Raven's Gate - Book Review

Raven's Gate (The Gatekeepers #1)
by Anthony Horowitz

What is it about:
He always knew he was different.
First there were the dreams.
Then the deaths began.

When Matt Freeman gets into trouble with the police, he's sent to be fostered in Yorkshire. It's not long before he senses there's something wrong with his guardian: with the whole village.

Then Matt learns about the Old Ones and begins to understand just how he is different. But no one will believe him; no one can help.

There is no proof. There is no logic. There is just the Gate.

What did I think of it:
Some years ago somebody told me about this book and it sounded familiar. When I told her I thought I read it back in the early 90's I was rebuffed. 'Not possible, it's first been published in 2005', I was told. Still, I was sure I knew this story, so I did some digging. It turned out that Raven's Gate was indeed first published in 2005, but it is a rewrite of The Devil's Doorbell which was first published in 1983. Back in the 80's Horowitz started on a series called the Pentagram series and didn't finish it. He did pull out the series again about 20 years later, rewrote and finished it.

Remembering how much I liked The Devil's Doorbell and the other books in the Pentagram series when I read them back in the 90's, I picked up Raven's Gate when I came across it. I must say I was curious if this rewrite would capture me as much as the original did over 20 years ago.

And I can happily tell you this is a great read.

It has been many years since I read The Devil's Doorbell (in Dutch translation), but I have the feeling Horowitz stayed close to the original in this rewrite. Ok, Matt knows how to surf the internet, and there's mention of DVDs, current actors and Harry Potter, but the basic story was as I remembered it.

And it's a story full of mystery and suspense. Matt encounters strange things and at times he questions his own sanity, but it doesn't take him long to figure out he's in danger.

I can't remember if Matt used to be the same troubled teen in the version I read back then, I will confess. I have the feeling he wasn't, but I might be mistaken. I must say the troubled teen thing fit the story. It made it believable that people don't take the things Matt tells them serious.

All in all I was captured by the story and finished the book in almost one sitting. This is a cool adventure no matter in what time period it is set.

So I think Horowitz did a nice job of rewriting the story and pulling it into the 21st century. I might try to track down the other books in this series and finally discover how it ends.

Why should you read it:
It's a suspenseful Paranormal read for younger teens.