Wayne Thomas Batson

I have The Door Within Trilogy by Wayne Thomas Batson at home to read; I have heard wonderful things about it. When I saw this book on my Amazon Vine newsletter I was excited! So, I got this book through the Amazon Vine program. There are supposed to be at least three book in this series; the second book "Venom and Song" is due out August 2010. This was a fabulous book!

Seven kids with very different lives find out they all have one thing in common; their human parents are not their real show more parents and they themselves are not human. Tommy, Autumn, Johnny, Jimmy, Kat, Kiri, and Jett are all on the brink of turning thirteen years old. They come from different parts of the world and different walks of life but they are all about to be brought together. They are all elven lords from an alternate world and as they approach thirteen their gifts are starting to become active. Suddenly they are being hunted by manlike creatures in grey trench coats and they are each given a book of Elven history that literally comes to life when they touch it. Will the elven Sentinels find all of the elven lords before the Spider King does? These kids, now elven lords, are the only people who can keep the Spider King from annihilating the elven race.

This was an excellent book. For the first third of the book it alternates between scenes of the children living their current lives and scenes from the elven book of history. There is a lot of setup to do in this book. You have to bring seven different kids together. All of the kids live in different parts of the world and have completely different lifestyles. It took about 200 pages to introduce us to all of the kids; but surprisingly the introduction of the characters was so well done it was a pleasure to read. The writing styles between the current scenes and the history scenes varies significantly and I wonder if the two authors wrote those parts separately.

Batson and Hopper introduce the characters in a way that is intriguing and engaging; I never felt like the story was bogged down by all the characters. All the different Sentinels and their elven lords can get a little bit confusing (Tommy, Jimmy, and Johnny are easy to mix up because of name similarities, I personally would have picked more varied names) but there is a nice index in the front where you can look up each character if you do get confused.

The characters are amazingly well-developed and fleshed-out; especially considering how many of them there are. The enemies are truly evil and the heroes are heroic. The plot clips along at a fast pace, with excellent tension as you wonder if the Elven Lords will ever meet up and travel to their home world of Allyra. The world-building is amazing and the breadth of the story impressive. I enjoyed every part of this book. The writing style is a pleasure to read with a good balance between description and action; the dialogue flows very well and sounds natural.

All the above being said I think this is going to be an immense series. There are so many characters and so many things happening; that the story will be a big one. So, far I have heard at least three books for this series...but I wouldn't be surprised if there are more. This was a wonderful example of great middle grade/young adult epic fantasy and I think adults will enjoy it too!

I really loved this book and cannot wait to read the next one. The strong points of this book are the wonderful characterization, excellent world-building, and intricate yet engaging plot. The only weak point is that there are a lot of characters to keep track of; but the authors did a good job of lending a hand in that area by providing an index in the front. After reading this book I am even more excited to read The Door Within Trilogy. show less

Wow. This book is great. Enough battles and peril to satisfy the adventure-lover, enough secrets to satisfy the mystery-lover, and enough coolness to satisfy the... well, cool-lover!

All around great. Granted, some might see it as "just another fantasy book", but it most certainly has characteristics that distinguish it from others in its genre.

For instance, there is an unlikely connection between Earth and The Realm... but I won't spoil that for you. :-D Also, there is a good dose of show more Biblical allegory, enough to inspire and appeal to Christian readers, yet not so much that the books would be termed "preachy" by most non-Christians. It would still be a marvelous book even without these themes.

This is also a welcome addition to the book world because, by almost all standards, it is clean. I have tried many other fantasy tales and been sorely disappointed by inappropriate words and references.

This book is emotional, as well. Beloved characters die, yet even in those times, there is hope...

I will mention that its main downside would be, in my opinion, the fact that there were a grammar issues that I found distracting. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the plot and characters so much that I still am giving this book all five stars.

Super-powered dragons, knights, damsels in distress, spies, sword duels, and wolvins. Find all this and more... if you dare to learn of the Rise of the Wyrm Lord.

WARNING: As a fellow victim, I feel obligated to inform you: should you reach the end of this book, you will find yourself completely incapable of NOT reading the next one. You might as well order the Final Storm right now.

-whisper show less

Deep in the depths of imagination is a story that I was challenged with. It was hard at first for me to follow all the creatures and mystical beings. There were times when the battles were graphic but for me it added just the right amount to vividly see the adventure unfold. I really liked the battle with the dragon at the beginning of the story. The author has a way with descriptive words which place readers in the arena watching as one by one the dragon prevailed.

I suddenly found myself show more really into the story as Alistair became this person who seemed lost and hoping for forgiveness from his past. He is a worthy opponent and does have a soft side which he tries to hide from others. There is definitely darkness throughout the story and a vast array of creatures that would scare anyone. I began to wonder what all these battles, kings and creatures where trying to project. These are just my thoughts and maybe someone else will see the story in a different way. Alistair is always looking for Halfanin. He is always seeking for that someone, a being , anything that would forgive him. Isn't that what we do? We want forgiveness, but at times don't realize that God is right there waiting with arms wide open.

There is another part in the story that took my breath away. Lady Abbagael is quite the character. Alistair has called on her to help with a baby he has been given to protect. There are a few laughs when they banter over how to take care of the baby. The most significant part for me was in the midst of the battle, the baby who seemed to be covered in blood was unharmed. Perhaps what Alistair had been searching for all this time, was right there in front of him. A mere infant clothed in cloth, innocent and yet full of hope.

I fell in love with the Willowfolk and wanted to be in their presence. They had an aura of peace around them, but were fierce when protecting each other. The author has written such a wonderful story that takes readers on a journey like none has ever imagined. The genius of the authors' writing has surpassed many others who write in this genre. It is brilliant and the ending is nothing short of epic. I have become a fan although at first I was overwhelmed by all the characters in the book. Well done story and a series of battles make this book a must read. Don't miss your chance to read a book rich in imagination and filled with truths and lessons.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion. show less

Heed the prophecies all you readers out there. I'm sure by now you've scanned reviews and heard the echoes of the impact this book is making. I am 15 years old and devour all kinds of fantasy, secular and Christian, adult and teen works. To start, this book proved itself worthy to sit on the number one spot of my "Best Modern Fantasy" list. At least until its sequel is released.

COTSK is about 7 teenagers, each from varying backgrounds (a variety enough for any reader to resonate with at show more least one), who are thrust into strange and confusing circumstances wrought with danger and mystery. COTSK is the story of another world, Allyra, and how the noblest of all races in that world was nearly destroyed. COTSK is the story of how 7 teens are revealed as Elven lords prophesied to save a dying land.

Now don't leave me yet. Curse of the Spider King is NOT your average "two worlds" novel. This isn't the type of story where children wander into another world and are instantly filled with unlikely courage and save the day. Quite the contrary. This is the story where realistic teens with hurting and burdensome hearts are faced with an impossible task (yes, quite impossible) and learn two words--Endurance and Victory.

Be prepared when you read this book for a large cast of characters, characters with distinct personalities and histories, deep characters, and be prepared to fall in love with them. Be prepared to read this book and forget about everything else save it. I have never felt the sensation of "not being able to put a book down" until I read this book. And I have read everything from Eragon to Shannara to Dragons In Our Midst. This book easily tops them all. And better yet, it lays the groundwork for an exciting series to come.

The world of Allyra is a world you do not want to forget, and you do not want to miss out on.

Wayne Batson and Christopher Hopper have successfully combined their voices into one and written a beautiful book. Honorable adults, courageous characters, a loving almighty God. Hair raising battle scenes and repulsing spiders. Evil villians and mystery wrought within. And one insanely intriguing story-line, I'm still putting pieces together. And I'm loving it!

You will love this book. show less