Book Review: The Devil's Gate- an impossible journey by Deepak Kripal

Book Review: The Devil's Gate- an impossible journey by Deepak Kripal

Hello all, today I am going to review a book. Honestly, this is my first book review. Though I am an avid reader but I could never summon up courage and write a review. But when I received an email from Deepak Kripal himself, requesting me to write a review for his book "The Devil's Gate- an impossible journey", I got tempted and grabbed the opportunity immediately. As a fiction-lover, I couldn't wait for the book to reach me.

Author- Deepak Kripal
Genre- Fiction

ISBN- 978-93-83562-06-0

Publisher- Frog Books

Price- 125 INR (in India), Elsewhere- $8
Available at- Flipkart, Amazon, Snapdeal

Background of the Story:

The Devil's Gate is written on the backdrop of a universal problem, Man vs Wild. Where the cruelty on animals is increasing day by day, animals seek a safe place to reside to save themselves from the torture of the humans. UA, which means United Animals, is a clandestine organization which works for the welfare of the animals living all over the world. UA and its secret mission to save animals from the inhumane tyranny of the human beings becomes the background of the story.

Characters:

Katy, the cat and Dug, the dog are the most vital characters in this book. Dug, being a member of the UA is sent on a mission which includes Katy also. Where Dug is a little bit of confused and nervous all the time, Katy takes the hold of the oar valiantly. As the story makes it way to the climax, we get to see that a lot other characters are brought in for the sake of the narration. We get to read about Billy, a logical owl who lives on the principles of his late father, then a kid demon, a dead rat and lot other characters such as demons, witches and finally, the God and the Evil. In my opinion, apart from all the other characters, the character of Animal kind has become the protagonist of the story.

Plot:

The animals are being tortured by the humans everywhere and eventually they lose all the places they could survive safely in. So, the UA, abbreviation of United Animals, decides to send two most proficient animals- Katy and Dug to a mission next to impossible. Katy and Dug are given a mission to find an Island of Five Hundred Graves which is an invisible island and only can be seen at a full moon night. They are sent to negotiate with the inhabitants of the island- the Demons. How Dug and Katy manages to reach the island is itself a great piece of narration. How they deal with the demons and monsters and finally negotiate with the ruler of the island to get a permission of inhabiting there with other endangered animals becomes a thrilling adventure. The Island, the demons, the Gorge of Toroma, the Mosquito monster, opening the Devils gate, the Palace of Vanora and finally the meeting with the God or the Evil happen to be the turning points of the story.

My Words:

I loved the smooth narrating style of the story-teller. The coordination between each of the episodes is perfect which gives the readers a clear view of what is said in the lines and what they are supposed to understand. The narration continues in a simplified way, without the ornamentation of words. The language is simple yet interesting. The narrator finely takes the story up to the very peak of the mystery creating a line of continuous happenings that would create an atmosphere of thrill, expectation and a lot of curiosity. The author is successful in creating a mask of secrecy and makes it possible for the readers to imagine themselves in the situations faced by the characters. The narrator successfully creates an ambiguity at the end of every chapter that the readers can’t avoid the urge to read the next one. As the story unfolds, many unexpected aspects of the island come into light. The curse of Vanora and the supremacy of the God or the Evil become the central idea of the story decreasing the importance of other aids such as the demonic encounters. Lastly, above all, the idea of the safety of animals becomes the central point, from the frequent repetition of the same idea the reader can understand the emphasis. It becomes a story of the tortured animals that needed a refuge. The unending adventures, the head-turning revelations, the conspiracies, the unbelievable stories behind, the fight against the ultimate power, the mysterious end and above all the triumph of good over the Evil make the story compact and enjoyable to the reader. Apart from some repetition of words and a few points of slight incoherence, I really think it could be a delightful read for children and teenagers. I quite liked it and would recommend everybody to have a look at the book.  

This was my first book review. Hope you liked it. I am still learning the art of writing a book review. Whatever you read here is solely my opinion and one hundred per cent honest. Thanks for reading. Pour in your suggestions in the comments section. Thank you. 

Disclaimer: The book was sent to me by the author.