The Golden Door

Emily Rodda (author)

Omnibus Books, Scholastic, Australia: September 2011; 264pp

ISBN: 9781862919129

Genres: adventure, fantasy

Issues: family, friendship, identity

Rye has lived all his life in the walled city of Weld; every year he and his family have endured the terrifying attacks of the winged Skimmers with their taste for human meat. But the attacks are growing worse, the Warden seems indecisive and his brothers speak of the need for change – maybe even rebellion.

When the Warden calls for Volunteers to find and destroy the enemy who sends the Skimmers to destroy Weld's populace, red-headed Rye and his widowed mother watch in silence when first bold Dirk then subtle Sholto go forth into the unknown. They do not return and Rye realises that to save his family, if not his city, he must go in search of his brothers. Young, unskilled, innocent and sensitive, Rye is motivated not by the desire for fame or glory but the desperate need to ease his mother's grief – and his own.

Emily Rodda is an extremely skilful fantasy writer and in The Golden Door, the first book in a trilogy, she combines fairytale traditions (although her three brothers are much more interesting than those in most fairytales!) with a reference to the choices provided to Portia's suitors in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice. To exit the Weld, the young hero must choose one of three doors – gold, silver and wood (rather than Shakesepeare's lead). But Rye, unlike most third sons, is seeking not his fortune but his family so he must follow not his own choice but that which he knows his eldest brother would have made.

As always, Rodda's work is polished – an action-packed adventure set in a world peopled by interesting characters and unusual creatures. Rodda loves her boy heroes to be against gender (and narrative) stereotypes, so Rye's strengths are hidden and his weaknesses obvious. The girl who becomes his ally is equally atypical for traditional fairytales; she is stubborn, intelligent and independent, not someone who's going to sit still waiting to be rescued. Concise prose builds strong images of Rye's world and the people and creatures he encounters. Rodda's highly visual style and her capacity to build narrative tension are one of the reasons for her well-deserved popularity amongst young readers.

While considerably less rich and complex than the Rondo books, The Three Doors trilogy has great promise and is sure to delight another generation of young readers, just as the Rowan and Deltora Quest series have done previously.

Highly recommended.