Chris Dolley

Chris Dolley writes science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and comic memoir, drawing on a career that also included early computer-game design. French Fried recounts the first eight months after he and his wife, Shelagh, moved from England to rural France. Domestic mishaps involving an old house, animals, vehicles, and language barriers give way to a cross-border identity-theft case when the couple discover that their savings have disappeared. Dolley then follows the paper trail himself after police agencies in several countries dispute responsibility. That unusual shift from relocation comedy to firsthand investigation gives the memoir its distinctive shape. In the 1980s, Dolley founded Randomberry Games and created Necromancer, an early three-dimensional fantasy game. His fiction later ranged from the Reeves and Worcester mysteries to speculative novels and short stories. French Fried connects those interests in puzzles and comic escalation to lived experience, using procedural detail without losing sight of the family's improvised adjustment to France.