The Power of Five: Necropolis, Anthony Horowitz

I'm not normally a fan of horror stories but as this series goes I must say I am a fan. Anthony Horowitz's Necropolis is the fourth book of the Power of Five series and introduces the fifth and final gatekeeper Scarlet Adams, also known as Scar. Up till now the series has introduced the four other gatekeepers, Matt (and Richard his best friend), Pedro, Jamie and Scott (the twins), and their plans to destroy 'The Old Ones' (evil beings who wish to destroy the human race).

Plot

Necropolis begins with Scarlet Adams being a normal school girl in England who manages to get herself caught up in a media storm due to her short disappearance during a school trip. Unbeknown to the rest of the world Scarlet discovers she is a gatekeeper but does not really understand why there is a secret organisation (Nightrise) out to get her. All she knows at this point is that she must try and find the four boys - one whom she knows as Matt - who only show up in her dreams.

Because of Scarlet's media coverage The Old Ones locate her and in turn lure her into Hong Kong as it begins to turn into the necropolis (the dead city). However, once you're in Hong Kong there's no way out and this starts to become a problem as death walks the streets.

The Old Ones know that the other gatekeepers will follow Scarlet and this is their chance to capture them so that the gatekeepers will be out of the way during the world domination. Once in Hong Kong Matt is captured by The Old Ones and put in cell with Scarlet, however there is a plan: they must reach a secret door - that only the gatekeepers can use - in a nearby temple to get out of Hong Kong. In order to escape Scarlet must discover what her special ability is (just like the boys have done) to keep herself and the other gatekeepers alive but it may already be too late.

Opinion

Seeing as I haven't read the previous books I found getting into the story incredibly easy. Horowitz covers the previous books at the start as a refresher, or in my case some background information, which is great for filling in the gaps as you go.

As for the story itself it is brilliant, I really got into the plot and the characters. Reading about familiar landmarks, such as the London Eye, and knowing that it 'happened' in the last decade really hits home and gives it a unique set of characteristics that I haven't found in other books.

I love how Horowitz's writing style just flows through the page and he can easily conjure up vivid images of the characters and settings. The chapters are broken down into manageable slots and are interspersed with excerpts from Matt's diary, which again gives it that extra real feeling.

Necropolis is a fast paced book that will literally keep you on the edge of your seat, recoiling from the pages and engaged for hours on end. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a mixture of reality thrown in with fantasy and horror.