Necropolis

The definition of the word Necropolis is a city of the dead, as depicted by the Merriam-Webster's dictionary, the book calls it Hong Kong. Yes, Necropolis by Anthony Horowitz is a book, a book of five children, The Five. The Five are five children and the only ones that can keep the world from a necropolis of its own.

This storyline begins 10,000 years ago when the world was ruled by an ancient force, the Old Ones. The Old Ones are evil itself and practically fed off of the pain of humans. But 10,000 years ago they were vanquished, and banished by The Five into 2 different gates on opposite sides of the world. Each member of The Five was worshipped by the culture they came from, one from Europe, one from South America, two from North America, and one from Asia. The Five and their legacy have disappeared into folk legends, but not everyone has forgotten. The Old Ones, in exile for 10,000 years never forgot, and now they are back, and The Five must prepare, for the field of battle, for Hong Kong.

Scarlet Adams has lives an ordinary life… with one or two exceptions. Adopted from china by an English couple, she have only ever had two times in here life that haven't been boring, this is one of them. Her dad who just received a job offer from a large corporation called Nightrise invites her to Hong Kong, but timing plays a key role.

When Scarlet gets to Hong Kong she feels that there is something wrong with Hong Kong, and the leader of the Nightrise Corporation, both seem to be hiding something. Maybe it's the people who watch over her who never eat, sleep, or drink, maybe it's the crowd, losing people forever in a never ending crowd. Yet the biggest problem may just be the people who try to talk to her, and disappear one by one. “How many people can die in a city before anyone notices?” The answer may not be as pleasant as you think.

I can sum up the conflict of this novel as one of unification vs. human greed. Throughout the novel The Old Ones are being helped by individuals hoping to increase their social status. While The Five are attempting to locate and meet with their final member who has been lured into the base of The Old Ones. The only way for The Five to win is for them to get together which is exactly what The Old Ones are trying to avoid, I think that you ca see where this is going.
Have you ever felt like no one in the world understands you? You can't even compare to Matt. Matt, born in Ipswich England and orphaned at an early age is the unelected leader of The Five. Matt has powers, all of The Five has powers, Matt can move objects with his mind, Pedro can heal almost anything with his very being, And Jamie and Scott can read and control minds, and are telepathic. The Five's powers bring them isolation, and they all share it in this changing world.

I think that the creation of The Five was a good idea because of the feeling of connection within The Five. He also does a good job of making the characters lifelike in their own ways and all bring a special part to the story. It also brings a sense of personal connection because The Five come from such diverse cultures that one feels that they are being represented by the book. One mistake that Anthony Horowitz did make though when creating The Five was when he gave The Five certain powers. Because although everyone loves a good hero, he has a tendency to connect them too much with the general population which implies that The Five are heroic people, unfortunately they aren't.

I think that Anthony Horowitz's greatest strength is his utilization of vocabulary and flow. And example would be this description of a building on fire: “The orange flames liked at the falling water, desperately trying to climb into the air.” Unfortunately Anthony Horowitz has a slight habit of being repetitive and being obvious within the circumstance. Fortunately however, Necropolis by Anthony Horowitz does finish strongly.

Necropolis is the 4th book in the fantasy series called the Gatekeepers series, which, although not always the most enjoyable, projects interesting ideas and keeps the series alive. On a scale of 1 to 10 I give this book a 7 because although it is interesting and unique, the writing style can get old.

Whether Necropolis by Anthony Horowitz sounds like your book or not, I hope that you have benefited from this review and enjoy Necropolis by Anthony Horowitz.