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Pentagram Chronicles #1
The Devil's Door Bell
Book by Horowitz, Anthony
159 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published January 1, 1985
5 people are currently reading
267 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Horowitz
345 books20.9k followersAnthony Horowitz, OBE is ranked alongside Enid Blyton and Mark A. Cooper as "The most original and best spy-kids authors of the century." (New York Times). Anthony has been writing since the age of eight, and professionally since the age of twenty. In addition to the highly successful Alex Rider books, he is also the writer and creator of award winning detective series Foyle’s War, and more recently event drama Collision, among his other television works he has written episodes for Poirot, Murder in Mind, Midsomer Murders and Murder Most Horrid. Anthony became patron to East Anglia Children’s Hospices in 2009.
On 19 January 2011, the estate of Arthur Conan Doyle announced that Horowitz was to be the writer of a new Sherlock Holmes novel, the first such effort to receive an official endorsement from them and to be entitled the House of Silk.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/anthon...
On 19 January 2011, the estate of Arthur Conan Doyle announced that Horowitz was to be the writer of a new Sherlock Holmes novel, the first such effort to receive an official endorsement from them and to be entitled the House of Silk.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/anthon...
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 5, 2010
This was my billionth time reading this book, as it was always a favourite of mine growing up. Some scenes in particular still stand out in my mind even now, so it was fun to go back and read it yet again.
When 13 year old Martin Hopkins is sent to live on a farm outside the tiny village of Lesser Malling, Yorkshire after his parents are killed, he senses almost immediately that something isn't right. He can't shake the heavy feeling of evil that surrounds the entire area, not to mention the darkness that pervades the forest nearby...
I don't know why it never occured to me that there would have to be more sequels to this series. Now I'm thinking that, if I can find them, I'd love to give them all a read. I actually haven't read any more of Anthony Horowitz's work, and that is a sad oversight (undersight?) that I should soon be correcting, as well.
He keeps you guessing, on the edge of your seat, and leaves a few tantalizing questions unanswered, with just the right amount of grim gruesomeness to whet your appetite, and leave you begging for more.
When 13 year old Martin Hopkins is sent to live on a farm outside the tiny village of Lesser Malling, Yorkshire after his parents are killed, he senses almost immediately that something isn't right. He can't shake the heavy feeling of evil that surrounds the entire area, not to mention the darkness that pervades the forest nearby...
I don't know why it never occured to me that there would have to be more sequels to this series. Now I'm thinking that, if I can find them, I'd love to give them all a read. I actually haven't read any more of Anthony Horowitz's work, and that is a sad oversight (undersight?) that I should soon be correcting, as well.
He keeps you guessing, on the edge of your seat, and leaves a few tantalizing questions unanswered, with just the right amount of grim gruesomeness to whet your appetite, and leave you begging for more.
February 12, 2022
J'aimerais donner une meilleure note et dire c'était bien par ce que j'adore Anthony Horrowitz mais c'était vraiment pas ouf et il a vraiment écrit de meilleurs livres. Le personnage n'était pas attachant et ça a rendu tout le récit vain car ce qui lui arrivait ne m'intéressait absolument pas. Couplé à un mystère trop évident et survolé... 2/5
October 31, 2014
Martin Hopkins was an ordinary thirteen-year-old boy, but when his parents are killed by lightning during a walk in the park, he's sent into the care of Elvira Crow. Elvira takes a particular interest in him, but doesn't seem to care about him at all. She and the rest of the village of Lesser Malling are involved in some conspiracy, and Martin's determined to get to the bottom of it. He suspects he'll find out the hard way if he doesn't. But everyone who tries to help him ends up dead, and when he finally does learn the truth, it's too late to escape.
Right from the beginning, the book plunges into the creepy, surreal atmosphere that defines it. An unnamed policeman asks Elvira questions about Martin because the boy looks too ill to be hauling his huge suitcases. Elvira grumbles about it when he leaves, excuses herself from the bus, and when she returns the policeman is dead. No explanation is given for how it was done, but Elvira has taken his note-book, the only record of his meeting them.
Martin doesn't know about the policeman being dead, but from there his life gets steadily worse. Everyone in Lesser Malling is very glad to see him, but they make a lot of cryptic remarks and seem more threatening than friendly. The church Elvira attends every Saturday night is nothing but an empty building wired with speakers to give the impression of a crowd of people. A man tries to warn Martin, but when Martin goes to meet him for an explanation, he finds the man dead, and when he returns with police, finds the villagers have already covered up the crime.
His only clues are a white building in the middle of the forest named Omega One and the words The Devil's Door-Bell. As he's looking for information, Martin runs into Richard Cole, journalist for Greater Malling's newspaper. Although Richard at first blows him off, he soon becomes an invaluable ally in a mystery of terrifying dimensions. Dogs made from fire, living dinosaur skeletons, and more conspire to stop Martin from learning the truth or getting away. And when Martin does learn that he is to be the final ingredient in a massive spell of black magic, he is powerless to escape.
But Elvira Crow has made one critical miscalculation. Martin is not an ordinary boy. He is one of the five. Martin himself doesn't know what it means, but he has power of his own, power enough to stand against the Old Ones in their bid to open the Devil's Door-Bell and reign again on Earth.
This is the book Raven's Gate was based on. Where Raven's Gate tries to be an action-adventure, The Devil's Door-Bell is supernatural suspense. With tight prose and a fast pace, The Devil's Door-Bell rockets Martin into a world where black magic is real and so is the ultimate evil. The people who help him are all drawn in for their own reasons: Tom suspects Martin is in danger, Edith Trotter is disturbed by the rumors in the spirit world, and Professor Griffin understands what the Devil's Door-Bell is and wants to stop it. Even the government employee who suppressed Richard's story only does it because the government does not want papers to print something that suggests black magic is real and cause a panic. Why Horowitz thought a grand conspiracy of good (the Nexus) would be more believable I have no idea.
Although this story was published in 1983, the only thing that sticks out is that Richard's newspaper office is full of typewriters instead of computers. Also, the last few paragraphs were somewhat weak; Horowitz could have found a better sentence to use as the closing touch on this book. In my opinion this story could've been republished virtually as-is. The revision didn't gain enough to justify everything that it lost. In any case, this book is Highly Recommended.
Right from the beginning, the book plunges into the creepy, surreal atmosphere that defines it. An unnamed policeman asks Elvira questions about Martin because the boy looks too ill to be hauling his huge suitcases. Elvira grumbles about it when he leaves, excuses herself from the bus, and when she returns the policeman is dead. No explanation is given for how it was done, but Elvira has taken his note-book, the only record of his meeting them.
Martin doesn't know about the policeman being dead, but from there his life gets steadily worse. Everyone in Lesser Malling is very glad to see him, but they make a lot of cryptic remarks and seem more threatening than friendly. The church Elvira attends every Saturday night is nothing but an empty building wired with speakers to give the impression of a crowd of people. A man tries to warn Martin, but when Martin goes to meet him for an explanation, he finds the man dead, and when he returns with police, finds the villagers have already covered up the crime.
His only clues are a white building in the middle of the forest named Omega One and the words The Devil's Door-Bell. As he's looking for information, Martin runs into Richard Cole, journalist for Greater Malling's newspaper. Although Richard at first blows him off, he soon becomes an invaluable ally in a mystery of terrifying dimensions. Dogs made from fire, living dinosaur skeletons, and more conspire to stop Martin from learning the truth or getting away. And when Martin does learn that he is to be the final ingredient in a massive spell of black magic, he is powerless to escape.
But Elvira Crow has made one critical miscalculation. Martin is not an ordinary boy. He is one of the five. Martin himself doesn't know what it means, but he has power of his own, power enough to stand against the Old Ones in their bid to open the Devil's Door-Bell and reign again on Earth.
This is the book Raven's Gate was based on. Where Raven's Gate tries to be an action-adventure, The Devil's Door-Bell is supernatural suspense. With tight prose and a fast pace, The Devil's Door-Bell rockets Martin into a world where black magic is real and so is the ultimate evil. The people who help him are all drawn in for their own reasons: Tom suspects Martin is in danger, Edith Trotter is disturbed by the rumors in the spirit world, and Professor Griffin understands what the Devil's Door-Bell is and wants to stop it. Even the government employee who suppressed Richard's story only does it because the government does not want papers to print something that suggests black magic is real and cause a panic. Why Horowitz thought a grand conspiracy of good (the Nexus) would be more believable I have no idea.
Although this story was published in 1983, the only thing that sticks out is that Richard's newspaper office is full of typewriters instead of computers. Also, the last few paragraphs were somewhat weak; Horowitz could have found a better sentence to use as the closing touch on this book. In my opinion this story could've been republished virtually as-is. The revision didn't gain enough to justify everything that it lost. In any case, this book is Highly Recommended.
September 29, 2021
Good book but, it’s too unreal for me.
December 31, 2017
An enjoyable, quick read aimed at a younger audience. Fun if you like your teenagers confused and up against dark supernatural powers - and mysterious relations - in gloomy english locations. Probably raised to a four for me because I'm invested in young Hopkins from reading book 2 in the series back when I was his age, but not as good as that one. And only now do I discover there were another two in the unfinished series.
April 19, 2021
I wanted to read this as a teen but never did. A chance conversation with an old friend brought up this book and so I decided to buy it and read it. I had in mind its intended audience, and that it was written in 1983!
I actually really enjoyed the book. I found it full of mystery and suprise right up until the end. Which, I thought was over too quick and with little substance. I guess this was done on purpose to lead on to the other books in the series.
I actually really enjoyed the book. I found it full of mystery and suprise right up until the end. Which, I thought was over too quick and with little substance. I guess this was done on purpose to lead on to the other books in the series.
May 22, 2021
i read this because it was my dad’s favourite book when he was younger and i absolutely loved it and i was surprised that i did because it is not something i would normally read but it is a really good book and i highly recommend it!!
April 13, 2022
I must have read this over 30 years ago, and still remember the scenes, the excitement and the "elementals", and needing to find the next books in the library. One of my most memorable young reads.
November 21, 2024
Dit was een van mijn livelingsboeken toen ik kind was. Ik ben op zoek naar een originele uitgave. Tips zijn welkom.
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March 20, 2017One of my childhood books which sadly you cannot get hold of these titles no more. I've been hooked on Antony Horowitz since then. Love "The Silver Citadel"!
July 20, 2008
This is a rare book, similar to the more popular book named Ravens Gate. If you own one, you could make some fair money.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews