The Book of Doors

The Book of Doors falls into a literary tradition of writers exploring the magic and potential of books. Because real-world books are already considered such magical, transportive artifacts, and because most authors are devoted readers themselves, books lend themselves naturally to speculative writing as a magical motif. Many of these, like those portrayed in The Book of Doors, are inherently powerful in nature and can create tangible, material change as a talismanic object. Some are sentient and monstrous; others lead to alternate places, realities, or states of consciousness. These might be part of a library or an individual collection. In all cases, the authors have recognized the power already intrinsic within books and the ability to connect with their readers through this widespread cultural symbolism.

A novel with strong elements in common with The Book of Doors is Alix E. Harrow’s The Ten Thousand Doors of January. This story follows a young woman who encounters a magical book that leads her to the discovery of a network of portal doors, connecting real and imagined places all over the world. Another novel that explores this theme is Thief of Lies by Brenda Drake, in which books act as portals between one library and another.