The Door Before

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The Door Before by N.D. Wilson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Young fans of N.D. Wilson’s fantasy fiction, once they find out about the pending release of this book, will be jumping up and down with barely contained excitement. In some cases, it won’t be barely contained. It will be unbridled glee. In other instances, perhaps, it will be untrammeled joy. Whatever it is, The Door Before is releasing on June 27, 2017.

The Door Before is a prequel to the 100 Cupboards trilogy — 100 Cupboards, Dandelion Fire, and The Chestnut King. But wait . . . there is way more than that. It also weaves this Cupboards backstory together with the world of the Ashtown Burials — The Dragon’s Tooth, The Drowned Vault, and Empire of Bones. A fourth installment on that series is still pending, entitled The Silent Bells. Without getting into the Byzantine world of New York publishing house decision-making, those who have been wanting an interim Ashtown fix can get it here — even though the book is technically a Cupboards prequel. Don’t you get what I am saying? This is a Prequel, people.

Hyacinth Smith is the heroine of this story, and she comes from the Smiths of Ashtown fame. She has the gift of summoning growth out of living things, which lands her in the dangerous position of opening up ways between worlds. What with one thing and another, she teams up with Caleb and Mordecai Westmore, who tumbled into our world from Hylfing as part of their fight with Nimiane the witch. Before we are done, we are briefly walked through Henry, Kansas, we meet Rupert Greeves as a young boy, we spend time on an island full of raggants, and once again learn from the heroism of dogs. Whatever it is you think, dogs are more important than we realize.

This book is truly a satisfying read. Lots of little pieces clicking into place. I wouldn’t want to bind anyone’s conscience on this, but only wicked people haven’t preordered it yet.

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me
me
6 years ago

We preordered! And we are super glad he has two books coming out this year!

BTW, I know that many people would be happy to contribute to a kickstarter campaign for Ashtown 4. How much would he need to raise to finish it up?

"A" dad
"A" dad
6 years ago

I was trying to think of a writer as cool as Tom Wolfe, to read a section of this other new book.
I could not come up with anyone who was still alive.

Any thoughts people?

Sarah
Sarah
6 years ago

!!!!

John Warren
John Warren
6 years ago

Loved the books (100 Cupboards trilogy and Dragon’s Tooth), but my only complaint was, If there’s so much at stake here, where’s the blood of Jesus? It’s not like there aren’t any Biblical references, so why not go all the way?

Sean Kooyman
Sean Kooyman
6 years ago
Reply to  John Warren

According to this: http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/exptaking.htm

“When you lose yourself inside the world of a fictional character while reading a story, you may actually end up changing your own behavior and thoughts to match that of the character, a new study suggests.”

Is it not sufficient to write about things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable (Phil 4:8)?

jillybean
jillybean
6 years ago
Reply to  Sean Kooyman

All the study participants were undergraduates. Do you think this is less likely to happen with older adults who have a more definite sense of personal identity?

Sean Kooyman
Sean Kooyman
6 years ago
Reply to  jillybean

Anecdotally, yes I’d expect so.

Then again, as adolescence extends further and further into adulthood, the distinction becomes less and less, I think.

John Warren
John Warren
6 years ago
Reply to  Sean Kooyman

I think the bar is high for N.D. Wilson. And the 100 Cupboards trilogy touches on ultimate reality, with such great evil and great good, that you would expect the heroes to avail themselves of all the spiritual armor available to them. As far as writing about things that are true–It is *true* that Jesus died and rose ascended and so overcame all the rulers and authorities and world-rulers and spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenlies. Wilson’s trilogy happens in the present, where we know and participate in the effects of Jesus’s victory. To be really writing about things… Read more »

Jon Swerens
6 years ago
Reply to  John Warren

Ah, but I think one overlooked template for how to write a fiction story is Jesus Himself. How did *He* tell his parables? How many direct biblical references are there in any of His parables? So many of His parables are more reflective of wisdom literature rather than direct gospel proclamation from the passages of the Old Testament that would support it.

IOW, let’s be sure to judge our fiction by the correct standards, for they are not sermons, but stories.

John Warren
John Warren
6 years ago
Reply to  Jon Swerens

Yes they are stories, but in Jesus’s stories the King or the Father appears. I’m not arguing for artificial insertion of Biblical references, but for artful inclusion of ultimate figures. I’m thinking Aslan type stuff here.

Christine
6 years ago

I am literally preordering as soon as possible because I’ve been excited for about two months already over this book and then discovering this is a crossover????????