The Book of Doors

Chance book selection turned one of the best reads of the year! I really enjoyed The Book of Doors and the unexpected blend of magic, horror, friendship and - books, of course. It's like the author created a book of escapism, based on the dreams and fantasies of constant readers everywhere - being protected by books, finding sanctuary in a library, passing on that love to someone else - and then threw in shadows and darkness for the drama. But even the villains were satisfying, especially the twist at the end - that's where censorship/destroying books gets you! I was gripped from start to finish, despite the tiny print, and will definitely read more by Gareth Brown (who is Scottish, despite the American setting and characters in the show more book) in the future. show less

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown has the potential to take out 'best cover design' for 2024 as determined here at Carpe Librum. Let's just take a minute to soak in the beauty that is the dark blue Victorian damask wallpaper background, punctuated by the inviting bookish staircase made from gorgeous looking leather bound books with subtle gold detailing, echoed around the corners of the front cover.

In the design, the door is a book and this is The Book of Doors, what's not to love?

Astonishingly well written and structured for a debut, The Book of Doors immediately grabbed my attention with settings to tempt, tease and tantalise any book lover:

"Just like the store, the house was full of books - no shelf was bare, no book alone and show more seeking company - but it was more than that. The house was full of warm corners and quiet places, pleasantly creaking floorboards and draughts of air coming from unseen gaps. The lighting was soft, and the colours muted and warm, interrupted only by the shimmering dark green of the trees outside when glimpsed through windows in passing. It was a building that welcomed people who wanted comfort and silence, who wanted space to contemplate. It had an air of formality, but not stiffness, like a smartly dressed grandfather telling a rude joke." Page 135-136

Our characters fall in love with the house and I did too! Cassie works as a bookseller at a bookshop in New York and the story begins when a regular customer gives her a book with an inscription inside. Cassie is over the moon when she learns the book is a one of a kind with the ability to turn any door into a door to anywhere. Cassie then discovers there are more books with differing powers, actively being sought by eccentric collectors, nefarious actors and scary people who travel the world hunting the books for their own dark purposes.

You should know, this is a fantasy novel and there is time travel. In fact, in the words of Drummond Fox (one of the novel's characters), there is a little 'time-travel jiggery-pokery' to untangle but thankfully the author breaks it down by cleverly providing a detailed explanation of two types of time travel. There is the open model and the closed model, and they're explained to the reader in a conversation flashback as follows:

"In the open model, you can travel into the past and change events so that your present is consequently changed also. This is what you see in science-fiction stories. You go back and do something and history changes." Page 153

Yes! Reading this I was instantly reminded of 11.22.63 by Stephen King, where the main character (MC) goes back in time in an attempt to prevent the assassination of JFK. The flashback sequence in The Book of Doors continues to explain the closed model:

"You cannot change events from what has already happened. If you go back and do something in the past, then that already happened in the past and is part of history. It is part of what made your present be the present that it is, the present that you departed from when you went into the past." Page 153

It's the latter form of time travel experienced by the characters in The Book of Doors, and thankfully I wasn't too lost as it seemed the author maintained a tight grip on the reins of time-travel lore. The writing is rich and evocative and I loved learning about the other special books, the powers they held and the motives of those seeking them. The book of pain was the most intriguing as it has the power to cause and remove pain. I was most entertained during Cassie's early exploration using the book of doors and managed to keep up with the narrative when it otherwise could have been a tad timey-wimey. My only sticking point was the origin story for the books was a little too much for this book lover.

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown is an impressive debut and the first possible contender for my Top 5 Books of 2024. Highly recommended for book lovers and readers who enjoyed The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow or believe books are magic portals, even when they're not.

* Copy courtesy of Penguin Random House * show less

WHAT A WASTED PREMISE!!!!!

holy moly chat I haven't been this mad about a book in a LONG time and many of you have already heard about it because I do not keep things to myself however I have to do a Real Review and get it over with.
THE PREMISE WAS SO GOOD the writing was horrendous in new ways I have never experienced in published work before and I'm saying this as someone who reads A Lot. This is the flattest, driest prose I have ever read--every single tenet of "show not tell" broken in basically every stilted line--the blandest characters I COULD HAVE cared about if they had been written just a little stronger (I'm so serious Cassie and Izzy and Drummond Fox and Lund were so wasted)--I only finished this book out of sheer spite at show more some point. By all means the concepts were fascinating to me and that's the worst part because I know so much could be done with those ideas and the people but ??? am I just going insane ??? there's no way bro it was just horrendous either my prose taste is cooked or I did not read the same book as the other reviewers woowww. So much possibility boiled into "he said she said they did this and also there;s very little sense of time occurring" which is deeply ironic tbh. Make me care!! Show me why I should care!! Why are both your protagonists and antagonists just Like That? you're telling us this is why they are like that, but never showing it--cartoonish in so many ways. Godawful dialogue. Concerning descriptions of people. Concerning descriptions of everything tbh bruh. anyway I'm talking myself in circles. Point is, I'm going crazy I spent like all of Orientation a) not reading books and b) malding about this book during random sessions I was paid to sit in the back for. The plot wasn't bad at all either it's just. Suffering through the slog. and yes some of the book concepts were a little silly goofy but there's enough there to be cool ao two stars because yeah fine I am still interested by the unfufilled possibilities. Glimpses of what could've been!! Like idc bro I've just decided this guy cannot write to save his life let alone female main characters show less

This is the kind of book that makes me love reading and adore books. It’s the kind of book I wish I had written. It is PHENOMENAL! I just did not want it to end and am crossing all fingers we will get a sequel -there is material there for one, so…pretty please???
Cassie is a New York bookseller that gets gifted The Book of Doors by Mr Webber (possibly my favourite character). At a first glance, it is a peculiar book, but Cassie is just not prepared for what it can do. You see, The Book of Doors is a magical book. One that actually does magic. What does it do? Well, “Any door is every door.”
It turns out, The Book of Doors is not the only one of its kind. Slowly but surely, we start meeting people who own other books, as well as show more bookkeepers, librarians, and assassins who will do anything to get their hands on all of the books.
Situation quickly unravels, but in spectacular fashion. Back and forth, forth and back. It is such a clever story!
Loved all the characters and it made me long to just jump in and be part of the story.
The last two chapters made me sob like a child. What a beautiful and meaningful ending, truly.
Can’t wait to forget it a bit to read it all over again.
On my top 10 books of all time. show less

Cassie Andrews works in a New York City bookshop, shelving books, making coffee for customers, and living an unassuming, ordinary life. Until the day one of her favorite customers—a lonely yet charming old man—dies right in front of her. Cassie is devastated. She always loved his stories, and now she has nothing to remember him by. Nothing but the last book he was reading. But this is no ordinary book…It is the Book of Doors. Inscribed with enigmatic words and mysterious drawings, it promises Cassie that any door is every door. You just need to know how to open them.
This one has it all...time travel, magic, friendship, family love/loss, murder, a little espionage, a little mystery and an ending that illuminates and ties everything show more together. This book was wonderful! I’d recommend and read it again in a heartbeat.

To begin with I thought it was a bit slow for the first few chapters. It felt calm and simple at first...and for a good reason. Once you start to realize the name of this game in this time travel focused book, it picked up and was filled with action, shifts, realizations and intrigue, as everything started to come together. There are a few brief parts that are a bit dark because the villain has arrived.

It's one of those stories that you want to just go on and on. 400 pages were nowhere near long enough. The author maybe could have gone a little further on the conclusion. Some of the ending had seemed to have been implied...and the reader is left to draw their own conclusions. As I read the last page and the last words everything came together and made perfect sense...and a more beautiful ending could not have been asked for. I hope we are going to get a sequel.

I don't know what the author's overall intentions were for the story when writing this book, but if nothing else, it will make you think about cherishing your loved ones even more...everyday you have them. show less

This was an absolutely wonderful tale of books and magic. Cassie is a bookstore employee who is unexpected gifted a book by a longtime customer on the eve of his death, setting in motion a chain of events that transforms her own life. The book is The Book of Doors, which can magically open any door, at any time, making instantaneous travel though space and time possible. A full cast of characters, ranging from good to nefarious, are after this powerful book and Cassie will have to contend with many of them to hold on to the book. Overall, a wonderful, comforting read perfect for uncertain times.

THE BOOK OF DOORS by Gareth Brown is a clever story with a very different take on time travel. All books are magic, but Mr. Brown presents a world in which certain books have a specific type of magic. One makes you feel nothing but joy. One helps you to create illusions. One causes pain. And one opens any door anywhere.

One of the best things about THE BOOK OF DOORS is that it is a standalone story that explains all its mysteries. By the end of the story, you know what happens to each of the characters, know the pertinent elements of their backstory, see how the books come to exist, and get closure on the characters' futures. Mr. Brown tidily wraps everything up for his readers, something that doesn't often happen in fantasy novels. show more

While book lovers often talk about books as a way to discover new worlds and experience different cultures without ever leaving home, THE BOOK OF DOORS takes that idea and makes it real - except for the leaving home part. It is less about a love of books and more about the living embodiment of what books can do for its readers. While Cassie's book is a literal door to anywhere, the other books are equally powerful. Everyone who calls themselves a reader has an experience of strong emotional reactions or imagining something that doesn't exist simply through the words on a page.

As for Cassie's Book of Doors, Mr. Brown changes the idea of time travel we've seen in previous novels. If I had to guess, Mr. Brown was not a fan of any of the Back to the Future series, given that his book makes that series impossible. Gone is the idea that the past is malleable, and any change you make to the past would have consequences for your future - the very premise of all three Back to the Future movies. Instead, in THE BOOK OF DOORS, the past is fixed and cannot be changed.

Not only does Mr. Brown's time travel idea turn the idea of time travel on its head, but it removes all of the danger of time travel. (Yes, time travel is theoretical, but let's pretend we could do it and it was physically safe.) No more time paradoxes. No more threat of nonexistence should your past self meet with your time-traveling self. The options Mr. Brown's idea gives time travel are limitless, and Cassie only touches the surface of it.

While other stories out there revolve around a love of reading, THE BOOK OF DOORS takes the idea of the power of books and makes it literal. The story is a simple one, and the characters are equally one-noted. But any lover of books will appreciate the world Mr. Brown builds. show less