The Power of Five: Raven's Gate by Anthony Horowitz

The Power of Five: Raven's Gate

 by Anthony Horowitz

category: fantasy, science fiction, horror

Age: 12+years

Reviewed by: Anvita

Buy from: Amazon US, Amazon IN

This book is written by Anthony Horowitz, who has also written the famous Alex Rider series. The name of this series is 'The Power of Five', and has five books. The story begins with one of the main characters, Mathew Freeman, a young boy, who is caught stealing and is then sent off on a program that will help in reforming him. He is sent with Mrs. Deverill, an old lady, to Yorkshire. When he goes to a nearby village, he is frightened when a man warns him to flee before it is too late. He gets scared and later finds a few police papers in Mrs. Deverill's room. He tries running away but cannot find his way out. Somehow, all the roads end up leading to the same point. On his way, he sees a nuclear power station called Omega One. He meets the same man who warned him at the station. The man gives him a key that would help him get out of the place without getting lost. A few days later, that man is murdered, and the words 'Raven's Gate' is on the wall. He runs back to Mrs. Deverill and she shows him that the man is alive. He goes to a town in Yorkshire to find out more about the Raven’s Gate. On his way back, he meets Richard Cole, a journalist. Later, Matt and Richard see something strange going on at Omega One. It turns out that Mrs. Deverill and the rest wanted to kill Matt for some reason. How will Matt escape them?

I loved this book to the core. After reading the first fifty pages, I was so hooked on to the book, that I was reading the book late at night past my bedtime. The way the author builds the plot up is fantastic, slowly adding the strange behavior of Mrs. Deverill and then the murders. The author has been able to keep it long, yet very gripping. I am very keen on reading the other four books, and am sure they will be as good as this one.

[this book has been included in our January 2018 edition of eGranth]

© 2018, Anvita Agarwal. All rights reserved.

Avishi: Vishpala of Rig Veda Reimagined, by Saiswaroopa Iyer

Avishi: Vishpala of Rig Veda Reimagined, by Saiswaroopa Iyer

Avishi, Vishpala, these are names you may not have heard before. This book talks about Vishpala, a queen mentioned in the Rig Veda, who lost her leg during a fight and then had her leg replaced with a metal one. Saiswaroopa Iyer, the author, has reconstructed Vishpala’s life through Avishi and also imagined some of it, to present before us this wonderful book.

Saiswaroopa Iyer has written another book called ‘Abhaya’. Both her books have one thing in common - both talk about tales of women with unimaginable courage. When you start reading Avishi, you will be enthralled by the immense hardships she had to face and her bravery in facing those hardships without flinching. This gives a message to everyone, that women aren’t weak and never were. It dispels that misconception and inspires children who read it.

Here is a gist of the story.

Garuda Purana, by Bibek Debroy

Garuda Purana, translated by Bibek Debroy

This is the ninth Purana I am reviewing, and as you all might have guessed, is a Sattvika Purana. It is listed seventeenth in the list of Puranas, and is nineteen thousand shlokas long. It is divided into two parts, the Purva khanda, and the Uttara khanda. The Purva khanda has two hundred and thirty-four adhyayas (chapters), and the Uttara Khanda has only forty-five adhyayas. This Purana was recited to Rishi Kashyapa by the great bird Garuda himself. This Purana says that Vishnu had twenty-two incarnations, not ten! The names of the incarnations are as listed below:

1. Kumara (young boy)
2. Varaha (boar)
3. Devarishi (great sage)
4. Nara and Narayana
5. Sage Kapila
6. Sage Dattatreya
7. Son of Ruchi and Akuti
8. Urukrama (son of Nabhi and Meru)
9. King Prithu
10. Matsya (fish)
11. Kurma (turtle)
12. Dhanavantari (physician of the gods)
13. Mohini avatara
14. Narasimha
15. Vamana
16. Parashurama
17. Vedavyasa
18. Narada
19. Rama
20. Krishna
21. Buddha
22. Kalki (yet to come)