Book Review: A Door into Evermore by Kent Wayne

I don’t remember how A Door into Evermore found its way into my reading stack. It sat there, electronically neglected, for quite some time. That’s one of the issues I have with eBooks – they are far too patient and easy to forget. An actual print book sits on your nightstand, silently condemning you every evening you fail to open its pages. Guilt often drives my reading. Delightfully so, in this instance.

I’d just finished an eBook and was ready to start something new. There sat Evermore. Its colorful cover pulled my attention. The title itself is intriguing – not “The” door but “A” door. Hmm…are there other doors? Seems likely now that I’ve read the book.

Jon Dough, the protagonist, is flawed and likeable. His name is a one-time gag that made me smile, and Wayne doesn’t return to it enough to make the reader irritated. Early on, I was reminded of Heinlein’s Glory Road. Evermore holds the same sense of wonder and confusion for Dough. He stumbles around trying to figure out the rules, and we grow to like him more.

Throughout Evermore, Wayne sprinkles in enough bits and pieces to make me think that I’d be happy to sit down with him over a beer and talk about writing. His appreciation for Mountain Dew is clear and endorsed. Dew is my soda of choice, and the manufacturer appreciated my writing enough to name a new flavor – SPARK – after my novel. (This may not hold up to fact checking, so just go with it.)

The ride through Evermore is fast-paced and Wayne does a stellar job of writing about fighting. He also throws in some humor to keep the tale light and balanced. Without spoiling, I can tell you that you’ll enjoy the complex chase scene with Taylor Swift.

On the Feral Scale, the story is a strong 8. It’s fantasy, and Wayne, thankfully, doesn’t try to wrap that in a tech cloak and call it sci-fi, so no rating for the science. The only real gripe I have is the number of new races/guilds/capabilities that show up in a short time made me do a little re-reading so that I could keep the players straight. 

There are a couple of interesting techish ideas that I’ll happily read more about in the sequels Wayne has promised. This is his first fantasy novel, and the good news is that if you like military sci-fi, his Echo series looks promising. All are available on Amazon.