The Devil's Gate by Deepak Kripal: a review

The perfect tagline given to the book by debutant author Deepak Kripal; ‘an impossible journey’. Well, after reading the book, one would surely agree with the tagline. A book with a difference I must say. Interesting cover, black surely defines the book.

According to the back cover- Plundered by humans of their habitat, animals take a drastic step when they decide to send a team of a cat named as Katy and a dog named as Dug, to an invisible island known as the island of ‘five hundred graves.’ The island becomes visible only for a short time on the night of the full moon. Legend has it that the island is inhabited by the demons. Katy and Dug are supposed to negotiate a deal with the demons, convincing them to allow the animals to inhabit the island. Majority of the animal community believe that tinkering with the other would could bring their wrath to the animals. The team is send to the island nevertheless. But can a deal be materialized with? Are there really demons on the island? Is there any conspiracy involved? Will Katy and Dug be able to negotiate, or will survival remain their only question in the deadly island?

Perhaps, one of the best fantasy fiction novels I have read till date, the Devil’s Gate keeps you attracted to the book from the very beginning. The flawless writing style of the writer makes this book a page-turner.

A perfect piece of imagination! For any reader of any age group, the book is a must read! Perhaps, one of the first of its kind, the book deals with not humans, but animals as the centralized characters.

It makes us believe that animals do have a life of their own and what an animal feels when humans vacate their homes for living. The wonderful dosage of laughter added in a few conversations between Katy and Dug from the time they met, throughout the travel makes it a fun read.

It rekindles faith in God, teaches us the most difficult of things with such ease. A wonder in itself, the book teaches us a great deal. I wanted more of the book when the book ended and I am very sure of it being a bestseller. Only a few grammatical errors were spotted, making me rate the book a 4.75 out of 5.