A Door in the Woods (Jimmy Fincher Saga)

I know it seems odd that I'd give this book 4 stars but warn you not to read it, but I've just finished the series of four books and am pretty disappointed. I thought this book was really good. Dashner has an amazing imagination, and as a middle school to young adult fantasy this had a fabulous premise, interesting characters and an appealing narrative voice. Jimmy Fincher is a boy who sees an odd occurrence in the woods and tries to figure out what happened, thus embroiling himself in a fantastical mission to save the world. This first book is pretty good. HOWEVER I've just finished the last book of the series, and I have to say that each book became more difficult to get into and less interesting to read. In each book Jimmy gets another gift from the Givers, a never fleshed out group that is trying to help save Earth. The gifts Jimmy gets are fairly odd, each with rather arbitrary constraints, and the missions to get each one are rather bizarre. Worse, the missions don't tie in with the gift or the overall dilemma, so it all seems rather arbitrary and incoherent. Finally, in the last book, the companions who have helped Jimmy in his quest are barely mentioned and there is little closure for the characters or the story. I found this book to be very good but the series itself to be highly unsatisfying. Furthermore, the writing is decent but the author seems to feel that every noun needs an adjective and the more metaphors the better; these habits got old.Do yourself a favor and don't even start this series. Disappointing.

This was a really quick and easy read for me. I enjoyed following the beginning to Jimmy Fincher's tale. The author caught my attention in the first paragraph when Jimmy mentions he cannot be destroyed. I was curious to see how this all would play out. It was a nice adventure to get to the end of this book.Jimmy was a normal 14 year old by with a Mom, Dad, and an older brother living in a town called Duluth, Georgia. Until the day he was climbing a tree and saw a man dragging a woman fighting into the woods, then she just vanishes. Where did she go? And why is this man... Oh, Jimmy nows this man... The whole story just takes off from here.Jimmy is sent by his dad to find an old friend, not knowing exactly where this friend lives or what he looks like, whos name is Joseph. Then he is told by his dad to be scared, that being scared will keep him alive.On page 3 of the book there was one paragraph I just loved and really made me look forward to the fun tale that was going to be told with a childs view and discription on things, which does make it easy to see knowing what a kid sees."Before I begin, there are things to say. You must prepare yourself. The world is not what you think it is, and the nightmares that sometimes wake you in the middle of a storm may be truer than you think. Every novel you've ever read may not be as fictional as you thought. If I have learned anything, it is that nothing is beyond possible or belief. The world as I once knew it has turned upside down, and I've finally realized that the phrase "truth is stranger than fiction" is not just a stupid cliche.""

It felt a little like a fun period piece fantasy. Like a blast from my past. Just a fun ride I want to ride again.

Jimmy Fincher is a fourteen year old boy who loves sports and hates cooked peas. And in his own words he "absolutely, positively cannot be destroyed".So begins A Door in the Woods, James Dashner's premier novel and Book One of The Jimmy Fincher Saga. What follows the intriguing opening paragraph is a slightly scary, high-action adventure story with elements of fantasy and science fiction and a firm focus on family.From the mysterious Givers to the creepy Shadow Ka and the ominous warning that "The Stompers are coming", Dashner shows his gift for storytelling as the pages fly by. Readers of any age or gender will be cheering for Jimmy Fincher every step of the way in this highly exciting book!

This book was so much fun for me (an adult) to read to my children that we have hungrily devoured the next three books in the series! Daschner has a great sense of humor, a wild and wonderful imagination, and a gift for keeping it all clean and appropriate. He knows the end from the beginning when he writes. He does a great job of leaving loose ends, then tying them all together later on. I've been very impressed with his writing. Even my 12-yr-old, "too cool to read a book" son begs for more every night.

The first few chapters were difficult for me--I didn't find the main character's dependence on cliches and vague descriptors appealing at all, but once the story got going, it was difficult to put down! I have read two other Dashner series, & by the end of this book, I was READY to download Book Two and continue the journey!

As an adult, I enjoyed the story of this young reader fantasy. Unfortunately, the dialogue kept me from giving it a higher rating. Whenever the main character was speaking to his father or to Joseph, they overused his name...to the point of distraction. "Well, Jimmy...you'll find this impossible to believe, Jimmy." Addressing the person by name in practically every sentence becomes painful for the reader. NOBODY speaks like this! Also, the author spent way too much time telling us and telling us and telling us how impossible to believe every plot development was. Now that the back story is established, I'm hoping subsequent books have more action and fewer endless explanatory monologues.

I was surprised to see that this series has been somewhat pushed aside by the popularity of the Maze Runner series (which is also a great series). The Jimmy Fincher Saga was introduced to me by my 11 year old daughter and I was surprised and just how much I liked this series. I'm definitely a believer in James Dashner now and snatch up anything he writes.As to this book (sorry for the lack of focus), I really enjoyed it and have recommended it to several friends. I would not hesitate to recommend it to others.

Great writer, fast paced story lines and strong characters. Read one book and then went on to read many by this author. These three books could easily be a block buster film one day.

Being a 30 year old woman and loving to read a story about a 14 year old boy is amazing! Jimmy is so relatable and James Dashner again writes a story so thrilling that I just can't stop reading and having all types os emotions making me breathless! Surely going to read the next ones!

I thought this was a very interesting and fascinating read. I enjoyed this book a lot.