• Raven's Gate

  • The Gatekeepers, Book 1
  • By: Anthony Horowitz
  • Narrated by: Simon Prebble
  • Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (484 ratings)

Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.
Raven's Gate  By  cover art

Raven's Gate

By: Anthony Horowitz
Narrated by: Simon Prebble
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $17.19

Buy for $17.19

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Matt is being punished for a crime he saw, but didn't commit. Instead of being locked up, he is being sent to the middle of nowhere to live with a new foster mom, as part of a government scheme called The Leaf Project. But Matt's new home provides anything but peace and quiet. His new guardian is involved in very sinister things, and the whole town seems to be on her side. Everybody who tries to help Matt winds up disappearing, or dead. The truth is much bigger than Matt or the town, but Matt is the only person who can stop the ultimate evil from being unleashed.
©2005 Anthony Horowitz (P)2005 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

"The real-world setting gives this an extra frisson of horror, and Horowitz's vivid descriptions are not for the fainthearted. It's what's inside all the thrills, however, that makes the book so strong: characters that readers will care about and root for." (Booklist)

What listeners say about Raven's Gate

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    264
  • 4 Stars
    137
  • 3 Stars
    50
  • 2 Stars
    19
  • 1 Stars
    14
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    248
  • 4 Stars
    75
  • 3 Stars
    17
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    203
  • 4 Stars
    94
  • 3 Stars
    31
  • 2 Stars
    10
  • 1 Stars
    8

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Measured success

Considering the impending close of Harry Potter, I think I may have found at least entertainment fodder for a little while. This book seems to hold the promise of being first of five.

The characterization sometimes seems weak, and sometimes the plot devices seem to break the suspension of disbelief. While these occurrences can mar some of the experience, the characters grow, and it seems a fine start for a series of five books.

It should be noted that --at least I felt so- that the narration was not well suited to the material. Simon Prebble has narrated several works I have appreciated. His work for Susanna Clark's Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell seemed flawless.

Prebble's pacing at times seems too slow or too quick. There are also moments when he narrates excitedly, but the passion in his voice seems to rob the passage of any power it might have had. I wonder if there were obviously different production values between the two works.

These criticisms shouldn't be interpreted too harshly; it may not satisfy my "inner literary snob" as one reviewer commented on another work, but it provides an enjoyable filler. Perhaps my willingness, to overlook these flaws, hinges on my belief that this work was aimed at a younger audience. Even so, my criticisms have been noted.

I may yet take my uncle's recommendation of Dostoyefski as a literary genius, but in the meantime, I prefer to hunt out excellently written, narrated entertainment. This work might not have been either, but the trip was worth the time.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

This is really good. . .

We listened to the story when we began our vacation. We all enjoyed the story so much that by the time it as over we were almost at our destination. I wished I had gotten the next novel.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Great listen

I liked this book quite a bit. I'm constantly looking for good books of the genre and this one fit the bill. Narration is very good as well. Too bad Audible doesn't have book two in the series.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic book...

Where does Raven's Gate rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of my favourite audible books so far.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Listened to it whilst cooking, walking the dog,... basically ANY opportunity!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

You keep waiting and waiting for it to get good...

This book spends a great deal of time building totally unlikeable characters and detailing plot twists that largely go nowhere. You keep waiting for the fantasy part of the book to begin only to be disappointed by the unimpressive way it plays out. Somehow the author takes really neat ideas for ways Matt is attacked and manages to make their execution very dull. The ending is disappointing all the way around. The Nexus ends up protecting this unlikeable, unfortunate orphan who is hanging out with this cynical unlikeable journalist and together they plan on doing... nothing. The author also unsatisfactorily explains how the Old One gets stuck back in his hole. Basically the book was not particularly good fantasy, mystery, or science from start to finish.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

A Disappointment

Got this book because we had listened to "The Word Is Murder", and enjoyed Foyle's War. Also watched "Injustice". We thought that we had found a winning author. The plot of this book is unbelievable, even if one is prone to accept disbelief. The story line repeated so many times that it became predictable. Countless minutes (seemed like hours) were take up with endless description of events that would probably be OK in a science fiction movie. We certainly won't listen to the other books in the Gatekeepers series.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Great Listen

Liked this one a lot. Good narration, good plot, kept up the pace. Too bad they dont have the second book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Very disappointing

Ridiculous story about black magic. I like other books by author but this is waste of time

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I could not stop listening

I love the story completely I can't wait to get to the next books and the narrator is absolutely amazing.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Fun little mystery/fantasy

Pretty fun read. However, for a young adult novel, it got pretty dark right at the end.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!