Raven's Gate

Infobox Book |
name = Raven's Gate
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = Anthony Horowitz
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = United Kingdom
language = English
series = The Power of Five
subject =
genre = Horror, Fantasy novel
publisher = Walter Books Ltd
release_date = August 1, 2005 (UK)
June 1, 2005 (US)
english_release_date =
media_type = Print Paperback
pages = 268 pp
isbn = ISBN 1844286193 (Paperback edition)
preceded_by =
followed_by = Evil Star

"Raven's Gate" is the first book in The Power of Five (in USA the Gatekeepers) series, written by Anthony Horowitz. It was published and released in the UK on August 1, 2005 by Walker Books Ltd and in the United States (June 1, 2005) by Scholastic Press under the adjusted series title "The Gatekeepers". It is followed by "Evil Star", released in 2006, and "Nightrise" in 2007.

A graphic novel adaptation, written for Walker Books by UK writer Tony Lee and drawn by artist Dom Reardon will be released in spring 2009.update after|2009|05|31

Plot summary

Matthew Freeman was never a normal boy. After Kelvin, a supposed friend, coaxes him to steal DVDs and electronics from a so-called abandoned warehouse, a horrible crime is committed, and Matt is the prime suspect. Matt is then given a choice—go to jail, or be sent away on a new program called the LEAF Project (Liberty and Education Achieved through Fostering). He is sent to a horrible place called Lesser Malling to live with Mrs. Deverill (Deverill may be a play on the word "devil"), an old woman whom Matt is worried about the moment he lays eyes on her. Matt is put to work, and is a virtual slave to Mrs. Deverill on her farm called Hive Hall. Matt is sent to the chemist by Mrs. Deverill to pick up a package for her. When Matt arrives he discovers that the residents of Lesser Malling are very strange. The children of Lesser Malling play sinister games which involves the children killing harmless ducks, the chemist has an animal's eye floating in water and the villagers look at Matt strangely. Matt then receives a warning from a man he has never met before. The man told him that he should get away from Lesser Malling ... before it's too late. But what he "does not know" is that chickens fly.

After the mysterious death of this man, Tom Burgess, and the discovery of an old power station called Omega One, Matt is sure something sinister is occurring in Lesser Malling when, one day, he decides to escape Hive Hall and steal's Mrs. Deverill's deceased husband's bike. He attempts to run away, but he finds it impossible to escape. After all this, Matt decides go see Richard Cole, a journalist from the Greater Malling Gazette, to share his story, and to see if he can work out the mystery. Of course, Richard doesn't believe him, and it is only when he must save Matt's life that the two of them become friends. Since Matt suspects that there is something odd about Omega One, they meet with the previous owner, Sir Michael. However, this does not bring them any closer to working out the mystery. Matt is then contacted by The Nexus, a strange organization of people from all over the world. Therefore, Matt and Richard then go to meet Sanjay Dravid, a member of The Nexus, to talk about the strange things that have been occurring at Omega One and Lesser malling, and about Matt's future. Dravid is a professor at the Natural History Museum in West London. Richard and Matt go to meet him there, but Dravid is killed, and the two of them are nearly eaten by dinosaurs skeletons that come alive in the exhibit. Richard is left behind terribly injured and taken away, while Matt is kidnapped by Mrs. Deverill and her assistant, Noah. Matt awakes in Hive Hall, locked into a small room.

Sanjay Dravid, before he had died the previous night, had told Matt that he was "one of the five". This means that Matt is one of the five children—four boys and a girl—who keeps the "Old Ones" at bay. The Old Ones are evil beings that used to rule the earth, but were thrown into the underworld where they have been trapped for thousands of years. The gate of the underworld, which sits right in the middle of Omega One, is about to open, freeing the Old Ones and allowing them to rule the earth once again. The five "Gatekeepers" must keep this from happening. So far, though, Matt is the only gatekeeper that has been discovered. Mrs. Deverill, who Matt discovers is an evil and wicked person, along with the other citizens of Lesser Malling, is planning to murder him. To open the gates, one must need ritual, fire, and a the blood of a Gatekeeper. Matt is to be sacrificed, betrayed and led by Sir Michael, a man he had once trusted. Tied upon the altar, on the brink of death, something strange happens. Matt manages to trigger a special power deep inside of him with the smell of burning toast. Upon discovering that he has magical powers, that are under his control, Matt manages to stop his own sacrifice - but only a little too late. As the knife came down to pierce his heart, he turns the knife away with his mind. But, a single drop of blood managed to get onto the sacrificial stone - just enough to open the gates, which only allows one of the old ones to escape, and then, only briefly. Upon being released, the Old One kills Sir Michael, when Matt interferes and saves the world by destroying Raven's Gate (the gate at Omega One). Hence, the Old Ones are Sealed away again. Richard kills Mrs. Deverill by pushing her into a vat of acid after she tries to kill Matt, and the people of Lesser Malling are incinerated, when they run out of the magical barrier protecting them from the radiation and are burned. The Police search for the citizens of Lesser Malling, but they're nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, Matt is trying to put his life back on track. Richard receives custody of Matt, and the two are living together in his flat. A few days after the incident at Raven's Gate, Mr. Fabian, a member of The Nexus, comes to tell Richard and Matt that there's another gate that needs closing, this time in Peru.

External links

* [http://www.powerof5.co.uk/ The Power of Five official website]
* [http://www.walkerbooks.co.uk/The-Power-of-Five-Ravens-Gate-1844286193 "Raven's Gate" at Walker Books]
* [http://www.anthonyhorowitz.com/poweroffive/ The Power of Five Page at AnthonyHorowitz.com]