Book Review #13 : The Devil's Gate

The Devil's Gate: An Impossible Journey by Deepak Kripal is a debut fiction/ thriller. It is a story about animals, sensible ones, who can talk, listen and understand each other. The theme of story is - Sidelined by Man, Animals turned to Demons.

Overall The Devil's Gate: An Impossible Journey by Deepak Kripal is quite interesting to read. I loved the sense of humour he has put in the book, the situations, the twists, and the characters are spot on!

This book is a masterpiece of writing. Writer not only carries you along the journey of his imaginary creatures but in between gives you the feel of a different world nobody would like to go in, but you just cannot stop unveiling the truth.

The plot of the story is so different and refreshing that after a few pages, one feels a sort of addiction to the story and you just can't stop after that. The mystery unravels beautifully and the shock climax is just icing on the cake.

When I started reading the book, I was wondering why a cat and a dog is chosen as the protagonists. But the questions are also answered in the second half of the book. Weird though it may sound, ‘The Devil’s Gate: An Impossible Journey’ is relevant.

Though the story has animals and demons as its central characters, the main focus is on the fight of good against evil. The book also makes one realize that though good will ultimately prevail over evil, it is impossible to eradicate evil from its root.

The story also highlights the plight of the animals and nature due to rapid urbanization of the earth by man. This is a story of courage and commitment. A thriller no doubt, the plot also has an element of love hidden in it, love that surfaces in trying times. The vividness of the descriptions is also commendable.

The language is simple, engaging and lucid. The narrative is fast paced and flows freely and smoothly. One can visualize the scenes as the story progresses.

The characters central to the theme are well etched with all their imperfections. There are quotes in between which leave you inspired!

It takes courage to write on concepts and notions which rarely catch the fancy of other writers. Even if one does choose to settle down to an ‘unheard-of’ theme, it takes even more courage to put it into words and deliver to the readers, exactly what it had intended to deliver in the first place. In that regard, the effort and the skill of this debut author must be applauded generously, for indeed, he has made a point and has successfully made the readers see, what he had intended them to see.

What I liked the best in the book was the underlying message that becomes the foundation stone of the book. Along with its unique evils and demons, the book is surely meant to lure children and teens. I also liked the surprise which awaited the reader at the turn of every chapter, here, I must say, that the end was very unpredictable and kept getting more and more mysterious as the pages flipped by. Overall a good read, I recommend this book to fantasy lovers, especially young children and teenagers.

There are places where long descriptions make the things a little boring (especially in the second half); but overall it all relies on tight writing.

The last two pages confirms that the story doesn’t end here. Seems the solved one is just a part of the problem, the main problem stills hangs on the head. Yes, we are talking about the next part or sequel of the book for sure.

Overall, a nice and gripping thriller. The book is appealing for the children as well. It would be interesting to see its response by children.

Ratings: 4/5

P.S: This post is for Write Tribe. See here for more details: http://writetribe.com/the-devils-gate/