Book Title: The Door Within
Author: Wayne Thomas Batson
Series Name: The Door Within
Book No.: #1
Genre: Fantasy, Children’s Lit, Christian Literature
First Published: 2005
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
At the moment, I am in the process of going through my TBR pile, and The Door Within was one of the books that was on it. I recently finished listening to the audiobook and I have to say, the first sentence drew me in instantly. I think that is also the skill of the narrator, not just the author. The narrator brought the story to life. The first several chapters were so action packed that I couldn’t stop listening.
For those who enjoy action-packed fantasy with a deep, fantastical world, this one will likely keep you engaged. I found the first few chapters to be exhilarating and filled with promise. While I was able to separate the story from the Christian symbolism and just enjoy the story as a story, be aware that it is Christian lit.
Synopsis of The Door Within
Aidan Thomas and his parents have a strained relationship after they uprooted his life and moved across country without any warning to care for his ailing grandfather. He has struggled to settle into his new school and settle in with a group of new friends. When he begins to have nightmares, Aidan finds himself drawn to his grandfather’s basement where he finds three ancient scrolls and a mysterious invitation to another world.
The Door Within Plot and World-Building
The plot of The Door Within is engaging, particularly in the early chapters. The story starts with a strong, fast-paced narrative that immediately grabs your attention. From there, Batson takes readers on a journey through a richly crafted world, full of unique characters and mythical creatures. The world-building is solid, and I was impressed by the detail with which Batson constructed the setting. The world felt immersive and vivid, drawing me into the fantasy realm.
In particular, I really liked the description of the Glimpse, a subhuman species that glimmer and are like a double-ganger of people on earth. If they die, so does the human. Their eyes change colour when they are undecided, traitorous, or loyal to the King. I’m not a huge fan of spiders, but lantern spiders like lantern fish… that was really vivid.
The book lacks danger, but perhaps it is because it’s a book aimed at kids. I’d imagine this being a book for 9-12 year olds. However, there is a lot of death in the book. Aiden’s whole group dies other than himself and Glenn. The deaths were not overly detailed, and again I wonder if age is a factor for that.
I think one of the criticism I have with the plot is that no one would be knight-ready in one week. Yet Aidan goes through extensive training to make him knight-ready in that length of time. I also find it hard to believe a teenager would be able to survive things that knights who have had longer training would not.
Christian Undertones
Oe aspect of the book that might catch some readers off guard is its Christian undertones. While the story stands on its own as an exciting fantasy adventure, it is also deeply rooted in Christian themes. Concepts such as needing faith, and the battle between good and evil are woven throughout the narrative. Only when eyes are blue does the character believe in the King, a symbolism for god. Aiden’s grandfather’s glimpse has blue eyes to indicate that when he dies he will go to heaven. Aiden’s father needed saving from almost choosing not to believe. His glimpse starts to have red eyes until the last moment where they turn blue, showing redemption.
As someone who is not Christian, I didn’t mind this, and I was able to separate the religious elements from the plot. However, I do want to acknowledge that some readers might find these aspects either too heavy-handed or not in line with their personal beliefs. It’s something to be aware of going in, but it didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the story.
Characterisation in The Door Within
One of the standout features of The Door Within is the characterisation. Batson does a great job of developing some characters like Aiden, Glenn, the grandfather and Aiden’s father. However, the rest of the characters fall flat, almost nothing more than background.
There were moments where I felt some secondary characters could have been given a bit more focus. Some were intriguing but underexplored. An example of this is his friend Robbie. He sees Robbie’s glimpse in the glimpse world known as Falon. His eyes turn red.
Robbie was a friend that Aiden had before moving. They keep in touch over email but there isn’t much depth to him to explain why he’d have red eyes. Aiden has the most growth as the protagonist, and I like how his relationship with Glenn develops. The grandfather and the father do not develop much, but their personalities do shine through.
Aiden
Aiden initially is undecided on whether he believes Falon and the scrolls. He asks his dad what he thinks, and his dad—who is close to having red eyes in the glimpse world—tells him he is too old to believe in stories like Falon. At night, Aiden keeps dreaming of Falon and how the king is in trouble. His grandfather tells him if he chooses to believe, he would be able to go there. Aiden is reluctant after the conversion he had with his father but does choose to believe and his long adventure in Falon begins.
Aiden’s family
We don’t really see much of Aiden’s family outside of Falon. However, when we do, it is usually the grandfather and the father. Their personalities match their glimpse, with the father being short tempered and wanting Aiden to grow up in the Earth world, and his glimpse being reluctant to believe that the King will offer them peace. It is through an act of surrender that changes his father’s mind. Which worked well despite the Christian undertones.
Glenn
I like the relationship between Glenn and Aidan. It starts with Aidan not wanting to trust Glenn because she glimmers but they become really close best friends. Because she knows Falon like the back of her hand, there are times she forgets what Aidan does and does not know and I like this. By the end of the book, you have a feeling that Aidan will be looking for Glenn’s human form.
Final Thoughts
Overall, The Door Within is a solid read for 9-12 year olds. There is a high likelihood that they would not pick up on the christian undertones on their first read. I didn’t realise Narnia was Christian lit until I was an adult. Even so, as a non-Christian reader, I found it easy enough to enjoy the story on its own merits.
If you’re a fan of fantasy adventures with deeper allegorical meaning, this book might be just what you’re looking for.