Raven’s Gate: Book One of the Gatekeepers. Anthony Horowitz: Scholastic Inc., 2005.

Raven’s Gate: Book One of the Gatekeepers is an action-packed story full of unexpected twists and runs. Fourteen-year-old Matthew Freeman used to live with his uncaring aunt after his parents died when he was just a little boy. Framed by his so called “friend,” Matthew was sent away for foster care to a small town called Lesser Malling for a crime he didn’t commit.
His new foster parent, Jayne Deverill made life a living horror for Matthew. He was imprisoned in a boring life, forced to do chores around the house, and hardly given any freedom. Matthew started to see queer things happening in Lesser Malling: children killed ducks for fun, a man warned Matthew about escaping Lesser Malling, and villagers having regular gatherings in the forest.
Managing to escape, Matthew went to a nearby town, Greater Malling, in hopes of finding the truth about Lesser Malling. In Greater Malling, he found Richard Cole, a journalist who is doesn’t seem very helpful. Matthew went back to Lesser Malling and sneaks out at night to spy on one of the village gatherings near a nuclear reactor called Omega One. He was spotted and chased. Richard, however, is nearby and saved Matthew.
Richard and Matthew searched for information about a mystical gate called Raven’s Gate. They enlisted the help of the Nexus, a secret organization made to help the five gatekeepers. Sanjay Dravid and Susan Ashwood of the Nexus helped Matthew and Richard. Matthew discovered that he is “one of the five” and was destined to keep the Old Ones, an ancient race of monsters, from wreaking havoc all over the earth. Four boys and one girl were destined to save the world, and Matthew was one of them.
The villagers eventually manage to capture Matthew and Richard but killed Sanjay Dravid. The villagers were about to sacrifice Matthew over Raven’s Gate to open it, but just in time, Matthew’s gatekeeper powers kicked in. Matthew and Richard escaped. The villagers still opened the gate, but all the released nuclear energy sucked the villagers and Old Ones back into Raven’s Gate, sealing it.
The story has a worthwhile message. While the book is mainly meant to entertain the reader, the book shows that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. There is always hope no matter what the circumstances are and no matter how the odds are against your favor. Matthew and Richard had the odds stacked against them, and it seemed like the Old Ones were going to be released into the world. However, Matthew kept his hopes up, so he kept trying and trying to unleash his latent powers. Finally, he managed to escape along with Richard and sealed Raven’s Gate.
The book achieved its goal well. It was very worthwhile to read. Every page made me want to read more and more. Action-packed and well-written, Raven’s Gate is the perfect book for readers that enjoy reading fantasy or science-fiction stories. The book shows that five children in the world can have supernatural abilities. Maybe in the future, people may obtain abilities like the gatekeepers’.
Matthew’s character change was not very apparent throughout the passage of the story. In the beginning of the story, Matthew was an orphan who lived with uncaring guardians, so he became indifferent and angry towards others. However, when Matthew met Richard, he started to change. Richard rescued Matthew, so Matthew had something to care about. Before, Matthew had nothing and no one to care about because no one cared about him.
Raven’s Gate is a unique book that is in its own category. It brings fantasy and suspense together to create a great thriller. However, it is missing some components that will make the story even better. There are still many uncertainties to be answered like what the identities are of the other gatekeepers and what their powers will turn out to be. There are still questions to be answered and doubts to be quelled, but answers will come in the sequels that are yet to come.