To Sartre, Hell was other people. To the game designer, Hell is the game. Damico writes games for a living. When called in to rescue a local roleplaying game demo, Damico is shot in the head by a loony fan. He awakens in a game. A game full of hackney’s tropes and clichéd plots. A game he was there to save, run by the man who murdered him just moments ago. A game that has just become world-swap fantasy. Damico, to his horror, has become the heart of the cliché. Set on their quest in a scene that would make Ed Wood blush, Damico discovers a new wrinkle. As a game designer, he is a creative force in this broken place. His presence touches the two-dimensional inhabitants. First a peasant, then a barmaid, then his character’s own father…all come alive. But the central question remains. Can Damico escape, or is he trapped in this nightmare? Forever. Wait, what? This is a comedy? Ignore all that. Death by Cliché is a heartwarming tale of catastrophic brain damage. Share it with someone you love. Or like. Or anyone at all. Buy the book. Based on a true story. We asked several respected authors and editors for quotes about the podcast audiobook Death by Cliché. These are some of their replies: “Where are you taking me, and why can’t I open this door?” -Kevin J. Anderson, New York Times bestselling author of Blood of the Cosmos. “I totally didn’t just make up this quote without reading the book.” -Dan Wells, Author of The Devils Only Friend “I told Bob I would heartily recommend this book, and he said I could have Mister Whiskers back.” -Dan Willis, Coauthor of Dragons of the Confederacy

Damico is trapped in a fantasy roleplaying game. Not “trapped at the table” like Thanksgiving dinner after a particularly unpleasant election. Trapped inside. Back in the real world he's probably bleeding to death in the trunk of the game master’s car. On a happier note, he currently rules this improbably-constructed world from the very plush Comfy Chair, which he ordered built to replace the previous overlord’s throne. It’s amazing what a true artist can do with hard wood, soft animals, and relaxation magic. Unfortunately, this world exists to serve a fantasy roleplaying game, and players back in the real world have started rolling dice again. An artifact that grants complete control of the weather has fallen into the hands of a mad man, and Damico must join the adventurers in their quest to face-stab evil in the name of justice. Also, he needs to decide whether to become the Dark God of Destruction, so his schedule is filling up quickly.

Damico made a terrible mistake. You see, he didn’t destroy the Eraser, the all-powerful Artifact that gives him the ultimate power of annihilation. Instead, he kept it, and every morning he wakes up and makes the conscious decision not to become the Dark God of Destruction. Worse, he lied to woman he loves about it. I don’t know how things work in your house, but that’s usually the sort of decision you make as a couple. Months have passed and she hasn’t forgiven him. She doesn’t trust him. She barely recognizes him. He’s starting to fear she doesn’t love him anymore. And the natives are restless. From the head of his Empire on the Comfy Throne™, he can see the High Lords plotting against him. They urge him to reinstate the tyrannies of the past. They insist that allowing kingdoms to secede peacefully, it shows weakness, and now rebels have risen against him. He empathizes with their plight, but if he lets them go, the High Lords will use this as an excuse to overthrow him, and if he puts them down, he becomes the monster he dreads. Also, did we mention his kitten has turned out to be the prophesized Cat of Darkness, and that the High Lords just assassinated his only two allies on the council? Who would have thought you’d be shot in the head, end up in the worse roleplaying game of all time, and things would go downhill from there?