Necropolis, written by Anthony Horowitz, is the fourth installment of the "Power of Five", 5 book series about 5 children who have the power to save the world from evil creatures called "The Old Ones".
The book starts before "Nightrise" ends, but from the point of view of Scarlett Adams, the protaganist and the fifth gatekeeper. There is a brief review of all 4 previous books incase the reader cannot remember or has missed a book out in the series, which I found very useful since I read the previous book about a year before this one. It starts off straight into the action as a 13 year old Scarlett almost gets hit by a van whilst not looking when crossing a road. She is saved by a mysterious chinese man who disappears before she can thank him for his actions.
The book then moves 2 years into the future and Scarlett is on a school trip when she passes through a door and travels to a monastary in the Ukraine, where she is imprisoned. Scarlett then meets Father Gregory, a terrifyingly ugly man, who says he works for the Old Ones and tells Scarlett that she will be taken to them. Scarlett knowing her life is in the
balance tries, successfully, to escape the clutches of Father Gregory. Scarlett returns to London where she finds out there has been a media storm around her disappearence.
Meanwhile Matt Freeman, the first gatekeeper, and his fellow gatekeepers Pedro, Jamie and Scott as well as Matt's friend Richard and Professor Chambers who is an expert on the Nazca Lines (which was the second gate and was opened, which released the Old Ones) are still in Nazca, but have read the news on the disappearence of Scarlett Adams and realise she is the fifth gatekeeper. The night before they leave, a man comes to their house and gives them the Diary of Joseph de Cordoba, which is a book about the history of the Old Ones. A few minutes later they are attacked by a small force of the Old Ones, who burn the house down, but the group are rescued by some Incan Warriors who had helped Pedro and Matt when they tried to get out of Lima in "Evil Star". The Gatekeepers then decide to split up with Matt and Jamie going to find Scarlett whilst Pedro and Scott go to Vilacamba with the Incas. Richard decides to go with Matt and Jamie.
The story then follows Matt, Jamie and Richard when they go to England and try to find Scarlett. However Scarlett has been told to meet her father, who works for Nightrise, in Hong Kong. In a nail bitingly thrilling scene, the Gatekeepers miss Scarlett by literally millimetres as they crash into a car whilst Scarlett is driven pass them. The Gatekeepers then decide, with the backing of the Nexus (a secret organisation set up to help the Gatekeepers) to follow Scarlett to Hong Kong.
Scarlett is met at the airport by to people and already realises things are not as they seem. A man accompanying her is mindwipped in front of her eyes and the fog as an eery colour. She is told her fether has left Hong Kong and will be back in a few weeks. She is then taken round to see the sights. One day she is sent a message from a building opposite to read a page in a guidebook that appeared in her bag. She tells her companions that she wishes to go to a temple. She then meets a fortune teller who gives Scarlett another message. Scarlett then tells her companions to take her to a trail leading up a mountain. They are met by 2 men and a woman who kill her companion, who shown to be one of the Old Ones. Scarlett is then transported to a secret location owned by the Triads. A plan is outlined for her to escape Hong Kong. The next day she is made up to look like a boy and walked to a shop. She is then exchanged for a boy in the shop where no-one sees it, and she walks out with her new 'parents'. They walk towards a ferry that will take her off the island, but she is recognised by her father. Her father alerts the Old Ones to her presence and the 'parents' are killed. She is then taken to a cell underneath the Needle, which is the headquarters of the Nightrise Corporation. She uses her power (which is predict the weather and create the weather) to create a massive typhoon, which then speeds towards Hong Kong.
Meanwhile Matt, Jamie and Richard meet the head of the Triads in Hong Kong who gives them a ship to ride on. The captain of the ship turncoats and the group jump off the ship. Matt is left on his own and decides to find Scarlett's father. In Scarlett's Father apartment the Chairman of Nightrise finds him, because the Father had called them, and Matt is taken to Scarlett's cell. The Triads then assault the compound, whilst a fulll blown typhoon ravages Hong Kong. Matt and Scarlett are rescued and taken to the Temple in which a door (like the one in the Monastery) will take them home. Unfortunately there are Nightrise agents there and one manages to shoot Scarlett.
Pedro and Scott appear and help bring everyone through the door. The book ends with Chaos, King of the Old Ones, saying that all the Gatekeepers had been dispersed to doors all around the world and that now was the time to strike.
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I really enjoyed this book as it has all the essence of an adventure and a thriller combined into a book which you cannot put down. I was up until past 1 o'clock reading this book. I had really enjoyed the previous books and so I already knew most of the plot. However if you haven't read the previous books there is a well written synopsis of the previous books, which is also well written and has a nice letter style to it.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
This does give away a lot of the plot and very little of your opinion, whereas a good review should be the other way around.
paulpry118 12.11.2008 22:42
As comment below. There is not really much point in me reading the book now.
thereddragon 10.11.2008 14:17
You write very well but you've unfortunately given away not only the entire plot of the book but also the ending, which is not what should happen in reviews! You've also not given any opinion on the book at all, which IS what should be the primary focus of a review, after just a quick summary of the plot. I'm really surprised the readers have so far rated this 'Very Helpful', but you will probably get ratings from other members as 'Not Helpful' for this! If you decide to re-write, do let me know in my guestbook and I'll re-rate. : )
This is the eagerly-awaited fourth book in this bestselling series. Hong Kong has been ... more
taken over by the Old Ones and has become Necropolis city of the dead. Once in there is no way out...Evil has been unleashed on the world and only five children - ...
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