The Door to Inferna (Elkloria) - Softcover

Borah, Rishab

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1941110967 ISBN 13: 9781941110966

Publisher: Three Rooms Press, 2020

Synopsis

On a winter break from school that should have been nothing but goofing around with his best friends, teenager Khioneus Nevula soon realizes his recent peculiar dreams and visions are cries of help from the strange, mystical, parallel world of Elkloria, whose inhabitants need his special powers to survive. Adopted from unknown parentage, he has always been marked as different by his purple eyes. Now he begins to understand who he really is, and what he must do: open the door to Inferna to save the people of Elkloria. In the mystical land of Elkloria, he meets his twin sister, a proficient mage, a slightly mad scientist, and a princess. In this land, Khioneus is a prince, and he finds himself and his new friends caught in a war between the inhabitants of Elkloria and an ancient and powerful evil.

THE DOOR TO INFERNA, Rishab Borah’s debut novel, is a middle-grade story (ages 11-16) that creates a fantasy world as fully realized as those of Rick Riordan or Tamora Pierce. Elkloria draws on Borah’s interest in mythology, science, and linguistics as well as the imaginative lands he and his friends once inhabited in play―open to all to explore.

About this title

About the Author

Sixteen-year-old debut author Rishab Borah began creating the world of “Elkloria” at age 11. In its creation, he drew from his many interests including a passion for science, linguistics, programming, and art. He ­currently lives with his parents in the Silicon Valley, California area.

Reviews

Gr 6–8—Fourteen-year-old Khaioneus Nevula is starting to question his sanity. He frequently experiences prophetic dreams featuring a girl with a long blue braid. Then he observes a fanged face in the moon, encounters a fairy, and sees a face in his bathtub. Finally, following voices that impel him to make his way into the nearby woods, Khai, who has vampire-pale skin and purple eyes, activates a portal and finds himself on Pyrhithya, a planet in another universe. Here he learns Pyrhithya is his home planet, and he had been placed on Earth with adoptive parents for his safety. He is reunited with his birth family, including twin sister Nessa, and given remedial schooling in wizardry. As the plot progresses, Khai uncovers who he is and the role he plays in the coming showdown between good and evil. While the young author shows promise, this ambitious fantasy, written when he was 13, reveals a lack of sophistication in language, plotting, and pacing. The author is much more comfortable telling the story than showing, and the characters, while interesting (Khai's sister, Nessa, is a delightfully snarky girl who frequently channels Hermoine Granger), need fuller development and more complex emotions. One major character comes out as gay, a storyline that deserves more substance as well. World-building is where Borah shines, imagining an elaborate universe filled with a variety of creatures, and creating an associated vocabulary. VERDICT While this author bears watching, there are better fantasy purchases for a library's budget.—Nancy Nadig, Penn Manor Sch. Dist., Lancaster, PA

Edition details

• Publisher: Three Rooms Press
• Publication date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1941110967
• ISBN 13: 9781941110966
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 236