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I'm trying to find a fantasy series I read years ago (at least 15-20 years) relating to doorways to a fantasy world. Some plot points I recall:

  • The story was set initially in our modern world.
  • The main character, I think, was a college student.
  • His parents go on a cruise and die when their ship is blown up in a terrorist action.
  • The main character finds a doorway in his home to another world.
  • He discovers his parents were part of a royal line from this other world.
  • He meets his grandfather in this other reality / world.
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  • Do you remember any other details, like when it was published? Any little things you remember might help someone remember the story.
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    Jul 30, 2017 at 23:28
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    – eshier
    Jul 31, 2017 at 13:47

1 Answer 1

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Taking the answer from a couple of previous questions/answers (credit to rumandwrite and FuzzyBoots for previous answers).

This is Son of the Hero by Rick Shelley (1990). It's the first in a trilogy. From a summary on Goodreads:

Our Hero, Gil, is just 21 and coming home from uni for the last holidays before he graduates. But something's wrong - his parents don't come to meet him and their house is deserted, with mail piling up and food going off in the fridge. And then he discovers that his father is a professional hero for the fantastical country of Varay, his mother is a native of said land, and they've both gone to deal with a threat and not come back. Now all the war games, survival training, and what-not that his father has put Gil through all his life start to make sense. Obviously, the rest of the book involves Gil going to Varay, looking for his parents, and dealing with the problem they went after.

From FuzzyBoots question/answer

It has the boy finding his parents missing, the correct cover, and the portal in the house (in the basement). And indeed, he is heir to royalty (grandson of the King).

The cover from Goodreads

Son of the Hero cover--Goodreads

The only thing that does not match up is the death on cruise ship part.

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  • I read this and it was my first thought as an answer to the question. I don't remember the cruise ship thing, but I do remember that the main character's parents were missing. He was well-off enough to equip himself quite well before going to the other world; the book cover was accurate.
    – LAK
    Jul 31, 2017 at 20:51

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