Tag Archives: door within

The Final Storm by Wayne Thomas Batson

Posted by melydia on December 24, 2006 None comments

The Final Storm by Wayne Thomas Batson: This is the third and final book in The Door Within trilogy, in which Aidan and company fight the evil Paragor for the last time. I have mixed feelings. Now, I accept that this trilogy could not have ended with a cop-out like “and then Aiden woke up snug in his bed”, but several of my questions were never answered, such as what happened to the green-eyed/undecided folks. The motives of Paragor’s followers are similarly unclear: he promises them power, and yet they obviously do nothing but serve his whims. Even Robby’s internal struggle, which is by far the most detailed, is pretty unrealistic. The characterization is often unconvincing to an adult, with several one-note personalities, but that is fairly common in children’s books. I would say that this trilogy would be good for Christian kids (since the idea of King Eliam doesn’t make a whole lot of sense unless you get the Jesus symbolism), but it’s awfully violent. This book in particular is nearly nonstop fighting and death told in graphic detail. In short, this trilogy was a fine diversion, but not something I would go out of my way to recommend.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

The Rise of the Wyrm Lord by Wayne Thomas Batson

Posted by melydia on July 27, 2006 None comments

The Rise of the Wyrm Lord (The Door Within Trilogy, Book 2) by Wayne Thomas Batson: Though the second book of a trilogy, it feels much more like a sequel, using the old formula or having another character revisit the experiences of the hero of the original. Here, this other character is Aidan’s friend and possible love interest Antoinette. Back in the real world, Aidan attempts to save his friend Robby while Antoinette searches for Robby’s Glimpse twin, a servant of the evil Paragor, to convert him as well.

In The Realm, there are three categories of people: those who follow King Eliam (good), those who follow Prince Paragor (bad), and the “undecided” people, which also includes good people who simply do not believe in the existence of The Realm at all. There is no explicit mention of hell, so it is unclear why it is so important for people to believe. What happens if you die while still in the undecided camp? Perhaps that will be addressed in the third and final installment. I hope so, because without that vital bit of information, the characters’ motivation is pretty arbitrary.

Anyway. This story is a lot more of the same stuff as The Door Within, so if you liked that one, you’ll like this one too. It was a bit more rushed and a lot more violent, and leaves you with a cliffhanger, almost as if the second and third books originally were meant as one big sequel that was too long for a single volume. I’ll be curious to see how it wraps up all its loose ends.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

The Door Within by Wayne Thomas Batson

Posted by melydia on July 2, 2006 None comments

The Door Within (The Door Within Trilogy, Book 1) by Wayne Thomas Batson: This is the story of Aidan, a rather emotional 15-year-old boy who finds some old scrolls in his grandfather’s basement that lead him to The Realm, a fantastical land of knights, unicorns, and dragons. I spent much of the book with a nagging sense of deja vu. About halfway through I realized that this story was more or less The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe sans talking animals. It was all there: the Other Land discovered by a child but disbelieved by all their elders except for the old man who owned the house; the semi-medieval setting; and the heavy Christian allegory, without which the story doesn’t make a whole lot of sense (if you don’t recognize King Eliam as Jesus right away, you’ll spend much of the book wondering how he can be responsible for so many things he’s not present for). And despite its thickness, it also is unquestionably a children’s book. The characters are simple, the action is straightforward, and there are even potential vocabulary words in italics (portcullis, gauntlet, etc.). However, I’m looking at it through adult eyes. I’m sure this would be a very enjoyable book for a child, and it is in fact quite reminiscent of some of my favorite books from my youth. The description is very detailed without dragging, most of the characters are charmingly written, and the story is fun. I’m curious to see how the rest of the trilogy plays out.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

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