The Door Within by Wayne Thomas Batson Published by: Tommy Nelson (2005) 311 pages Rating: 8/10 Buy it Now:    Also by Wayne Thomas Batson: The Final Storm The Rise of the Wyrm Lord Isle of Swords

Christian fantasy generally falls into two categories: straight-out fantasy novels with some allegorical elements, set totally within another world; and the Narnia-style wherein a resident (or residents) of Earth travel to an otherworld, generally strongly allegorical, and return to our world, much wiser for their experiences. The latter is generally focused more at younger readers (though Stephen Lawhead's Song of Albion trilogy is a notable and excellent exception), and is often very derivitive of Narnia and similar works.

Fortunately, Wayne Thomas Batson has found a new idea to mix in to the old formula that helps revive the genre somewhat and weave some intriguing new concepts together.

The Door Within is the first book in a trilogy (see the side panel for the other two) featuring a realm known as Alleble. It's mostly what you would expect, with a great King who rules wisely over all and once sacrificed Himself for His people, a rebel known as Paragor who was once one of the King's greatest knights and now rules over a dark kingdom, and various other heroes and villains and monsters. The people of this world are known as Glimpses, and each one of them has a mirror on Earth. In other words, for every person here on Earth, there is also a Glimpse in Alleble whose life and identity mirror that person. If one dies, the other dies, and so on.

Aidan Thomas, teenage boy, visits Alleble in this first book. Having recently moved to Colorado, Aidan is discouraged about leaving his best friend Robbie and his old home in Maryland. His encounter with some mysterious scrolls and a few clues from his grandfather lead him to the Door Within, and what lies beyond.

Caught up in Alleble's conflicts and mysteries, Aidan is proclaimed as the Twelfth Knight, who will join a group of heroes on a special mission for the King. Together, they face the challenges of Paragor's dark powers and minions, as well as trying to influence others to join them.

While on Earth, Aidan comes across as much younger than he's intended to be, and the story somewhat falters in dealing with the way others react to Aidan's scrolls. However, once he arrives in Alleble, the story picks up immeasurably. Aidan becomes a much more interesting and well-rounded character as the story develops and each of his knightly companions gets a chance to shine as well.

There are many things foreshadowed that obviously point to events in the remaining two volumes of the trilogy, but nothing feels out of place. While the style is aimed at younger readers, it's enjoyable for those of us a bit older, as well. Recommended.