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A review by thecanadagoose
Necropolis by Anthony Horowitz
4.0
Book number 4 of the series, and it definitely takes it one step further once again! I confess that upon reflection my enthusiasm towards the book has been curbed a little, but it was still a fantastic read.
We begin following a new character, Scarlett Adams, in London - who is quickly revealed to be the last of the Five. After escaping the clutches of a kidnapping (and travelling through one of the magic doors), Scarlett attempts to return to her normal life. However, her visits to the dreamworld and a strange feeling she is being watched complicates this effort. After a series of unfortunate events (thanks [a:Lemony Snicket|36746|Lemony Snicket|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1199734355p2/36746.jpg]!), she unwillingly travels to Hong Kong at the behest of her father.
Meanwhile in Peru, Matt discovers Scarlett through a media storm surrounding her kidnapping. The rest of the Five decide to travel to London in order to collect her. The Old Ones, the ancient evil, attempt to stop them using the distraction of the diary of the Mad Monk, which outlines everything known about them and the Five. This distraction is successful, and Matt misses Scarlett by seconds.
Upon arrival to Hong Kong, Scarlett finds herself in the care of Mrs Cheng, who says her father is away on urgent business. Strange things continue to occur around Scarlett, and she finds herself in the middle of something beyond her imagining. The rest of the novel focusses on Scarlett trying to escape Hong Kong, and Matt attempting to rescue her from the city.
This book was a bit of a rollercoaster ride. It jumps into the action very quickly, before coming to almost a complete stop and reading almost like a first book in a series; this makes sense due to introducing an entirely new character.
[a:Horowitz|7155094|Ben Horowitz|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1389896445p2/7155094.jpg] introduces lots of nice mythology and possibly divinity into the dreamworld in this segment of the series, which is nice to see (once again coming from a [a:Tolkien|656983|J.R.R. Tolkien|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1648968349p2/656983.jpg] fan). However, there tends to be a lack of explanation of the origin of these and they are slightly brushed over. I hope these are explored further in the final instalment of the series... though I fear they may not be.
A significant chunk of the story is focussed around the characters making plans that are doomed to fail, which gets a little frustrating. I believe it's meant to reflect the hopelessness of their situation and the impossibility of the Five's task. However, for a reader it can be a little annoying to spend a large amount of time reading about a plan, which fails within a couple of pages.
I feel as though I've focussed on the negatives, but that doesn't take away from how good the story actually is. I really enjoy the evil that [a:Horowitz|7155094|Ben Horowitz|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1389896445p2/7155094.jpg] has created, and the way he interweaves it into current society. He once again delves into globalisation and touches on subjects that we should be aware of, but always in a way that's accessible to a young reader.
Overall, once again I would highly recommend this to a young adult (and adult) audience. It's a great coagulation of horror, fantasy and magic wrapped up inside the world around us. With a jaw-dropping ending, it's a wonderful prelude to the conclusion of this story.
We begin following a new character, Scarlett Adams, in London - who is quickly revealed to be the last of the Five. After escaping the clutches of a kidnapping (and travelling through one of the magic doors), Scarlett attempts to return to her normal life. However, her visits to the dreamworld and a strange feeling she is being watched complicates this effort. After a series of unfortunate events (thanks [a:Lemony Snicket|36746|Lemony Snicket|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1199734355p2/36746.jpg]!), she unwillingly travels to Hong Kong at the behest of her father.
Meanwhile in Peru, Matt discovers Scarlett through a media storm surrounding her kidnapping. The rest of the Five decide to travel to London in order to collect her. The Old Ones, the ancient evil, attempt to stop them using the distraction of the diary of the Mad Monk, which outlines everything known about them and the Five. This distraction is successful, and Matt misses Scarlett by seconds.
Upon arrival to Hong Kong, Scarlett finds herself in the care of Mrs Cheng, who says her father is away on urgent business. Strange things continue to occur around Scarlett, and she finds herself in the middle of something beyond her imagining. The rest of the novel focusses on Scarlett trying to escape Hong Kong, and Matt attempting to rescue her from the city.
This book was a bit of a rollercoaster ride. It jumps into the action very quickly, before coming to almost a complete stop and reading almost like a first book in a series; this makes sense due to introducing an entirely new character.
[a:Horowitz|7155094|Ben Horowitz|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1389896445p2/7155094.jpg] introduces lots of nice mythology and possibly divinity into the dreamworld in this segment of the series, which is nice to see (once again coming from a [a:Tolkien|656983|J.R.R. Tolkien|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1648968349p2/656983.jpg] fan). However, there tends to be a lack of explanation of the origin of these and they are slightly brushed over. I hope these are explored further in the final instalment of the series... though I fear they may not be.
A significant chunk of the story is focussed around the characters making plans that are doomed to fail, which gets a little frustrating. I believe it's meant to reflect the hopelessness of their situation and the impossibility of the Five's task. However, for a reader it can be a little annoying to spend a large amount of time reading about a plan, which fails within a couple of pages.
I feel as though I've focussed on the negatives, but that doesn't take away from how good the story actually is. I really enjoy the evil that [a:Horowitz|7155094|Ben Horowitz|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1389896445p2/7155094.jpg] has created, and the way he interweaves it into current society. He once again delves into globalisation and touches on subjects that we should be aware of, but always in a way that's accessible to a young reader.
Overall, once again I would highly recommend this to a young adult (and adult) audience. It's a great coagulation of horror, fantasy and magic wrapped up inside the world around us. With a jaw-dropping ending, it's a wonderful prelude to the conclusion of this story.