A Most Dangerous Book

The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown (2024) – Cassie Andrews makes friends with an older gentleman at the bookstore where she works. He doesn’t appear to have much in the world until he gives her a book, the Book of Doors. This is a book that is truly magical. With it, you can pass through any door in the world! What she discovers is that it’s not the only magical book in circulation, and that there are dangerous people who will stop at nothing to collect them all.

From the moment I saw the description, this book jumped out at me. A nice touch of urban fantasy world-building and books. This was an instant decision to read (which reminds me. I have the second book in the series on hold. Yep, just borrowed it! I’m looking forward to the extension of this story and world).

Cassie is caught up in all her own issues, trying to figure out some path forward. When the Book of Doors lands in her lap, she has no idea what it is or why it has come to her. It was the last book the old gentleman had been reading, and it came with the intriguing message: “Any door is every door”. Through the magic of the Book of Doors, that message becomes a reality. For Cassie and her best friend Izzie, it’s an intriguing and fun way to explore the world. Izzie is the first to realize that such unknown power has a dark side. A dark side that strikes at both of them in short order. The Book of Doors is only one in a collection of magical books. Books that on their own and especially in coordination with others give the owner almost unlimited power.

Gareth Brown does a very nice job here in his debut novel. The protagonists are two young women. Neither are especially experienced; these are normal young people faced with extraordinary circumstances. The author resists the impulse to make them react beyond the boundaries of their personalities. They don’t immediately become superheroes, or some Lara Croft action hero. They are confused, frightened, and in over their heads. This will cause the reader to periodically yell advice to them on the page. But they get better as the story goes along, as they should. His degree, which specialized in Youth Culture, gives him a solid feel for how young people could react in the bizarre and challenging world of “The Book of Doors”.

The novel is a standalone, rather than the first book in a series. It’s kind of nice to have a story that begins and ends on its own terms. I’m suffering from series burnout, so this was a pleasant change. Brown has that second book out, which operates in the same ficton. It’s also a standalone story, although he’s acknowledged that he’d be open to a sequel to “The Society of Unknowable Objects. “

I really enjoyed the Book of Doors. It’s got a solid concept, good characters, and a well-paced story that will keep you interested.

Rating – **** Recommended