About the Craniacs Paperback Novel Volume 1 Escape from the Chrome Dome

Readers decide their own fate in the interactive middle grade Craniacs series inspired by the collectible trading cards of the same name, from beloved and bestselling author R.L. Stine and the artist behind the Garbage Pail Kids, Joe Simko.

In this first book, a looming volcano eruption leads to a flaming-hot competition in the skull-shaped Chrome Dome. Includes awesome illustrations throughout!

When the ultra-futuristic planet Futerra and the Stone Age–style Retrovia smashed together, they formed one world with two very different populations who must find a way to live in peace. Their solution? The Chrome Dome, where danger is the name of the game and kids compete in wild and wacky challenges to settle domestic and interplanetary disputes.

It’s a battle to the fiery, lava-filled death when a giant volcano on Retrovia is about to explode and destroy the entire planet. The winner will have to get past the hot-snot-dripping, pointy-toothed Boarger, scale the Slippery Sock Slide of Ultimate Shame, traverse the Exploding Toilets of Doom obstacle course, and pass the Excuse Me, Your Zip Line Is on Fire challenge.

In each interactive book in the Craniacs series, it’s up to the reader to make the correct choices and outlive the competition. Good luck! You’ll need it.

TM & (C) 2026 Ira Friedman Enterprises, LLC. All Rights Reserved. R.L. Stine invented the teen horror genre with Fear Street, the bestselling teen horror series of all time. He also changed the face of children’s publishing with the mega-successful Goosebumps series, which went on to become a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. Guinness World Records cites Stine as the most prolific author of children’s horror fiction novels. He lives in New York City with his wife, Jane, and their dog, Lucky.

Joe Simko is an artist and writer known for his happy horror style. He is a writer for the Topps company and lead Garbage Pail Kids artist—codirector and producer of the GPK documentary feature film 30 Years of Garbage and cocreator of Craniacs. Simko lives in New York City with his wife, June; his son, Zy; and many, many boxes of cereal.