Necropolis - a deathly, gripping page-turner

The first week back after the break has been good, despite being extremely tiring! A while ago I finished Necropolis, an excellent book by Anthony Horowitz. Necropolis is Horowitz's latest book, released the day before Hallowe'en last year. It is the fourth book in the Power of Five series (or The Gatekeepers in the USA) - based on an unfinished series by Horowitz called Pentagram. The series follows five teenagers - Matt, Pedro, Scott, Jamie and Scarlett - who are the eternal Five, and they must protect the world from the Old Ones; the previous inhabitants of Earth, who are attempting to reclaim their territory. In the previous books the Old Ones have tried to enter the Earth through different gates; so far in Lima (Peru) and Yorkshire.

In this book we get to know the last one of the Five; Scarlett Adams, from Dulwich, a sleepy London village-like suburb. Her world is turned upside-down when strange things start to happen - she dreams of the Dreamworld, a supernatural world in which the Five meet, and on a class trip to St Meredith's church, she finds a door which leads to a monastery in Ukraine, where she is locked up and is prepared to be taken to the Old Ones. She finds out that she is one of the Five, and horrible events begin when she is summoned to Hong Kong by her father, who works for Nightrise - a company which works for the Old Ones. Hong Kong is a city which is plagued by a mysterious pollution, and the whole city is dying. There is no colour, no enjoyment - practically no life; hence the title of the novel. The city is controlled by the Old Ones, and she literally walks straight into their trap. She finds out that there is an organisation that has been protecting her since her birth, but she is eventually captured by the Old Ones. Three other members of the Five are frantically looking for her, and they are also trapped in Hong Kong. In the Dreamworld, Scarlett has seen a dragon storming towards Hong Kong, and the dragon's breath* becomes a reality - she can control the weather... The dramatic ending and escape of the Five is a real cliffhanger, and really, really leaves the reader wanting more.

Necropolis (the Greek for City of Death) is one of those books that you pick up and can't stop reading - it is filled with continuous adventure and is absolutely fantastic. Horowitz is one of my favourite authors, and I was really chuffed when I found a signed copy of the book in Waterstones! But it's a real disappointment to hear that Horowitz is planning on releasing the next (final) book in a few years! If you do decide to read the series, I hope you enjoy it!

*Dragon's breath is a Chinese metaphor meaning storm.

Database of Death - Chapter 1

Here's the continuation of the synopsis and prologue of my novel Database of Death; which follows James Turner as the one who notices unearthly modification of history. I hope you enjoy it!

James woke up, only to find himself in a hospital ward, with a unknown face staring at him. The unearthly room had a spotless, white ceiling which seemed to shine in the bright light. He had to squint to see anything, but everything was blurry, and it felt as if he bore the world on his shoulders. This, in more than one sense, was true. He was scared. Was this really a hospital? Had he been kidnapped? Slowly, his eyes began to focus, and soon he could see again. He tried to sit up, and noticed that all of the broken bones and splinters he had been left with when the library caved in on him had disappeared. Now, his injuries consisted of nothing but a few minor scratches on his leg.
   "James? James?" The nurse talked with a soothing voice, and he looked down at him curiously.
   "Where am I? What happened?" James croaked. He had not yet regained full strength, and was unable to move properly. He looked around, but his whole body ached. His head hurt, and his legs still felt numb.
   "Don't strain yourself," said the nurse. He had dark brown hair and observant green eyes. He headed towards the door and said, "Don't worry, your parents are outside. I'll tell them to come in."

James was still bewildered. It must have been a coincidence. He must have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe he had lost his memory. No, he remembered it so clearly; being in the library, the ceiling caving in on him, the film he was going to watch with Alex... It was in the back of his mind, but it was still there. His mother came into the room. She was a tall, strict-looking woman, but she was very kind. She had always loved him very dearly, read him bed-time stories and helped him with his homework... it was terrible to think that he was so close from losing his life. But according to the evidence, he wasn't so close from losing his life. His mum rushed over to embrace him.
   "James! We were so worried! It was horrifying to think that such a terrible thing happened to you!" The tears streamed down her face.
   "Don't pressurise him. He's still very weak. It seems as though he tripped over, perhaps on some ice, outside that shopping centre on George Street. We think that he suffered a concussion. But he'll be OK soon." The nurse's attempt to comfort James's mum was not very successful.
   By then James's dad had entered the room too. He was rather short, and wore a striped purple t-shirt. He had also been very worried.
   James interrupted. "No, that didn't happen! I was in the central library! I think the whole library collapsed. You know, the library on George Street!" His parents both looked at him, puzzled.
   "James, there is no library on George Street," his dad said discreetly.
   "But I was in there, borrowing some books! I'll show you my bag!"James exclamed. He pulled his bag towards him, and opened it. It was empty. "What's going on?"
   "I'm sorry, Mr and Mrs Turner. Short-term memory loss is one of the side effects of concussions. His mind is playing tricks on him." The nurse's voice had a queer robotic concernedness to it.
   James was perplexed. Suddenly he wasn't sure of anything; he was dazed. Something mysterious was going on.

At that moment, a few hundred miles away, Shakti Jones grinned. Her little experiment had worked. Now, there was no stopping her - she had discovered the world's best kept secret - a secret involving paranormal energy. She had gained access to the Database of Death.

I hope you like the story so far! Come back soon for Chapter 2. Please leave comments and suggestions!

Database of Death - Synopsis and Prologue - 1

I thought I'd start writing a story, and an idea sprung into my head, about someone who gets access to a database which contains all past, present and future history. Here's a synopsis:

Imagine that you had the power to change history. To change what's happened, what's happening now, and what's going to happen. The greatest power mankind has experienced. Shakti Jones, a run-of-the-mill schoolchild suddenly finds herself with access to the database. She starts modifying history, convinced that her actions are benifiting the world. James Turner is the only one who notices. He must take action before the world's fate ends up in the wrong hands, and time runs out. He must destroy the Database of Death. Wikipedia. Gone bad.

The Wikipedia-gone-bad concept is quite terrifying. I haven't planned the story much yet, but I've got the basic outline above. But things are bound to change, and Database of Death is a working title. I've got the first draft of the prologue below. I probably won't update it often, maybe every once in a while. Enjoy, and please leave comments and suggestions!

James thanked the librarian and left the room. He placed the three 400-page science-fiction books in his bag, and headed to the staircase. He received a text from Alex, his best friend, asking him where he was. James replied; saying he would be down as quick as possible. He had promised Alex that they'd watch a film, and it was starting in fifteen minutes. He hastily began to descend from the third floor. But suddenly, before anyone could notice, the ceiling came hurtling down at an unimaginable pace. James gasped for breath. He had become immobilised, and an unbearable sensation of numbness and pain snaked from his heart outward, through every vain, to each and every millimetre of his body, like a terminal virus. The sound of the crash was deafening, and it felt as if his mind had been blindfolded. Not soon later, as he lost consciousness, the whole world darkened and eventually vanished. The following series of mysterious events would leave him as the only one who knew the secret. From this moment on, James's life had changed forever.

His Dark Materials - one of the best series?

I've just finished The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman - and I must say that it was probably one of the best series of books I've ever read. It started when I went to see the film The Golden Compass, based on the Northern Lights, and I liked it, so I decided to read the books. I had then truly entered the world of Lyra on the adventurous journey to the North. The first book was really good, at least ten times better than the film, which included about half of the actual content of the book. The Subtle Knife was even better, when Will and Mary Malone came into the story, and all new kinds of worlds were discovered, including the spectre-invaded city of Cittàgazze, and the world of the elephant-like Mulefa - with help of the powerful knife. The Amber Spyglass pulls together all the loose ends as the story is brought to a heart-wrenching end, in which the two main characters: Will and Lyra, must part forever, extremely similar to the ending of the first series of the new Doctor Who.

I would really recommend this series to everyone! I'm reading The Ruby in the Smoke now, and will soon read the rest of the His Dark Material books!