Monday 26 June 2017

The Door Before - N.D. Wilson - 100 Cupboards Book 0.5

The Door Before
100 Cupboards Book 0.5
N.D. Wilson
Random House Books for Young Readers
Random House of Canada
ISBN 9780449816776
ASIN B01GBAJR3I



I have been a fan of N.D. Wilson's writings since reading 100 Cupboards back in 2009. When I found out that he was writing a prequel to the 100 Cupboards series I could not wait to read it. But even if you have not read that series this book in a wonderful read. In fact I really hope this book is the first in a new series. This book opens with these words:

"Trees keep time the way time is meant to be kept.
They wrap the years around themselves in ringed layers,
expanding as the ages do. And when time forks,
so do the trees, stretching branches into cousin futures,
plunging roots into sister pasts, binding
every leaf into the one story, the only story.
The story that began. The story that cannot end,
because it can never stop growing."

This is a story about family, about bonds, about friendship, and about magic. In the vein of the Lord of the Rings, or better yet the Narnia Chronicles. Like C.S. Lewis, N.D. Wilson is going back and telling the origin story after the first three books were published, and like Lewis this origin story is packed full of adventure. One of the main focuses of the book is a powerful young woman named Hyacinth Smith. She can stop dogs in their tracks, she can grow plans, and she sees what others miss. Her father inherits a house from a distant relative. Everything starts to go sideways when they get to this house. For her great aunt has been playing with powers well beyond her control. She has collected a forest of trees that were struck by lightning and has used them to create doorways into other worlds. 

When one of these doors open two boys tumble through, but so does a creature of great evil, the queen witch Nimiane. And the battle begins. Hyacinth, her brother, and the strange boys must find a way to stop the witch or she will not only destroy our world but all the worlds she can reach through the doors. 

Like Wilson's other books this story has a great pace. Incredible characters, and a whole lot of adventure. I love the strong female character and cannot wait to read this book with my girls when they are a little older. I greatly enjoyed this book, and really hope that Wilson blesses us with more.

Books by N.D. Wilson
100 Cupboards:
 

The Door Before - 100 Cupboards Book 0.5
100 Cupboards - 100 Cupboards Book 1
Dandelion Fire - 100 Cupboards Book 2
The Chestnut King - 100 Cupboards Books 3


Ashton Burials:
 

The Dragon's Tooth
The Drowned Vault


Leepike Ridge


Parody:
 

Right Behind
Supergeddon


Picture Books:
 

The Dragon and the Garden - The Old Stories
In The Time of Noah - The Old Stories


Non-Fiction:

Notes From The Tilt-A-Whirl
Death By Living

Author Profile Interview with N.D. Wilson


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