The Power of Five
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The Power of five is a series of fantasy and horror novels, written by British author Anthony Horowitz. Three instalments have been published to date but another two are to be released. The series is published in the UK by Walker Books Ltd and in the United States by Scholastic Press.
Contents |
[edit] Series Plot
The series focuses on all orphans Matt Freeman, Pedro, Scott & Jamie Tyler, and Scarlett Adams, a group of 14-year-old children who are destined to defeat mystical entities known only as 'The Old Ones'.
[edit] Books
[edit] Raven's Gate
Raised in foster care, Matthew Freeman always knew he had strange powers, now known to be telekinesis and precognition. He learns that to use his powers he must smell something burning. After he attempts to steal DVDs from a local warehouse, he is sent to Lesser Malling, a small unheard of village as part of a rehabilitation program, named the LEAF Project, only to find himself in the midst of sinister happenings. He decides to investigate and uncovers a great secret - five guardians are protecting the world from evil beings known as The Old Ones who were banished through the Raven's Gate. But devil worshippers want to let them back in, again through the gate. Along with a mysterious group known as the Nexus, and later on a reporter called Richard, Matt will have to put a stop in their sinister plan to release the Old Ones.
Raven's Gate was released in the UK on August 1, 2005 and in the United States on June 1, 2005.
[edit] Evil Star
After his experiences in Raven's Gate, Matt thinks his days of battling evil are over. But soon he is pulled into another terrible adventure when he discovers a second gate exists. Matt and his friend Richard travel to Peru and, assisted by the Nexus, follow clues to the gate's whereabouts. But there is a traitor in the Nexus. Matt's friend Richard is kidnapped but Matt manages to escape with the help of a local Peruvian, Pedro, who is another "one of the five". The two can only communicate in their dreams, as Matt speaks English, and Pedro Spanish. The pair travel to the Nazca desert and Matt realizes the horrifying truth, that the second gate is about to open, again increasing the chance of The Old Ones returning. Once again, Matt must prevent it happening.
Evil Star was released in the UK on April 1, 2006 and in the United States on June 1, 2006.
[edit] Nightrise
Jamie and Scott Tyler are both telepathic twins who perform telepathic acts at a local theatre in Reno, Nevada. Unknown to them, their guardian, Don White, is willing to give them up to the Nightrise Corporation in exchange for seventy-five thousand dollars for each twin. Nightrise agents come for Jamie and Scott, but Jamie escapes, meeting a politician who has also lost her son to the Nightrise Corporation. Jamie soon realizes that he has to search for his brother, Scott, who was kidnapped by Nightrise, and also find the woman's son. Jamie intentionally gets arrested and sent to Silent Creek, a prison in the Mojave Desert, where he discovers that the Old Ones are back in a telepathic dream. Jamie is rescued by some Indians but halfway through is killed and plunged back into the past, ten thousand years ago, where he fights the Old Ones in their first form, and learns of the destruction they can cause. Jamie meets the other Gatekeepers, including his brother, Scott (called Flint in the past) and he is sent back to the present day after winning the first battle. Jamie finds his brother, Scott - but things aren't as they seem.
According to Horowitz's official website, Nightrise is like nothing he has done before.[1] Matt Freeman, Pedro and Richard Cole feature only briefly in this book; more important is the introduction of a new heroine (Horowitz's first female hero) named Scarlett.[2] She is mostly seen only in the past section of Nightrise, and is set to be the main protagonist in the fourth book of the series.[3] Nightrise was officially released on April 2, 2007 in the UK and was then released in the USA on May 1, 2007. The first chapter was hidden in Horowitz's website in August 2006.
[edit] Necropolis: City of the Dead
The title for the fourth book in the power of five series was announced on Horowitz's official website on 16 July 2007.[4] The book is due for release on 30 October 2008. Horowitz said that it will involve Scarlett Adams and "devastation on a massive scale." Speculation is that 'Scar' will have the power to control the weather ( in the old book called "The Day of the Dragon", she controlled the weather, and the powers of the Four other Gatekeepers haven't changed ).
[edit] Characters
This is a list of all the Antagonists and Protagonists in the Power of Five series.
[edit] Protagonists
[edit] Matthew Freeman
Matthew is the first of the Five and the leader of the Five, and is the main protagonist in the first two novels Raven's Gate and Evil Star (novel). He did reappear in the third novel Nightrise but only very briefly. Horowitz has said Matt will not be the main protagonist in book four as that is left to Scarlett Adams (who is the fifth of the Five) but he will make a bigger appearance than he did in Nightrise. Matt's power is telekinesis, and when he smells burning it signals a warning as well as triggers his powers. Matt is described as being muscular but slim and very good looking. It describes Matt in the book as having the look of a male model. His past incarnation is called Matt as well. Matt is 14 years old.
[edit] Pedro
Pedro is one of the Five (the second of the Five) and is first introduced in the second book, Evil Star. Pedro lives as a street kid in Lima, Peru, where he meets up with Matt and assists in the search for the second gate. Though his native tongue is Spanish and he cannot speak much English. He also bears a strong resemblance to Manco Capac, the founder of the Inca Empire. Pedro's power is healing. He is described as being extremely skinny with dark brown hair and brown eyes. His past incarnation is Inti. Pedro is 14 years old.
[edit] Jamie and Scott Tyler
Jamie and Scott, twins, are two of the Five (Jamie being the third and Scott being the fourth) and are the main protagonists in the third book in the Power of Five series Nightrise. At the beginning of the novel Jamie and Scott are working in a dingy theatre in Reno, Nevada. Soon Scott is kidnapped and both physically and mentally tortured by the sinister Nightrise corporation, and Jamie is catapulted into the past and witnesses the first battle against the Old Ones. At the end of the novel Jamie and Scott are united with Matt and Pedro. Jamie and Scott's power is telepathy and they have the power to control other people. Jamie and Scott are described as being slim with long black hair, though after Scott's capture his hair is cut short. Their past incarnations are Sapling and Flint respectively. Jamie and Scott are both 14 years old.
[edit] Scarlett Adams
Scarlett is the fifth of the Five and is set to be the main protagonist in the fourth book which is called Necropolis: City of the Dead. Scarlett is half English and half Chinese and she lives in Dulwich. Scarlett's dad works for the Nightrise Corporation, at the end of Nightrise she leaves on a flight to Hong Kong. It is suspected Scarlett's power is controlling the weather although this is unconfirmed. Scarlett is described as being small, pretty, slim and appearing English altough she is half Chinese and half English. Her past incarnation is Scar. Scarlett is mostly a nice girl but when she is angry she can become bossy and fiesty. Scarlett is 14 years old.
[edit] Richard Cole
Richard is first introduced in Raven's Gate and helps Matt out with his troubles with the heartless Jayne Deverill. At the end of the novel Richard pushes Mrs. Deverill in a pool of acid when she tries to crush Matt's windpipe. In the second novel, Evil Star, Richard agrees to go to Peru with Matt and gets separated from Matt when their taxi from the airport was ambushed.
[edit] The Nexus
The Nexus is a group who try to stop the Old Ones entering the world. They tell Matt that he is one of the Five in Raven's Gate and help Matt and Pedro with the gate's whereabouts in Evil Star.
[edit] The Incas
The Incas appear in Evil Star when Matt and Pedro travel to the Inca City in Peru.
[edit] The Native Americans
The Native Americans aid Jamie in Nightrise by rescuing him from Silent Creek prison. A Native American by the name of Joe Feather has said that Jamie and Scott have Native blood in their veins, and that the tribes will always be ready to help the Five.
[edit] Alicia McGuire
Alicia used to work for the soon to become president, John Trewlawny. She helps Jamie Tyler try to find his brother, Scott Tyler, when he gets taken. However they only meet at one of Jamie and Scotts performances, as she is trying to find her son Daniel. Luckily for Jamie Alicia still had contact with the president. At the end of the novel of Nightrise she ends up getting caught by the police but Jamie and Scott get away. The story doesn't mention what happens to her afterwards.
[edit] Antagonists
[edit] The Old Ones
The Old Ones are a group of creatures that the Five will one day battle. They were defeated for the first time by the Gatekeepers when all the Gatekeepers were together for the first time. The Old Ones are led by a creature called Chaos, who first appears in Raven's Gate as the primary antagonist, alongside Sir Michael Marsh and Mrs Deverill, who were working for Chaos. Chaos was the cause of the near-destruction of the planet Earth before the Dark Ages where Jamie Tyler is catapulted to in Nightrise, where he meets the Old Ones in their previous forms. The forms that the Old Ones take towards the end of Evil Star are deformed and monstrous creatures which centre mainly on the creatures in the Nazca Lines in Peru. The Old Ones are capable of finding people who share the same views as them and giving them extra powers and plans for world destruction. However, at the end it's revealed that those people cannot destroy the world themselves - they have to die with the rest of humanity, because humanity is doomed and the Old Ones are the true masters of destruction. The Old Ones make an appearance in both Evil Star and Nightrise, although in Nightrise their presence is mainly due to the flashback wherein the Gatekeepers eradicate them. Despite these brief appearances, the Old Ones are the primary antagonists to the Power of Five, and their influence is felt throughout the series.
[edit] Raven's Gate
The Old Ones first appear in Chapter 15 of Raven's Gate, mentioned by Professor Sanjay Dravid of the Nexus. The Nexus has been created to combat the Old Ones, and make sure the world remains safer whilst the Old Ones are kept in their prison. The only Old One to make a physical appearance in this book is Chaos, who attempts to escape from Raven's Gate with the assistance of the witches of Lesser Malling and the human antagonist, Sir Michael Marsh. Chaos kills Sir Michael when he comes out of his prison, taking the form of a huge black creature with webbed fingers. Chaos is then pulled back into Raven's Gate when the nuclear reactor beneath the Gate explodes and then he is not seen again until the events of Evil Star, where another Gate is opening, this time in Peru.
[edit] Evil Star
The Old Ones' presence is felt throughout Evil Star, but only at the end are they actually seen in physical form. The three main creatures in the Old Ones' army include a giant hummingbird, a giant spider, and a huge monkey. There are also thirteen giants who form the Old Ones' cavalry, and several other deformed creatures: a huge toad with the head of a bird, and several strange, ethereal creatures. The Old Ones escape from their prison and meet two Gatekeepers, Pedro and Matt Freeman. Matt and Pedro try to fence off the Old Ones, and almost win, but they realise they need more power and Matt falls unconscious allowing the Old Ones to escape led by Chaos. Just like the Old Ones possessed two giant dogs in Raven's Gate, in this book they possess several giant condors, which guard the Gate in the Nazca Desert, thus linking with the Inca's prophecy: The birds fly where they should not fly.
[edit] Nightrise
The Old Ones have escaped. They are assisting Nightrise Corporation in order to find the Gatekeepers, and Nightrise capture two: Jamie and Scott Tyler. Diego Salamander has failed to capture Matt and Pedro, and Nightrise is also trying to look for them, and also the fifth Gatekeeper, Scarlett Adams, appears in the past when Jamie Tyler is shot while escaping the prison Silent Creek, dying temporarily and going back to the past, where he replaces his previous incarnation, Sapling, in order to destroy the Old Ones. The Old Ones rule the world in the past, and they seem invincible, to the point of actually killing a Gatekeeper. However, they don't know that they need to kill a Gatekeeper twice in order to successfully conquer the world, and so they ignore the fact that Jamie has replaced Sapling. A brief battle follows with the Old Ones in which the Gatekeepers meet up and defeat the Old Ones, expelling them to another dimension. After this, two Gates are built to keep them out: one in Peru and one in Yorkshire, where the first battle was fought. However, they break out in Evil Star, which Jamie sees in his dreams in Silent Creek.
[edit] Jayne Deverill
Jayne Deverill is Matt's foster parent when he is sent on the LEAF project. Mrs. Deverill is the main antagonist in book one Raven's Gate. She lives in a remote village just outside the Yorkshire Moors. The village is very much far away from everything altogether the village has just a very small centre where there is only a pond, a pub, a sweet shop and a chemist shop. It also has an unnatural forest. The village is called Lesser Malling. Mrs. Deverill lives there, and she has her own farm named Hive Hall. She is described as having wrinkled skin, lifeless eyes, and white hair. At the end of the novel it is revealed she is an evil, heartless witch. She dies at the end, when she is pushed into a pool of acid by Richard Cole after she attempts to kill Matt. Mrs. Deverill has a cat named Asmodeous.
[edit] Noah
Noah is Mrs. Deverill's farmhand. He can't speak properly and takes a dislike to Matt. At the end of the novel he dies when he is killed by his own sickle plunging through his stomach. He is fat and greasy, according to Matt. It is belived that he has mental problems.
[edit] The chairman
Not much is yet known about the chairman of the Nightrise Corporation, except that he has a fear of boats and he is very vain. He has obviously spent lots of money trying to make himself look younger and he has long white hair which looks like a wig but is in fact his own. The chairman, like the President, prefers to be addressed as `Mr Chairman` and he lives in Hong Kong, in the town of Kowloon, which means `Nine Dragons.` The chairman constantly maintains contact with his executives throughout the world, and for such a mysterious character, he only appears twice in Nightrise: once in which he is talking to the executives of Nightrise, and talks to Diego Salamanda, where it is revealed Salamanda is the chairman's agent in Peru. Salamanda says the Gatekeepers he is pursuing will be in his clutches soon and the chairman is pleased. He appears again when Susan Mortlake rings up to say she plans to have John Trelawney assassinated, by using one of the Gatekeepers as a weapon. The chairman likes his position as a billionaire and wants to maintain the division between the rich and the poor as much as possible, and for this he, like all the other antagonists who serve them, requires the assistance of the Old Ones.
[edit] Diego Salamanda
Diego Salamanda is the main antagonist in book two, Evil Star. Salamanda's main purpose is to get the diary belonging to St Joseph of Cordoba, because he knows this will gain him supernatural powers, and he auctions for it in London and pays an enormous sum of money to tempt William Morton, the book owner. However, he kills Morton when he has the chance and steals the diary. He has three main bases: one not far from Lima, another in the desert up by Nazca, and another in the desert itself, where he finally operates the satellite which is the title object of the book. Salamanda is one of the victims of an ancient ritual which requires squeezing a baby's head from birth so it looks abnormally deformed. Even Pedro, who is used to deformity and disease, calls Salamanda a ``freak,`` and also says he was ``evil`` and says Salamanda makes him ``want to be sick.`` Diego Salamanda, as it is revealed in Nightrise, is an agent of the Nightrise Corporation, and this explains why he wants to hunt down the Gatekeepers, in order to allow the Old Ones to be released. Diego Salamanda also employs the traitor Fabian, from the Nexus organization. Diego Salamanda pursues Matt and Pedro through the entire book, and he doesn't seem to let Matt's disguises barricade him from his mission: he straightaway knows that Matt and Pedro are the Gatekeepers when he sees them in his farmhouse, because he says he can ``feel their presence.`` Diego Salamanda also seems to have a good understanding of astronomy, because he knows about Cygnus lacking a star on June 24th, and therefore he is replacing the star with his own satellite - the evil star of the title. Diego Salamanda tries to kill Matt with a pistol, but in a final use of his powers, Matt thrusts the bullets back at Salamanda, whose neck breaks when he falls on the ground and dies.
[edit] Susan Mortlake
She is a member of the Nightrise Corporation and tortures Scott in order to make her plan work to successfully shoot Senator John Trelawney and make Senator Charles Baker become president of the United States. She takes Scott to a place called Silent Creek. Susan Mortlake is the woman who organized the attempt to kidnap Jamie and Scott, which half-failed, so she ordered one of their attackers, Colton Banes, to strangle his partner Kyle Hovey. Susan Mortlake is obviously the counterpart to Susan Ashwood, one of the members of the Nexus, although Susan Mortlake has also probably been given power by the Old Ones, as she is pale for a human and she also has a long neck, similar to Salamanda, and very short gray hair. Susan Mortlake works in Los Angeles and she is one of the chief executives of Nightrise, probably under the chairman, whom she takes orders from. The chairman briefly considers her resignation after her plan fails, but the chairman lets her stay on the board. Susan Mortlake arranges for John Trelawney to be shot, which is why she wants to twist Scott's mind: to make him able to shoot Trelawney by telepathically communicating with one of Trelawney's men. Susan Mortlake almost succeeds in accomplishing this plan, by blocking Scott's mind from other people's minds, so when Jamie tries to contact his brother's mind, he is blocked out. However, Jamie contacts Trelawney's henchman, and, at the last moment, directs him to shoot Susan Mortlake instead. This act is described as the most terrible order of Jamie's life.
