The Chestnut King: Book 3 of the 100 Cupboards [Paperback]

 

 

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N.D. Wilson has concluded his great trilogy in fantastic form. This was the best written of the three books but saying that does not mean the series was unbalanced. Henry York Maccabee's adventures lead him on a inter-world chase with the witch-queen of Endor, sometimes pursuing, sometimes being pursued. There is the classic final confrontation of good and evil in a climactic battle and duel but this one has much to make it fresh and it doesn't seem stock.

In an era of broken families (both in the real world and the literary one), one of the most refreshing aspects of this series is how central family is to the story. It might be said that, if good vs. evil is the central conflict, family is the pervading context within which the characters on both sides play out the drama. Henry's immediate and extended (and growing) family pulls together more and more throughout, each working for the same end and each using the gifts, abilities and resources they have toward this same end. No one of them could defeat the witch and her minions alone, but together they are a united force for good. The witch's false family (her evil captains, the fingerlings, call her 'blood mother' and refer to each other as 'blood brothers'), united by the witch's manipulation and lust for dominion, is a shadow and abortion of a true family. In a powerful conclusion to a running inner struggle with the evil chief fingerling, the power of true family wins out over the brute force and lies of the false. In an age of young people's literature, where families are shrinking and breaking apart, it was a genuine breath of fresh air to not only see a family stick together but to see it growing (in strength and number).

Some readers have expressed that the book ends a little too perfectly, with everything working out for Henry and his family. If tragedy and struggle is the proof of realism and believability, there is enough death and destruction in this story caused by the conflict between good and evil for it to ring true. However, Wilson is just being true to his own world-view when every character on the side of good (by birth or by re-birth) experiences an happy ending. Ultimately, while it has its tragic moments across the warp and woof of the story, this is a comedy (in the classic sense) so it is fitting that it all "works out in the end." And each character (especially clear with Henry, Henrietta, Fat Frank, but the rest as well) who makes it to the happy end has had to pass through their own death-struggle and come out on the other side. None are the same in the end as they were in the beginning. And this is the way I feel after reading a truly great book or series: that I am not the same person as I was when I began. While not as strong as with LOTR or the Chronicles of Narnia, I do have a hint of that sensation with this series. My imagination has been baptized into a new realm which will forever now be part of my literary memory. And now it remains for me to welcome my children into this world as well...

Reason for Reading: Next (and last) in the trilogy.

It's the final showdown in this volume. Nimiane is making her move to take over the empire, her hatred for Henry's bloodline makes his whole family targets of her wrath, especially him, since they are tied together with the blood bond and she knows how powerful he could become. Most of the book takes place within the worlds of the cupboards, with the doors being used for travel and a few pit stops are made here and there to the house in Kansas in the process. People actually notice a few strange things happening where the house used to be and the area is becoming popular to the paranormal events -type crowd. Henry learns a lot more about who he is and who he could be while Henrietta becomes much more of a teammate than she has ever been before, though she and Henry do end up on different teams at times. I think all the characters have grown as people throughout this series and that is always a good feeling to have at the end of a series.

The paranormal elements of this volume where quite intriguing. The full truth comes out about Henry's scar and his ties to Endor because of it. Henry's case is an exciting one as at one point it boils down to the options of giving up and dying quickly or going forward to die with honour or at least die trying. But things are never always as they seem and at the end we can sigh with relief at the happy ending. In fact, this is my main problem with the book, the ending is too pat. All ends were finished off just so perfectly nicely that it destroyed some of the story's believability for me. The other thing I find annoying is the trend of these juvenile fantasies, with book 1 being 200 and some pages, book two pushes the 400 mark and then book 3 has to top them all off by trying to become a 500 page tome. That is what actually made me take so long to get started on this book since I had enjoyed the first two books so much.

An interesting, well-thought out fantasy world and story that delivers an exciting conclusion while on the other hand draws out the trilogy when it might have been trimmed a little to make it move a bit quicker and therefore more tense.

Wonderful fantasy story that even surpasses its predecessors!

This is a series of rare quality and deserves a large readership. This the third book of the imaginative '100 Cupboards' series carries on with the adventures of Henry Maccabee who is fast approaching the onset of the teenage years. Henry is not just an ordinary boy from the Boston area but actually came to Earth via one of the 100 magic doors which are hidden in a wall. Of course you always need a foe for your hero to deal with and Henry's comes in the form of a witch as Henry's family face danger. Henry faces the task of tracking down and getting help from 'The Chestnut King' in order to save the day.

A class act, other really excellent fantasies are:

Godstone - The Kairos Boxes

The Roman Mysteries Omnibus

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5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book and series
I will start off by saying that I absolutely love this series. When I read book one, 100 Cupboards, I thought it was an excellent story and that it could be the beginning of a... Read more

Published on May 22 2010 by Steven R. McEvoy

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