As fourteen-year-old Michael inadvertently passes through a magical shimmering veil of air in the forest near his home, he steps into a strange land called Tremora. Escorted by a little old green man, Michael soon discovers a fantastical world filled with whimsical as well as dangerous creatures, some sent to help him and others intent on destroying the intruder. Wazalops, wisps, and wizards surround him, but how can he tell friend from foe when appearances can deceive in this Age of Secrets? The way has called him, but how will Michael answer? All he truly seeks is his father, missing for a year in the "real" world. Will this journey in Tremora lead to him? And if Michael survives, will it catapult him into manhood? Powers he never knew he possessed come to Michael's aid as he embarks upon a hero's quest, neither sought nor wanted. Will they suffice in the tests that ensue? In the tradition of Lord of the Rings and The Chronicles of Narnia, The Shimmering whisks into a parallel world of dragons and other creatures almost familiar yet decidedly different, onto a battlefield where good faces evil, and on an adventure where the final outcome remains uncertain.