Tales of wonder... from Idaho!

There's a fine line between campy and cheesy, but Jack Castle's "Europa Journal" stays on the fun side without crossing into the ridiculous.

Jack Castle is the chess-themed pen name of local author Chris Tortora - or "Marshal Jack" as he's known at his day job with the cowboy stunt show on Silverwood Theme Park's Steam Engine Train ride. Tortora's many years of zany stunts and crazy comedy show through in "Europa Journal," a classic sci-fi romp involving a World War II pilot, lion-yeti samurai, wormholes and an imprisoned goddess.

This foray into the unknown might seem like a stretch for a former law enforcement trainer and current stuntman. After all, it's one thing to chase bandits around and jump off a 14-foot tower; it's something else to poke a hole into another dimension.

"I first got the idea for 'Europa Journal' as a little boy growing up in Florida," Tortora said. "My uncle, Tony, who actually fought in World War II, came over to the house one day and gave me this TBM Avenger toy plane. He told me the story of how five torpedo bomber planes mysteriously vanished in the Bermuda Triangle. Of course I was astonished, and like most little boys, I was also into 'Star Trek' and 'Star Wars.' So it wasn't long before my friends and I were dressing up as World War II pilots and flying our TBM Avengers - substituted by dad's box trailer on the side of the house - and crash-landing on alien worlds and battling for survival."

"Europa Journal" is reminiscent of the mid-1950s NBC radio drama "X Minus One" and its nostalgic mix of astounding tales and over-the-top atmosphere. In that vein, the story has all the hallmarks of '50s campy sci-fi: The Bermuda Triangle, time travel, an alien princess and much more.

"Growing up, the original 'Star Trek' and 'Star Wars' movies were easily my favorites, and it wasn't uncommon to see me running around the woods I grew up in with a phaser or Han Solo blaster in my hand," Tortora said.

The inspiration and experience certainly show. This tale, where the discovery of an underwater pyramid on one of Jupiter's moons is merely the start of a grander adventure, is definitely worth a read for fans of classic sci-fi, particularly those who miss the days of rubber-suited monster mashes, "Flash Gordon" and the original "Star Trek" series.

"Europa Journal" is currently available as an e-book at Amazon.com and will be available in print in October.

Jack Castle, pen name or not, will be blasting off to a book tour in Canada in early October, but not before stopping on Oct. 6 at 6:30 p.m. at the Hayden library to hold a free workshop for budding sci-fi and fantasy authors.