Hovering before him was an enormous bubble, taller even than he was, and faintly shimmering with an unearthly light. Billy Brown can't resist the opportunity to experiment with the mysterious substance he has found. Before he knows it, he's whisked far into space, through a black hole to a strange flat planet. Soon he's embroiled in a deadly game of chess with an evil mad queen. Can Billy beat her, or will he and his friends be devoured by a monster too hideous for words?