Author – Deepak Kripal
The Devil’s Gate: An Impossible Journey, as we can judge its genre from the name and the cover page, is a horror fiction comprising in itself a message or I must say a warning for humans to stop exploiting nature before it gets too late.
Now coming to the story of the novel, basically it’s a story of Katy (cat) and Dug (dog) who are sent to an invisible island called “Island of Five Hundred Graves” by UA (United Animals), a committee formed for the protection and welfare of the animal community from the ruthless human society. The island becomes visible only for a very short time on the night of full moon. Legend says that the island is inhabited by demons and Katy and Dug are supposed to negotiate a deal with demons to convince them to allow the animal community to inhabit their island. But majority of the animal community believe that tinkering with the other world could be wrath to the animals. The team is sent to the island nevertheless. Hence the story revolves around their journey in the island with lots of tragedies and adventures and some questions continuously striking the walls of their brains whether the deal with demons can be materialized or whether they are going to survive in the island or not.
What I liked the most about the book is its plot which is not only extraordinarily unique and innovative but it also delivers a very good message for the human society and I must say that as a debut writer, Deepak Kripal has done a commendable work by writing such a compelling story. I just loved the author’s imagination and the different terms used to show the advancement of the animal society like UA (United Animals), BMS (Bachelor in Multiple Skills) etc. The portrayal of the characters of Katy, Dug, Billy and Cheeku are really adorable. The conversations of Katy and Dug along with so called “teachings” of Billy’s father at regular time intervals make the story funny and humorous.The artistic visualization of the locations cited in the story like the devil’s gate, the grassland with a single tree, the palace of vanora etc make it a perfect story for an animated movie plus the suspense taken till the story ends has made the author successful in captivating the reader’s mind.
If you are interested in reading a completely fresh story spiced up with horror, thrill, humor, suspense and unexpected climax, then this book is perfect for you. Good lucks to Deepak Kripal and hope he comes up with more interesting books in future.
Rating- 4.3/5
Reviewer- Harsha Thangwal