Fantastic Fantasy - Wayne Thomas Batson

As a fan of Fantasy, I've decided to start a series of posts about books I'm reading, have read, recommendations, and so forth. As you can see by the title, it's called Fantastic Fantasy. I'll feature different authors and their books and try to give very fair reviews and let you know if I'm having trouble being unbiased. My intention is to keep this a fairly regular feature, but we shall see. Also, check out my Shelfari link here or in the sidebar.

My first installment is, appropriately, one of my very favorite authors, Wayne Thomas Batson:

Wayne Thomas Batson:

The Door Within

As many of you already know, I'm a HUGE fan of Wayne Thomas Batson. His books speak so well of the Christian walk, while disguising themselves as amazing Fantasy Fiction. Today, I'm going to review the first book of his that I read, The Door Within.

Author Links

Blog: Enter the Door Within

Amazon Link: The Door Within

Recommended Age: 12+ (Although, my daughter began it when she was 8.)

The story begins with a very average kid, Aidan, who lives in the shadow of his best friend's great achievements. Aidan's grandfather's failing health tears him away from his friends and home, as he and his parents journey to Colorado.

Aidan cannot see the good in the move, but his own anger is left behind as he discovers three mysterious clay pots in his grandfather's basement. Glowing and containing "The Story," the pots open a whole new adventure that has little to do with his own will and everything to do with the will of King Eliam.

Aidan's journey through The Door Within teaches him to look beyond his circumstances and find the greater purpose he may serve.

Aidan discovers an unseen world, The Realm, populated with human-like creatures called Glimpses. His purpose becomes clear; he is to be the 12th knight of the Elder Guard. How an awkward teenage boy can become a knight and fight an evil force in two weeks, is beyond Aidan's comprehension. However, he steps forward and accepts his task with greater courage than even he realizes.

His journey of faith in himself and faith in King Eliam teaches him that to serve is to be loved and that we are "Never Alone."

Swords, knights, strange creatures, evil traitors, castles, dragons, and adventure await all who dare step through The Door Within. I recommend this book to my non-Christian friends more often than my Christian friends. Why? This book will capture their imaginations and take them for a ride, all the while, asking themselves, "Can I, like Aidan, be Never Alone!?" It's a quiet ministry that begs our hearts to find our own greater purpose.

As a Christian, I felt the book speak to me of the rocky and sometimes overwhelmingly difficult path of Christianity. We, like Aidan, have family and friends whom we want to see in Heaven, but who smile and pat our heads in the "that's cute" way. We've all faced trials that seemed impossible, yet find ourselves standing on the other side asking ourselves, "How in the world did I get through that?"

Aidan's journey is one that we can all relate to, whether Christian or not, but does an amazing job of leading us up to those big questions in life.

Until next time friends...