mice who are able to convert their thoughts into physical objects.

When Orville notices a group of seven glowbirds exhibiting rather extraordinary behavior, he and Sophia attempt to uncover the origin of the unusual birds but soon find themselves enmeshed in a fiendish plot to embroil Symoca in a horrific war. Captured by the powerful and mysterious Red Mouse, the two adventurers are hurled through a spectral door into the terrifying world of Periculum, home of the dreaded giant carnivorous centipedes.

With help from the secretive Metaphysical Adventurers, Proto the Rabbiton, the Mad Mouse of Muridaan, a gigantic Gnorli bird, some ghostly Anarkkian warriors, and the enigmatic Monks of the Blue Robe, Orville and Sophia must find their way home and stop the evil Red Mouse before he destroys Symoca.

Orville Mouse and the Puzzle of the Shattered Abacus

Orville Wellington Mouse unwittingly sets off a galaxy shaking chain of events when he buys his mum a lovely birthday necklace from Miraculum’s Fine Antiques. When Orville and his best friend Sophia Mouse observe a small glass marble breaking the laws of physics they set out to discover the cause of its extraordinary behavior, unexpectedly revealing the marble’s astonishing connection to his mum’s new necklace.

The pair of young Metaphysical Adventurers soon find themselves in a desperate race to prevent time from stopping in their galaxy. With help from their good friend Proto the Rabbiton, Master Marloh of the Metaphysical Adventurers, the Mad Mouse of Muridaan, Ollo the Rock Mouse, Myrmac the Brave, the King of Ants, the Shrieking Terror of Tatuid, and Captain Patcher of the Dragonfly Squadron, Orville and Sophia must travel to the terrifying apocalyptic planet of Varmoran to discover the incredible truth that lies within the mysterious blue marble.

Orville Mouse and the Puzzle of the Capricious Shadows

When Orville Mouse rescues an errant windblown hat on his way to work, he soon discovers the hat’s shadow is not behaving as it should be. While attempting to discover the cause of this curious phenomenon, Orville and his best friend Sophia Mouse uncover a terrifying secret, soon finding themselves in a desperate race to prevent the imminent destruction of uncountable parallel worlds.

With help from their old friend Proto the Rabbiton, mysterious Madam Molly, a wistful robotic curator named Copo, a pair of gigantic vacationing insects, a ghostly engineer, the vaporous Others, and the simmering Forest of Thorns, the two stalwart adventurers must retrace the journey of a centuries old explorer named Haukesworth Mouse to the lost world of Tectar and a terrifying confrontation with Mendacium the Dark Wizard in the dank and dismal dungeons of infamous Castle Caligari.

Orville Mouse and the Puzzle of the Last Metaphonium

When Orville Mouse wakes up from a terrifying nightmare to find a mysterious red book in his bed, he and his best friend Sophia set out to decipher the cryptic manuscript, convinced the book is connected to the disappearance of Orville’s neighbor, Aislin Mouse. Their quest takes them to the lost city of Cathne where an astonishing turn of events catapults the adventurers into a desperate interdimensional race to save Aislin.

Accompanied by their old friend Proto the Rabbiton, Orville and Sophia enter the bewildering and terrifying world of Elysian in search of Aislin Mouse. With help from a beautiful ghost mouse, Orville’s cantankerous neighbor Ebenezer, Puella the Wise One, crusty old Captain Tobias, an austere monk named Brother Solus, dreamy Madam Beasley, and Charon the Ferrymouse, the stalwart adventurers must uncover the secret of the last Metaphonium and confront the horrific burning charcoal stick creature known only as the Shadow King.

Orville Mouse and the Puzzle of the Sagacious Sapling 

Orville’s terrifying dream of being cooked in a stewpot by ferocious purple birds marks the beginning of an extraordinary quest to prevent Muridaan Falls from disappearing into the past. In the midst of the worst winter storm in memory, Orville and Sophia must discover the connection between two ancient Mintarian rings, a gold pocket watch that runs backwards, and an extraordinary tree that Orville claims to have seen.

Orville, Sophia, and Proto journey to the unsettling Plane of Turris where a startling truth is revealed, redirecting the intrepid Metaphysical Adventurers to the sweltering prehistoric jungle world of Ferus.  With help from Science Guild Master Lybis, mysterious Madam Molly, the enigmatic Watcher, ferocious Captain Beaky, amazing Amanda Mouse, the angry ghost of Captain Ryle, and Squeaky the RoboPup, they must stop the Great Thaumatarian Time Wave before Muridaan Falls becomes history.

 

The Comet Kid Chronicles

Under the Blue Comet (Book 1)

Born under a mysterious blue comet, Max Underwood’s life is upended on his eleventh birthday when he gains two remarkable powers and discovers his parents are much more than they seem to be. Kidnapped by an escaping alien, Max and his older sister Grace are dragged from the sleepy farmlands of Kansas through an alien wormhole into a desolate post-apocalyptic world controlled by a living android known as the Crystal Father. As Max and Grace struggle to survive the harsh environment, primitive aliens, marauding bandits, and terrifying otherworldly creatures, they begin to uncover the secrets of Max’s blue comet, along the way recruiting a shy and enigmatic Comet Kid named Sophie and a quirky robot named Zeus to help them battle the dark forces that are preparing to invade Earth.

The Unfocused Man (Book 2)

Max and Grace locate their missing friend Sophie, only to learn a mysterious creature known as the Unfocused Man has also been searching for her. When they encounter the enigmatic being in the woods behind Max’s house, events take a sudden turn, the three friends setting off on a quest to save twenty-thousand refugees aboard a stranded interstellar ship orbiting the uncharted world of Praelium. The intrepid trio, along with a badly damaged and ill-tempered android named Wesley, make landfall, racing to find the ship’s missing captain and crew while battling primitive warriors, monstrous apocalyptic biomechs, and purple brain gobblers from the depths of a vast and mysterious sea.

The Sinister Sorcerer (Book 3)

Grace makes an unexpected visit to ancient Rome, a strange woman telling her to a find a lost scepter. Clara Voyant moves to Centerburg, telling Max she’s having ghost troubles. A reclusive old actor reveals he has lived on many worlds, warning Max ands Grace of a deadly alien horobotite invasion. In other words, just another day in the life of the amazing comet kids!

In a desperate race to stop the horobotites, Max, Grace, Sophie, and the newest comet kid, Naomi, wormhole to the terrifying world of Erebus, confronting blue zombies, crimson serpents, white flies, and an unhinged robotic parking valet as they search for the elusive lost Scepter of Janus.