From TES issue 14 (March 2002)

KNIGHTMARE: The Forbidden Gate.
Published by Yearling in 1992.
Written by Dave Morris.
  Plot: Written for younger readers than the previous books, the protagonists of this story are Samantha, Jimmy and Pippa, three young teens from South London. They discover an old path called Babylon Walk, from where a mysterious dog follows them home. Sam gives him the name Gobble. After spending a disturbed night in Sam's garden, Gobble runs off back down the mysterious path. Sam, Jimmy and Pippa follow him, and stumble upon the ancient keep called Knightmare Castle. Here, Lord Fear has imprisoned Treguard in a magic mirror and is ready to seize the power of Knightmare. He tricks the youngsters into trusting him and locks them in a room that also contains the mirror that holds Treguard. Blessed with a sixth sense, Pippa is able to hear Treguard warning them not to trust Lord Fear. The others do not believe her, until Jimmy accidentally breaks the mirror and releases the true Lord of Knightmare. Along with his servant Pickle, Treguard leads the youngsters into the depths of the caverns below Knightmare Castle to find and defeat Lord Fear, as he and his minions try to find and kill Smirkenorff. Fear seeks to bathe his sceptre in the dragon's blood and achieve infinite power. Can Treguard, Pickle, Sam, Jimmy and Pippa stop him? What do you think?
 
Quest section [The Quest For The Dragon’s Egg]: This quest is for a dragon's egg. You choose a skill from a list that you are given beforehand, which will hopefully help you to find employment in the dockside town where your quest begins. In terms of helping you complete the quest, no skill is useless but some are a lot more useful than others. You need to earn forty gold pieces to get you aboard the galleon Pendragon, which sails to the Draconis Islands, where the sleeping dragon and her eggs are located. If you cannot find employment in the town, you may be able to help Hordriss get rid of a demon, in which case you not only get your berth for the ship but also a useful spell to use later on. There are other useful objects you can buy or earn in the town, but don't trust any shifty pirates who offer you help as they'll catch up with you later and steal your dragon's egg, if you get one. The voyage on the ship is not uneventful. Captain Tarbuck often asks your advice about what to do, for example picking up shipwreck survivors and going ashore. You also have to find out whether to steer south-east or south-west to reach the Draconis Isles. As for the crew, tread carefully with them; they may turn you off the ship if they don't like you. Once you reach the Draconis Isles, you must descend into the volcano, find the dragon and steal one of her eggs: Hordriss's magic is useful here. If you don't have any magic, you have to rely on luck that the dragon won't see and destroy you. After you have the egg, you have to get back to the dock where you arrived. If you haven't fallen foul of any pirates or the crew of the Pendragon, you will be picked up and taken back with no problems. If you do get stranded, your only hope is that you have the SEAMANSHIP skill, allowing you to build your own boat and escape. If you don't have this skill, you are stranded forever. If you make it back, you can give the egg to Treguard. But he won't be too pleased if you've stupidly taken a large rock instead of an egg!
 
Characters from the main story.
 
Sam: She is very surprised to find the mysterious path and even more surprised to meet Gobble. After persuading her parents to let her keep the dog, Sam soon realises that someone is after Gobble; someone he fears very much.
 
Jimmy: Sam's younger brother feels somewhat out of place spending the summer with his sister and her friend Pippa, but he is keen to be involved in their adventure. He likes playing computer games, but also finds it very annoying that he never wins them.
 
Pippa: She may be blind, but her sixth sense allows her to see what is going on in Knightmare Castle much more clearly than Sam and Jimmy. She has come to stay with them for the holidays, and is excited to find an adventure waiting for her.
 
Gobble: He belongs to Skarkill, and escapes his cruel master by following Sam home. But his master is hot on his heels, trying to get him back. But having met Sam and co., his allegiance has switched to them from Lord Fear. Whose side will he take in the final battle? Whose do you think?
 
Sam and Jimmy's parents: They reluctantly agree to let Gobble stay in their house, but regret it that night when he howls continuously.
 
Gypsy boy: The strange gypsy who asks Sam for a glass of water is clearly a servant of Fear who has come to collect Gobble. He fails, as Sam sees him trying to hypnotise the hound and throws the water at him. I think he's probably Skarkill in disguise, as they are both described as lanky.
 
Lord Fear: He has imprisoned Treguard in a mirror that no amount of effort will break, and has gathered all his minions together so that they can all invade Smirkenorff's lair. He is not pleased when three uninvited visitors start to interfere with his plans.
 
Aesandre: The winter witch is sceptical of Fear's claims that his magic mirror will hold Treguard indefinitely, but is very keen to be part of his horde of minions so that she might have a share of the promised power.
 
Skarkill: The goblin master is not in Fear's good books for letting Gobble escape. But the worst is to come as his hound turns against him.
 
Grippa and Rhark: The two goblins fear that Treguard will escape and stop Fear's plan. However, they are compelled to follow their master on his quest for glory.
 
Treguard: He is released from his glass prison when Jimmy accidentally smashes it, because no effort went into breaking it. Once Pippa has persuaded the others to trust the Dungeon Master, Treguard swears to look after them as they go to stop Lord Fear.
 
Pickle: Still faithfully following Treguard after their last adventure, Pickle's faerie magic is a great help to the group as they negotiate the caverns below the castle.
 
Smirkenorff: Fortunately Lord Fear does not get to bathe his sceptre in the dragon's blood. As the youngsters leave Knightmare Castle, Pippa looks back - having been told not to by Treguard - and sees Smirkenorff taking to the skies. This is a very special experience for Pippa; I won't insult your intelligence by telling you why.

[Previous book: The Sorcerer’s Isle
Next book: The Dragon’s Lair/The Future King]

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Fifth of the series of seven Knightmare books. Written by Dave Morris and illustrated by Jan Thwaites. First published in 1992 at bargain price of £2.99.

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