Evil Star (novel) facts for kids
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| Author | Anthony Horowitz |
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Power of Five |
| Genre | Fantasy novel, adventure novel, thriller novel, Horror fiction |
| Publisher | Walker Books |
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Publication date
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1 April 2006 (UK) 1 June 2006 (US) |
| Media type | Print Paperback |
| Pages | 272 pp |
| ISBN | 1-84428-620-7 (Paperback edition) |
| OCLC | 62761363 |
| Preceded by | Raven's Gate |
| Followed by | Nightrise |
Evil Star is the second book in The Power of Five series by British author Anthony Horowitz. It was published in the United Kingdom on April 1, 2006, by Walker Books Ltd. In the United States, it was released by Scholastic Press under the series title The Gatekeepers. This book follows Raven's Gate (2005) and comes before Nightrise (2007). It's an exciting fantasy adventure where a young hero discovers his powers and fights against ancient evil forces.
Contents
- What Happens in Evil Star?
- Matt's New School and Dangerous Powers
- Aunt Gwenda's Attack and a New Mission
- Journey to Peru and a Kidnapping
- New Friends and Healing Powers
- Searching for Richard and a Traitor Revealed
- The Nazca Lines and the Evil Star
- Stopping the Gate and a New Threat
- Pedro's Healing Power and the Search for Others
- Interesting Facts About Evil Star
- Connection to the Pentagram Series
What Happens in Evil Star?
Matt's New School and Dangerous Powers
After the events of Raven's Gate, Matt starts at a new private school. This school is funded by the Nexus, a secret group. Matt struggles to make friends and faces a bully named Gavin Taylor. When Matt uses his special powers, he accidentally hurts Gavin.
Members of the Nexus, Susan Ashwood and Fabian, ask Matt for help. They need to find an old diary. This diary could help them stop a second gate from opening. This gate keeps dangerous ancient beings, called the Old Ones, out of our world. Matt feels his life is out of control and refuses to help at first.
Aunt Gwenda's Attack and a New Mission
Meanwhile, Matt's aunt, Gwenda Davis, falls under a dark influence. She acts strangely and tries to harm Matt. She even drives a petrol tanker into his new school. Luckily, Matt uses his clairvoyance (the power to see things before they happen). He manages to get everyone out of the school before the crash.
After this scary event, Matt realizes he must stop the gate from opening. He agrees to meet a bookseller, William Morton, at a church. Morton confirms that Matt is one of the Five, special individuals with unique powers. Sadly, Morton is killed, and the diary is stolen. It was taken for Diego Salamanda, a powerful media boss. Salamanda wants to use the diary to open the second gate.
Journey to Peru and a Kidnapping
The Nexus convinces Matt and his guardian, Richard Cole, to fly to Peru. Their mission is to find the second gate. They plan to stay at a house belonging to Fabian. However, on their way to a meeting point, their car is attacked. Richard is kidnapped, but Matt manages to escape.
New Friends and Healing Powers
A local Peruvian boy named Pedro helps Matt. They reach the meeting place, but the Peruvian police, led by Captain Rodriguez, capture Matt. He is treated roughly. Pedro saves him using his slingshot. They escape to 'Poison Town', where Pedro lives. Strangely, Pedro's street is not affected by the disease that plagues the rest of the town.
Here, they meet Sebastian, Pedro's guardian, who speaks English. Sebastian agrees to help Matt. Matt then discovers that his injuries from the police have healed very quickly. That night, Matt meets Pedro in a dream. He learns that Pedro is also one of the Five.
Searching for Richard and a Traitor Revealed
Matt and Pedro believe Salamanda kidnapped Richard. They travel to Salamanda's large house in Inca. They are discovered, and Salamanda reveals he does not have Richard. An Inca named Micos, one of Richard's actual kidnappers, helps them escape. Micos is killed but tells them to go to Cuzco.
In Cuzco, Matt contacts Fabian and the Nexus. The police arrive, but Matt and Pedro escape with help from other Incas, led by Atoc, Micos's brother. The boys are taken to the Mountain of the Sleeping God. From there, they go to Vilcabamba, a town of the last Incas. Richard is waiting for them there, having been separated earlier.
The Nazca Lines and the Evil Star
Reunited, Richard explains that his kidnapping was meant to stop Matt from reaching the hotel. Matt and Richard realize there's a traitor in the Nexus, giving information to Salamanda. In the village, they learn the gate is in the Nazca Desert.
Matt, Richard, and Pedro travel to the Nazca Desert with Professor Joanna Chambers, an expert on Peru. Matt realizes the famous Nazca lines are the second gate. The gate needs stars to align with the drawings to open. However, one star, Cygnus, is not in the right position. Salamanda has sent a satellite, an "evil star," to take its place and open the gate.
Stopping the Gate and a New Threat
Matt and Pedro, with the Incas' help, break into Salamanda's media headquarters. They try to destroy the radio mast that controls the satellite. At the control center, they discover Fabian is the traitor. He believed stopping the gate was useless. Captain Rodriguez bursts in and shoots Fabian when he tries to protect Matt and Richard. The radio mast is destroyed and falls, crushing Rodriguez.
As he dies, Fabian reveals that Salamanda took control of the satellite using a different dish in the desert. Atoc takes Matt and Pedro in a helicopter to the dish. The helicopter crashes, killing Atoc and breaking Pedro's ankle. Matt must stop the gate alone. He uses his power, destroying the satellite dish and Salamanda's trailer. He kills Salamanda by deflecting bullets back at him.
However, Matt realizes the satellite will still open the gate. The Nazca lines crack open, and an army of demons appears. The King of the Old Ones climbs out. Matt uses his full powers against the demons, but the King punches him into a coma. The Old Ones then temporarily hide.
Pedro's Healing Power and the Search for Others
Matt is taken to Professor Chambers' house. A doctor thinks he won't survive. But Pedro returns early from the hospital and insists on being alone with Matt. Here, Pedro's power is revealed: he can heal. This explains why his street in Poison Town was safe and how Matt's injuries healed so fast. Matt wakes from his coma thanks to Pedro. They decide the only way to defeat the Old Ones is to find the other three Gatekeepers.
Interesting Facts About Evil Star
- In the first book, Raven's Gate, the character Fabian mentions having a family. But in Evil Star, he says he is not married and has no children. This might have been a lie to keep the Nexus secret, or it could be a small mistake in the story.
- The book often shows Matt going on missions that don't quite work out as planned. For example, he tries to get a diary but it's stolen. He goes to Salamanda's house expecting to find Richard, but Richard isn't there. And he tries to stop the satellite but realizes he failed too late.
- If you read the name of the novel, Evil Star, backwards, it spells "live rats." This might hint at the presence of the Old Ones or Salamanda's agents in the story.
Connection to the Pentagram Series
The Power of Five series is based on ideas from an earlier series by Anthony Horowitz called Pentagram. This series was written between 1983 and 1989. Pentagram was planned to have five books, but only four were published. The second book in that series was The Night of the Scorpion, and Evil Star was based on its story.
