Book reviews

Raven's Gate is primarily designed for teens, although adults who enjoy Horowitz's combination of horror/fantasy will probably enjoy the book as well.

The story contains many familiar elements, beginning with its 14-year-old protagonist Matt who has felt isolated and lost ever since his parents' death and the ghastly years living with an aunt (and her horrible live-in boyfriend) who runs through his inheritance as though it were sand. Matt is drawn into an unsuitable friendship with a boy who convinces him to help rob a factory. Something goes wrong, and the security guard is stabbed. Matt looks on, horrified – and they're caught.

Part of the condition for Matt not being charged is his agreement to partake in the LEAF project. A foster mother located in dreary Yorkshire is chosen to take care of Matt, and it's at this point that things start to enter weird territory. Mrs Deverill, the foster mother, is not your average person, and the village of Lesser Malling is not an average village. In fact, once there at Mrs Deverill's farm, Matt cannot leave. Spoiler The road winds into itself, leading back again and again to the same signpost. Heading off the road into the uncanny forest leads Matt to discover the nearby abandoned nuclear power station, which will play a large part in the ensuing events. Matt does get hold of a talisman that enables him to leave, but it's not just that there's something weird about the village – it's also that the adults whom he begs for help either wind up killed or are part of the plot.

Matt is trapped in Lesser Malling, with no one to believe him about the Old Ones who have some dark reason for wanting him there. Events escalate until Matt finally finds a young journalist, Richard, who – although initially sceptical – ends up believing Matt's story. A frightening chase through a museum where the dinosaur skeletons come to life seems like a metaphor for Matt's world, where nothing is harmless and everything holds secrets. Gradually Matt realises that somehow he has powers, and that he may be part of a wider picture. Spoiler It's because of his powers that he has been singled out for a horrifying sacrifice by the Old Ones.

The reader learns that Matt is not the only one of his kind, and that an ages-old face-off between good and evil depends upon the Gateway remaining closed. It's true that this is not a new concept, and occasionally I was reminded of Susan Cooper's magnificent The Dark Is Rising series, as well as a host of horror stories that use similar devices à la being unable to leave the farm. But Horowitz is an extremely able writer, and he uses his ability to create strong and memorable characters to good effect. The reader will be drawn into Matt's feelings and his frightening dilemma. Horowitz's use of the occasional snappy one-liner is also typical of his writing, and fans will find this book enjoyable to read, even though it's not quite as breathtaking and witty as the Alex Rider books.

The description of what lies beyond the Gate is certainly gripping and horrifying, perhaps the finest moment in the story. At all costs, one feels Matt must not – absolutely must not – allow the terrifying evil to come through into this reality.

I found myself uncertain whether Anthony Horowitz is sending up the horror genre in using the familiar elements so beloved of this type of book, or whether he is being entirely serious. Whatever the case, one can enjoy the book on either level. This novel is the first of a series, and it should prove interesting to see where Horowitz leads the continuing story.

In general, this is better-than-average fare. Horowitz is a consistently entertaining writer. Recommended for light reading.