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. Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs is one that features books as magical objects, with volumes bestowing enhanced powers on the wielder much like the magical books in The Book of Doors.

Some classic examples of novels that feature magical books are The Neverending Story by Michael Ende and the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling. In the former, the young protagonist discovers a book that acts as a gateway, window of communication, and nested story connecting to a secondary world. In the latter, the second installment of the series features a diary that houses a piece of the villain’s soul, and it acts as an unreliable confidante to the person who begins writing in it. Additionally, this series features enchanted books that reflect their intention, such as “The Invisible Book of Invisibility” or “The Monster Book of Monsters.” A similar approach is explored in The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern, in which the protagonist discovers an enchanted book that tells his life story. In each of these novels, the magical books become connected to the main character on some deep, fundamental level, similar to the emotional thread that ties Cassie to the magical books in The Book of Doors.

Other contemporary novels that use magical books as a plot device or recurring motif include the Inkheart series by Cornelia Funke; Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson; The Midnight Library by Matt Haig; The Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith; The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman; The Library of Shadows by Mikkel Birkegaard; and The Forbidden Library by Django Wexler. The latter five, as their titles would suggest, deal with magical books housed in influential or otherworldly libraries. These books continue to be successful and appeal to readers of all ages because they’re specially designed to connect to their target audience of book lovers in an emotional way. These stories acknowledge the impact of books and manifest that significance into storylines wherein the books have some tangible power.