The Gatekeepers #1: Raven's Gate
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4.4 • 54 Ratings
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- $5.99
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
The internationally bestselling author of STORMBREAKER and EAGLE STRIKE plunges strikingly into Stephen King territory in this chilling first installment in a powerful new series.
Matt is being punished for a crime he saw, but didn't commit. Instead of being locked up, he is being sent to the middle of nowhere to live with a new foster mom, as part of a government scheme called The Leaf Project. But Matt's new home provides anything but peace and quiet. His new guardian is involved in very sinister things . . . and the whole town seems to be on her side. Everybody who tries to help Matt winds up disappearing . . . or dead. The truth is much bigger than Matt or the town -- but Matt is the only person who can stop the ultimate evil from being unleashed.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Horowitz (the Alex Rider series) unveils a thoroughly creepy new tale with this first entry in the Gatekeepers series. The novel opens as 14-year-old Matt Freeman reluctantly helps an older friend break into a warehouse. A frequent truant (he has lived with his aunt since his parents were killed in a car accident), Matt's problems grow exponentially worse when he finds himself charged as an accessory to assault after his friend stabs a security guard during the failed burglary. Matt is offered a chance to participate in the LEAF Program (Liberty and Education Achieved Through Fostering), which sends troubled youths to rural settings where "there are fewer temptations." In the custody of severe, stern Mrs. Deverill, Matt must clean the pigsty among other chores. But his tasks pale compared to the gathering threat in the village of Lesser Malling. Though he tries to escape, Matt finds his attempts thwarted by unseen forces, and he soon realizes that his presence in Lesser Malling is no accident. Among Mrs. Deverill's belongings he makes a chilling discovery: "The photograph was black-and-white, taken with a telephoto lens.... With a sense of horror and sickness, he realized he was looking at a picture of himself. This was his parents' funeral. Six years ago." Sinister magic melds with modern technology, and Matt's few allies are killed off one by one. Horowitz's talent for building suspense is as strong as ever, and this unnatural tale, which descends into ancient evils, should attract a strong following. Ages 12-up.
Customer Reviews
Still Amazing
I read this book/ series when I was around 14. I never really liked to read and could never stay focus long enough to get through a book, but these books got me into reading like I never had been before.
Over 10 years later and I’m reading them for a second time and they are still just like I remembered them. I’ve now read some of Horrowitz’s other work like The Magpie Murders and I’m always impressed. His books are brilliantly passed. The way the arcs of the story are written keep you on the edge of your seat and entertained from the first page till the last. The way he details the scenes in the book enables even the less imaginative readers to really visualize in their mind what the characters are experiencing, while keeping away from over loading you with pointless descriptions. It’s probably my favorite part of his writing style.
This series is truly 5 out of 5 for adolescent and adult readers who enjoy a melding of fantasy, thriller, and mystery. Will always recommend.
Best
It’s an amazing, thrilling and uppermost book you can ever read in your lifetime. It just so good and detailed and adventurous and in out of words for it just how good this book is and the series.
This book was AMAZING!!!!
I read this book a month or two ago, forgot to review.
Anyways, I personally loved the great plot and how the suspense kept a reader reading! I recently read Evil Star, and it was the same deal. I notice similarities between The Gatekeepers series and the Alex Rider series. The main characters’ backstories (e.g. Matt, Alex Rider) have a familiar backstory among the two series. I like how you allow your writing style to flow from from book to book in more than one series! Speaking of which, I recently finished the first nine books in the Alex Rider series, looking forward to getting Never Say Die and Russian Roulette. In short, all your books are amazing and I love your work.
I would write more if I wasn’t so tired, but I will still finish both the Alex Rider series and The Gatekeepers series as quickly as possible; I still want to know what happens next!