On his thirteenth birthday William Wesley (whom everyone calls Will) receives a strange letter from a so-called king. The letter is full of apologies that make no sense, so Will figures it’s a birthday prank, but then there’s a police officer, a car crash, and a fire. By the next morning his entire world is a smoking heap of ashes and every line written in the letter makes perfect sense.
Near the closing the letter reads:
Get on the 3:30 train. Go south. Get off at sunset and walk deep into the eastern woods. Knock on the door of the only house you come across…
Did this so-called king know what was going to happen beforehand or did he orchestrate the ordeal himself? Is he to blame or is he somehow magical? Will must know, so he sets out on an otherworldly journey that takes him to a land full of magic and war, new friends and new enemies. In the end he comes face to face with the one truly responsible.
His life will never be the same.
