Into the Fire

Robert Liparulo’s third young adult novel Gatekeepers picks up where Book Two Watcher in the Woods ends and issues a warning on the page preceding the first chapter instructing the reader to read Books One (House of Dark Shadows) and Two before this one. I would agree with this “warning”. The eventual six book series is told in increments of daily time documenting the sometimes horrific and always exciting adventures of the King family in their quest to tackle the strange and often wicked aspects of what they thought would be their dream house.

At the end of Book Two we meet a wheel-chair bound 95 year old man named Jesse who convinces his former Army Ranger nurse Keal to take him from his nursing home to California to help the King family in this crazy house even though the King family doesn’t know either of them. Before Jesse and Keal are introduced to us again, Dad is jailed on a trumped up charge suggested by the evil Taksidian who has his own reasons for wanting the family out of the house. The three King kids, the oldest Xander, David, and their little sister Toria, are left in the house alone trying to figure out a way to retrieve their kidnapped mother from the time portals where she was carried off by a man who looked more like a monster.

In this story we begin to learn a little more about the youngest Toria and how her older brother’s plan to use her in a rescue attempt is staunchly opposed by her other brother David. Conflict and courage add to their dilemma and when the “monsters” appear again and seem to expand their boundaries throughout the house, the three try to escape to an outdoor field with special powers which they hope will offer them asylum.

There is more high drama when Jesse and Keal arrive with fascinating explanations from the plucky old man, and the excitement and fear factor ratchet up as the cliffhanger ending approaches.

There are incredible high stakes adventures going on throughout the divided time slots in this third installment in the series, and young readers will be compelled to turn each page and read all the books. Parents who are looking for overt spiritual references or directions will only find subtle allusions to eternal issues. The kids themselves are not looking toward God for help at this point. The writing is exactly what you expect from thriller writer Robert Liparulo: fast pacing, sharp danger, scrambling to outdo or outrun the evil pursuers, and sheer excitement as the risks exceed the abilities of each character.

Those young people (and some adults for that matter) who love action-packed stories will experience the tension in this exhilarating adventure by Robert Liparulo, a genuine thriller writer.

Father, I ask for your continued blessings upon Robert as he meets many of the young readers who love these novels. I pray you would give him ample opportunities to share his faith, to bless them with his innate generosity and his fun-loving spirt. Be close to him, Lord, in all of his ventures, and keep him safe from all harm. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.