I’ve found a new favorite author. ND Wilson. I came late to the party, but all the better for me since I was able to read his fantasy trilogy, The 100 Cupboards, one right after the other.

The first book, 100 Cupboards, introduces us to Henry York, a wonderful hero who is braver than he imagines. Henry grabs you from the start—he’s got parents who don’t care much about him, he desperately wants to play baseball but is afraid to try because no one has taken the time to teach him how to play, and he’s plunked down in the middle of Kansas with three girl cousins and a cat who has a grudge against him.

The author gives Henry an uncle who is full of odd, but profound, sayings and immediately introduces a mysterious room that no one can get into.

And then there are the cupboards that take people to various worlds. And the faeries. And the demon/witch/destroyer of all life. Yes, this book has it all. If you love fantasy, you’ll love 100 Cupboards.

The second book in the series, Dandelion Fire, I hate to say, was really confusing. Passage after passage left me completely baffled. Henry had some encounter with a dandelion, he had some funny mark on his hand, he was on a boat and there were wizards and faeries and a fight and I wasn’t even sure how all those people had gotten on the boat.

Henry’s cousin was in one world, he was in the same world in a different place, the rest of the family along with a couple of others were in a different world. And the story went from one place to another leaving me wondering, for most of the book, what was going on.

And yet, I couldn’t quit reading the book. That proves that the author has created in Henry a completely lovable and compelling hero.  I loved Henry so much that I had to keep reading to find out what happened to him. I kept reading through the parts I didn’t understand, feeling sure that I would find a satisfying conclusion. And I did. I was so satisfied that I immediately bought the third book in the series.

The Chestnut King did not disappoint. I loved the writing, loved the characters, loved the story.

I loved the family ties in the story, the gifts that were passed from father to son, the love that made family members sacrifice for one another without thinking to do anything else.

When I was done I was sorry to say goodbye to Henry and I was wishing I could spend more time in his world.

I confess, I was enjoying the books so much that I was reading too fast to make notes of passages I loved, but here’s a bit from the first book that gives an idea of the author’s picturesque way of seeing the world:

The wind scratched its back along the side of the barn. The stars swung slowly across the roof of this world, and the grass swayed and grew, content to be the world’s carpet but still desiring to be taller.

Here’s another one:

After a moment, Frank’s voice climbed loudly up the stairs. “Scrub the bones!” he yelled, and the attic echoed.

“What?” Henry asked.

The girls picked themselves up off the floor.

“Teeth,” Henrietta said. “Brush your teeth.”

100 Cupboards. A great trilogy. As soon as I finished The Chestnut King, I bought Leepike Ridge. I love finding great new authors. I’ll be looking forward to the next offering from Wilson.

Other posts of interest:

1. The Book Aunt Reviews all three books
2. A review of book three at Eva’s Book Addiction

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