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The Door: Science Fiction Mystery
"An ordinary man walking his dog who ultimately saves humanity!" - THE DOOR has that, and more twists than a Celtic knot. What more does a science fiction mystery require?Henry Mackay and his dog, Addy, regularly walk alongside an ancient convent wall. Today, as he passes the door, he glances at its peeling paint. Moments later he stops dead in his tracks. He returns to the spot, and all he sees is an ivy-covered wall. The door has vanished. Had it ever been there? He begins to doubt his sanity.An ill-advised curiosity results in him unwittingly embarking on an exciting trail of events with twists, turns, quantum entanglement and temporal anomalies. It becomes an unbelievable adventure to save humanity which you'll be unable to put down.The Door is an intriguing and unique science fiction mystery from the pen of Tony Harmsworth, the First Contact specialist who writes in the style of the old masters.Discover the astonishing secrets being concealed by The Door today!Review on Amazon.co.uk: "5 stars - Brilliant - I absolutely loved this book and read it twice. A fascinating insight into the future that addresses the environmental issues we face today. If you think sci-fi is not for you, then think again!"Review from a well-known online reading platform: "Very clever storyline. Past and future 'history' linked with a tale that keeps you reading. Many thanks. Time travel, quantum entanglement, ancient buildings and an ordinary man walking his dog who ultimately saves humanity... Excellent!"
206 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2019
675 people are currently reading
182 people want to read
About the author
Tony Harmsworth
37 books38 followersBorn in Brocket Hall.
Educated in Welwyn Garden City and Bude to 'A' level standard.
Entered industry in 1968 rising to store manager of a retail company at 21 then into systems and procedure management with Wella and Lentheric.
Created the Loch Ness Centre in 1980 and designed other exhibitions including the Macbeth Experience and Fort Augustus Abbey Heritage Centre.
Acknowledged as one of the foremost experts on Loch Ness and its (now solved) phenomenon.
Became a tour operator when the Abbey was closed and built his businesses to become the first official 5 star coach tour and also to become the number one tour in Scotland on Trip Adviser.
Retired in 2013 to concentrate on writing and now has seven science fiction novels published and two in the pipeline.
Has written two non-fiction books: Scotland's Bloody History and Loch Ness Explained.
Educated in Welwyn Garden City and Bude to 'A' level standard.
Entered industry in 1968 rising to store manager of a retail company at 21 then into systems and procedure management with Wella and Lentheric.
Created the Loch Ness Centre in 1980 and designed other exhibitions including the Macbeth Experience and Fort Augustus Abbey Heritage Centre.
Acknowledged as one of the foremost experts on Loch Ness and its (now solved) phenomenon.
Became a tour operator when the Abbey was closed and built his businesses to become the first official 5 star coach tour and also to become the number one tour in Scotland on Trip Adviser.
Retired in 2013 to concentrate on writing and now has seven science fiction novels published and two in the pipeline.
Has written two non-fiction books: Scotland's Bloody History and Loch Ness Explained.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
October 25, 2019
My highest praise is that A) I finished it, and B) it reminds me of early Liu Cixin, insofar as it has a few interesting ideas, and those ideas seem to be the focus. But it also has all of the problems of early Liu Cixin. Shallow, useless characters. Bad dialogue. And the sci-fi ideas aren't as interesting or coherent or...frankly, credible as Liu's, and Liu improved many of these issues as his career went on (I wouldn't have read his early stuff at all if I hadn't adored the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy so much).
THE DOOR feels like an escapist fantasy in which the main character (Henry Mackay) is abducted and forced to watch other people do more interesting things than he ever contributes to the plot himself. This book really starts cooking in the last act, when it abandons any pretense of being anything besides a workmanlike exercise in hard sci-fi. But...it's hard sci-fi with a limited imagination.
I appreciate that this is sci-fi that acknowledges the realities of climate change (another reviewer who complained that it reminded him of AOC made me chuckle - some people just can't deal with facts). But apart from a very basic notion that overconsumption is bad, and we need guidance from beyond the stars to tell us that this is the case, the core scientific concept of this story feels bound by arbitrary rules that bend whenever needed to serve the plot.
I won't reveal the main twist, but I will say, I had a feeling throughout the first half (which was a major slog to get through) that this was going to be the exact twist, but the alternative explanation (that the place the characters were thrust into was being written in a shallow and unimaginative way) seemed equally likely. There's a digression in the middle in which we're essentially in a bad Hogan's Heroes episode, and what passes for dialogue and conflict involves a character threatening to stab another one repeatedly, which would be a genuinely shocking escalation of violence if we knew anything about this character except that he's dying of cancer, which the book seems content to supply as the rationale for his willingness to slice and dice a complete stranger for no reason. But don't worry - these shocking threats are never addressed again, do not affect the trust relationships among the characters in ways that would make sense, and I'm quite sure the character in question (Toby? Mr. Cancer?) never utters a single word of dialogue after this point. Neither does Jennifer, who is a black belt in karate and can kill with her bare hands.
Neither does Hazel, Mr. Mackay's wife, a barrister who is brought along for no reason, contributes nothing to the plot, and whom the author seems to occasionally forget exists.
Very little of this works. And it felt longer than it was.
THE DOOR feels like an escapist fantasy in which the main character (Henry Mackay) is abducted and forced to watch other people do more interesting things than he ever contributes to the plot himself. This book really starts cooking in the last act, when it abandons any pretense of being anything besides a workmanlike exercise in hard sci-fi. But...it's hard sci-fi with a limited imagination.
I appreciate that this is sci-fi that acknowledges the realities of climate change (another reviewer who complained that it reminded him of AOC made me chuckle - some people just can't deal with facts). But apart from a very basic notion that overconsumption is bad, and we need guidance from beyond the stars to tell us that this is the case, the core scientific concept of this story feels bound by arbitrary rules that bend whenever needed to serve the plot.
I won't reveal the main twist, but I will say, I had a feeling throughout the first half (which was a major slog to get through) that this was going to be the exact twist, but the alternative explanation (that the place the characters were thrust into was being written in a shallow and unimaginative way) seemed equally likely. There's a digression in the middle in which we're essentially in a bad Hogan's Heroes episode, and what passes for dialogue and conflict involves a character threatening to stab another one repeatedly, which would be a genuinely shocking escalation of violence if we knew anything about this character except that he's dying of cancer, which the book seems content to supply as the rationale for his willingness to slice and dice a complete stranger for no reason. But don't worry - these shocking threats are never addressed again, do not affect the trust relationships among the characters in ways that would make sense, and I'm quite sure the character in question (Toby? Mr. Cancer?) never utters a single word of dialogue after this point. Neither does Jennifer, who is a black belt in karate and can kill with her bare hands.
Neither does Hazel, Mr. Mackay's wife, a barrister who is brought along for no reason, contributes nothing to the plot, and whom the author seems to occasionally forget exists.
Very little of this works. And it felt longer than it was.
November 16, 2019
I don't read much science fiction but this book makes me want to read more, I really enjoyed this very thought provoking story, well written and kept me interested enough to read it all in one sitting.
November 4, 2019
Great quick read.
I was looking for a quick read to tide me over before my next book club meet.
It fitted perfectly.
Right up my street.
Natural disaster and alien encounter.
This book had me gripped and there are not many that can hold my attention so well.
I was looking for a quick read to tide me over before my next book club meet.
It fitted perfectly.
Right up my street.
Natural disaster and alien encounter.
This book had me gripped and there are not many that can hold my attention so well.
November 14, 2019
A door in an old wall that appears then disappears, people from the future trying to save our planet, travel through vortex’s, .....what’s not to like?
September 1, 2019
Very enjoyable
This was a very enjoyable book that offered a distinctive perspective on sci-fi themes. The central plot was good and we'll worked through but what I liked most was that there was a strong links k to the world view and experience of the reader. This was the starting point and a point of reference
This was a very enjoyable book that offered a distinctive perspective on sci-fi themes. The central plot was good and we'll worked through but what I liked most was that there was a strong links k to the world view and experience of the reader. This was the starting point and a point of reference
September 13, 2019
Futuristic warning!
Not bad, if anything I could point out about the plot is that it's just another wake up call to our wasteful ways, shame on us for not heeding this and many other authors reminders that our carefree lifestyle won't last forever, we're messing up the planet along with the future generations chance to have a viable environment, oh well they're trying.
Not bad, if anything I could point out about the plot is that it's just another wake up call to our wasteful ways, shame on us for not heeding this and many other authors reminders that our carefree lifestyle won't last forever, we're messing up the planet along with the future generations chance to have a viable environment, oh well they're trying.
September 7, 2020
This book in my opinion was missing something; not a good story. Aliens have taken over a very old convent and periodically abduct people and take then to another time and place. But the book is rather confusing as to just where they are, and its not clear why the aliens are on Earth. Then about half way through the book its revealed that the aliens are here to save the Earth but then its not clear what from. Then the people who are abducted come up with a plan to save the Earth and present it to the aliens.
In the end I am not sure who saved who and how. People are moved from planet Earth in the distant future to Mars. And the only result we are given is that the people of Earth eventually travel to the stars and the Earth is consumed by the sun. But this is billions of years in the future.
In the end I am not sure who saved who and how. People are moved from planet Earth in the distant future to Mars. And the only result we are given is that the people of Earth eventually travel to the stars and the Earth is consumed by the sun. But this is billions of years in the future.
August 19, 2019
Not up to Snuff
While I can appreciate Mr Harmsworth's appeal for global awareness when it comes to economics and the environment, the story is preachy and lacks depth of the characters.
I also appreciate that he attempts a story that doesn't rely on big weapons and massive suits of armor, not forgetting that he has a vocabulary that is not reliant on frequent for letter words.
However, we come back to the glaring flaw: the story is shallow. The concept has merit even though I find stories of time travel boring.
There is potential here, but as it stands,I cannot recommend it. I didn't even finish it.
While I can appreciate Mr Harmsworth's appeal for global awareness when it comes to economics and the environment, the story is preachy and lacks depth of the characters.
I also appreciate that he attempts a story that doesn't rely on big weapons and massive suits of armor, not forgetting that he has a vocabulary that is not reliant on frequent for letter words.
However, we come back to the glaring flaw: the story is shallow. The concept has merit even though I find stories of time travel boring.
There is potential here, but as it stands,I cannot recommend it. I didn't even finish it.
August 20, 2020
Ultimately disappointing
I thought the premise of the book sounded promising, but sadly the story just wasn't very strong. The character development was rather weak, and I felt the author got lost somewhere resulting in a half finished feel to the book.
I read a lot of science fiction, and my favourite authors are some of the greats, such as Arthur C Clarke, Robert Heinlein, and more recently the likes of Christopher Nuttall. Therefore it will always be difficult for an author such as Tony Harmsworth to inspire me the way these authors can.
Not terrible, but just not very fulfilling I'm afraid.
I thought the premise of the book sounded promising, but sadly the story just wasn't very strong. The character development was rather weak, and I felt the author got lost somewhere resulting in a half finished feel to the book.
I read a lot of science fiction, and my favourite authors are some of the greats, such as Arthur C Clarke, Robert Heinlein, and more recently the likes of Christopher Nuttall. Therefore it will always be difficult for an author such as Tony Harmsworth to inspire me the way these authors can.
Not terrible, but just not very fulfilling I'm afraid.
May 14, 2024
Well written
I liked the start. The part when they were held in the convent was good. After that it degenerated. Time travel and time paradox is a very difficult theme, and the author did give it a good try. The concept of causality is not as written and there are various camps of strict vs loose causality among physicists today. But there is no case where the consequences of an initial cause can be avoided by traveling into the past. Nor is the Earth a steady platform. It’s sppiralling through space at 240,000 miles per hour, and wherever you came form in the past is far away in actual distance in the future.
I liked the start. The part when they were held in the convent was good. After that it degenerated. Time travel and time paradox is a very difficult theme, and the author did give it a good try. The concept of causality is not as written and there are various camps of strict vs loose causality among physicists today. But there is no case where the consequences of an initial cause can be avoided by traveling into the past. Nor is the Earth a steady platform. It’s sppiralling through space at 240,000 miles per hour, and wherever you came form in the past is far away in actual distance in the future.
January 25, 2021
Maybe Deserving of 4-Stars
The best part of this book is it is SHORT and readable in a day. Hurray!
The initial premise of “The Door” was amusing, but there was a lot of writing about “The Door” and it was almost enough to convince me this story wasn’t going anywhere, and I almost stopped and abandoned the book.
But, THEN, some SciFi finally crept into the story-line, and saved the day. This is not the best SciFi book, but it was amusing in its plot and span, so it got Brownie Points from me for being creative.
The best part of this book is it is SHORT and readable in a day. Hurray!
The initial premise of “The Door” was amusing, but there was a lot of writing about “The Door” and it was almost enough to convince me this story wasn’t going anywhere, and I almost stopped and abandoned the book.
But, THEN, some SciFi finally crept into the story-line, and saved the day. This is not the best SciFi book, but it was amusing in its plot and span, so it got Brownie Points from me for being creative.
January 16, 2024
Sometimes, a magic portal is more interesting than the place it leads. In Tony Harmsworth's short novel, The Door, a man walking his dog in an English village sees an old wooden door set in a wall surrounding an abandoned convent. When he turns around, the door isn’t there. He wants to know more, so he does what any 21st-century guy would do—he buys a drone to get some aerial video. He eventually finds his way in, but it would be too much of a spoiler to say what he discovers. Suffice it that I was underwhelmed.
July 16, 2019
Haha!
Well, what a little pearl of story! It took a little while to get into 'reading it right', if that makes any sense, as it was very dead pan, but once you get into the flow, it just..well, flows! Don't bother trying to be all supercilious and smug by trying to work out the time traveling physics, as, weirdly enough, you do already! Happy reading..oh, what was I saying?! What door?!
Well, what a little pearl of story! It took a little while to get into 'reading it right', if that makes any sense, as it was very dead pan, but once you get into the flow, it just..well, flows! Don't bother trying to be all supercilious and smug by trying to work out the time traveling physics, as, weirdly enough, you do already! Happy reading..oh, what was I saying?! What door?!
September 11, 2019
Very good fun
5 stars for containing all the components of good hard science fiction. A fully imagined story with just enough credible science to hook a sceptic, but enough wild flights of imagination and wandering outside the box to keep it very interesting and entertaining. The characters were good, but could have been more fleshed out and dimensional. My favorite character was the dog. Great ending.
5 stars for containing all the components of good hard science fiction. A fully imagined story with just enough credible science to hook a sceptic, but enough wild flights of imagination and wandering outside the box to keep it very interesting and entertaining. The characters were good, but could have been more fleshed out and dimensional. My favorite character was the dog. Great ending.
October 25, 2019
Decent story but written in the heavy handed form of Edgar Rice Burroughs.
The story reminded me of the Borroughs Mars series. It has a core of very good story but fleshed out awkwardly and manually. The characters were artificial, simple, not developed, and with little plan. Parts of the story were fun, I do love a decent. Sci-fi romp. This had some of those characteristics, but just didn`t deliver all the way.
The story reminded me of the Borroughs Mars series. It has a core of very good story but fleshed out awkwardly and manually. The characters were artificial, simple, not developed, and with little plan. Parts of the story were fun, I do love a decent. Sci-fi romp. This had some of those characteristics, but just didn`t deliver all the way.
May 24, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed this - great escapism for lockdown. That said, it required pretty firm suspension of disbelief. It made me smile that all the representatives of 21st century humanity seemed to be nice educated middle class people from the Home Counties with names like Jennifer and Greg - so much so that one of them was actually a LibDem MP! I would have liked an explanation of why the humans of x billion AD have such poor dress and colour coordination sense. But those are small quibbles!
July 18, 2020
A cautionary tale
This book is a bit scary and inspires a person to look within themselves to find how very much we take our world for granted and how inconsiderate we are of future generations.
I enjoyed reading The Door even as it gave me chills to read some parts. It is well written and we'll said.
Unfortunately for us, there may not be a happy ending because we just don't listen.
But it's only fiction, right?
This book is a bit scary and inspires a person to look within themselves to find how very much we take our world for granted and how inconsiderate we are of future generations.
I enjoyed reading The Door even as it gave me chills to read some parts. It is well written and we'll said.
Unfortunately for us, there may not be a happy ending because we just don't listen.
But it's only fiction, right?
July 31, 2019
Hooked me from page one
Probably the most enjoyable sci fi book I have read since Rendezvous With Rama 24 years ago. I simply enjoyed every aspect of it. The pace, the gentle writing style, the twists and the fact that it left me thinking about it constantly since I completed it. If only it had been twice as long. I shall now check out Tony Harmsworth's other books.
Probably the most enjoyable sci fi book I have read since Rendezvous With Rama 24 years ago. I simply enjoyed every aspect of it. The pace, the gentle writing style, the twists and the fact that it left me thinking about it constantly since I completed it. If only it had been twice as long. I shall now check out Tony Harmsworth's other books.
December 23, 2019
Why read? To be entertained, of course...
A good yarn. A place to go to get away from the 'noise'. A fun to think about plot. Even believable, possible. No heavy science, though some. Time Travel, though not a story tenet. Interesting characters. Fast page turner. In short, FUN. Well be reading Tony Harmsworth again.
A good yarn. A place to go to get away from the 'noise'. A fun to think about plot. Even believable, possible. No heavy science, though some. Time Travel, though not a story tenet. Interesting characters. Fast page turner. In short, FUN. Well be reading Tony Harmsworth again.
January 16, 2020
I don't give five stars often, but ....
I am for The Door!
After a slow start which I thought was going to lead to a simple, boring read, suddenly leapt to an exciting and unusual ending. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading another of Mr. Jackson's offerings soon.
I am for The Door!
After a slow start which I thought was going to lead to a simple, boring read, suddenly leapt to an exciting and unusual ending. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to reading another of Mr. Jackson's offerings soon.
May 1, 2020
A slightly more unusual sci go book that breaks away from the standard stories of alien invasion/induction and adds a twist to it.
I don't want to write much because it really would give the story away and spoil it , but I will say that it's a great book, well written, has a bit of unusual twist.
I don't want to write much because it really would give the story away and spoil it , but I will say that it's a great book, well written, has a bit of unusual twist.
June 8, 2019
This book was so good, I read it twice in spring of this year, in its previous manifestation as Green Door.
An excellent story, highly relevant to the issues facing the Earth today, this is a great read for everyone, not just sci-fi aficionados!
Highly recommended.
An excellent story, highly relevant to the issues facing the Earth today, this is a great read for everyone, not just sci-fi aficionados!
Highly recommended.
January 1, 2020
Science fiction isn't my normal genre but I have to say this has piqued my interest.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The style of writing was easy to read and every page made you want to turn over, eager to understand the mystery.
I will definitely read science fiction again.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The style of writing was easy to read and every page made you want to turn over, eager to understand the mystery.
I will definitely read science fiction again.
January 25, 2020
Out of this World
Nice easy read but lots to think about. The storyline flows really well but really makes you think about the ecological problems we are facing.
If only we could all live in harmony but maybe only the future can see our mistakes!
Nice easy read but lots to think about. The storyline flows really well but really makes you think about the ecological problems we are facing.
If only we could all live in harmony but maybe only the future can see our mistakes!
March 15, 2020
This should probably be classified as a teen novel because of the simple style and plot.
It was engaging and fresh, but had numerous, clumsily-filled plot holes, inconsistent technology and a heavily laboured point about consumerism.
It was engaging and fresh, but had numerous, clumsily-filled plot holes, inconsistent technology and a heavily laboured point about consumerism.
April 11, 2020
Good but not great
Worth reading but needed a better bad guy. The ending wasn't exciting enough; I felt like I was just going through the motions while reading the last few chapters.
Worth reading but needed a better bad guy. The ending wasn't exciting enough; I felt like I was just going through the motions while reading the last few chapters.
April 14, 2020
Gives you something to think about
Nice easy read, enjoyable, another take on reality. Could this be the future of mankind? One thing is for sure if we stay here we will eventually become extinct!
Nice easy read, enjoyable, another take on reality. Could this be the future of mankind? One thing is for sure if we stay here we will eventually become extinct!
April 17, 2020
Awful
Billed as a science fiction mystery.
The only mystery for me was why
I even finished it.
Towards the end it was as if the writer had
tired of the plot or lost it, and hurriedly brought
the story to its ludicrous conclusion.
Poorly written pseudo science fiction claptrap.
Billed as a science fiction mystery.
The only mystery for me was why
I even finished it.
Towards the end it was as if the writer had
tired of the plot or lost it, and hurriedly brought
the story to its ludicrous conclusion.
Poorly written pseudo science fiction claptrap.
July 30, 2020
Interesting
Interesting concept of a future we know can happen. I gave this a 4 because it was really politically and judgementally over the top, but that’s my opinion. Despite that, it’s definitely worth a read.
Interesting concept of a future we know can happen. I gave this a 4 because it was really politically and judgementally over the top, but that’s my opinion. Despite that, it’s definitely worth a read.
November 30, 2020
Temporal paradoxes.
A very British sci-fi novel. Can Henry and Hazel save the Human race? A readable sci-fi by Tony Harmsworth, although the plot was a bit obvious in places. Tony Harmsworth manages to sort all the paradoxes out while keeping ,at least this reader,entertained.
A very British sci-fi novel. Can Henry and Hazel save the Human race? A readable sci-fi by Tony Harmsworth, although the plot was a bit obvious in places. Tony Harmsworth manages to sort all the paradoxes out while keeping ,at least this reader,entertained.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews