Review - The Door on the Sea by Caskey Russell

 

I had a pleasant feeling reading this book and later I found out the reason, which was that it had been written initially by a father for his young sons to enjoy. Besides that context (which reminded me also of The Hobbit), The Door on the Sea is an engaging story with a nautical adventure. It is set in a world inspired by native Alaskan legends, and its main character goes on a journey which will test every one of his personal strengths but let him also grow.

The world of the book is roughly based on traditional indigenous Alaskan culture but extrapolated: there are books, complicated sailing vessels, schools, and a sophisticated network of connected islands. Elan is a young man who struggles with his place in the village of Naasteidi, one of the many islands settled by the Aani people. In their culture, he is part of the Longhouse of Service and Trade, something seen as lesser than that of the warriors: the Longhouse of War and Diplomacy. He and a group of companions are swept up in a quest to find a magical artifact, a "dzanti", which may be the key to resisting an invasion by an otherworldly race of monsters, the Koosh.

With these companions Elan sets off on a specially built canoe, Waka, He admires the older war leader, Caraiden, who acts like a wise mentor and is unfailingly loyal and sticks to his oath to follow Elan. This is despite Caraiden's past guilt that it is revealed he still suffers from, over a past mistake that led to the death of one of Elan's family. Ch'et is a easy-going younger character and Elan is given the chance to win his friendship. 

The character of Kwa, a female warrior unwillingly assigned to the party, is set up in opposition to Elan. She is rigid follower of tradition, and narrow-mindedly ruthless as a consequence of seeing things always in "black and white". Whereas Elan questions traditions and feels the urge to unravel them: he has an aversion to killing and the commonly-held idea that there should be only a single leader with a voice. 

This is a story where there can be supernatural relations between people and animal kind, and the characters of Hoonsa, a " brother" to bears, and Chetdyl, a sentient wolf, reflect that connection.  But is the talking Raven who steals nearly every scene he features in. Raven is frequently mischievous, lazy, crude, funny and insulting, but under all this he conceals a deeper hidden knowledge and secret nature.

During the course of events, Elan and his companions encounter friendly Aani villagers,  but also many other hostile strangers. The hostile Yahooni, defeated invaders who have lied and covered up their own recent history, are a blinkered and closed-off threat. There are chases at sea, exploration, mishaps, survival and menaces faced down (like giant mosquitoes!). Elan overcomes his mistakes and grows as a person: he can perceive that nearly all others can become lost in their greed for the power of the dzanti, and he also gains an understanding of other peoples and the concept of "they".

I wouldn't mind getting my hands on book two in this series.

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 

(Thanks to Solaris Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.)