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Samuel Johnson #1

by John Connolly, Ангел Ангелов (Translator), Джон Конъли

Когато единайсетгодишният Самюъл Джонсън и неговият дакел Бозуел решават да проявят инициативност и тръгват да събират лакомства за Хелоуин три дни преди празника, те стават свидетели на странните събития, които се случват на улица „Кроули Роуд“ 666. С невинните си експерименти с подземния свят семейство Абернати, без да иска, призовава не кого да е, а самия Сатана и отваря процеп във вселената – процеп, през който се виждат огромни порти. Портите на Ада. А зад тях има доста ужасяващи създания, които горят от желание да се измъкнат навън...

Ще може ли едно малко момче да победи злото? Ще може ли то да впрегне силата на науката, вярата и любовта в едно, за да спаси света, който познаваме?

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult, Horror, Humor, Paranormal, Supernatural

248 pages, Paperback

First published October 6, 2009

About the author

John Connolly was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1968 and has, at various points in his life, worked as a journalist, a barman, a local government official, a waiter and a dogsbody at Harrods department store in London. He studied English in Trinity College, Dublin and journalism at Dublin City University, subsequently spending five years working as a freelance journalist for The Irish Times newspaper, to which he continues to contribute.

He is based in Dublin but divides his time between his native city and the United States.

This page is administered by John's assistant, Clair, on John's behalf. If you'd like to communicate with John directly, you can do so by writing to contact-at-johnconnollybooks.com, or by following him on Twitter at @JConnollyBooks.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See other authors with similar names.

Reviews

[Will Byrnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Gates is a hell of a funny book, yes laugh out loud funny.

A foursome of dark dabblers attempt a summoning. Somewhere near Geneva, the Large Hadron Collider is whirring about attempting to divine the “god particle.” What could possibly go wrong? Before you can say “oopsy” a small portal to you-know-where has been opened, and nasty slithery sorts begin arriving, like unwanted relations, for an extended stay.


John Connolly - image from his site

Samuel Johnson, this one sans Tourette and any inclination to pen a new dictionary, is a precocious eleven-year-old. He is trying to get a jump on Halloween a few days early. He and his dog, Boswell, (go ahead and snicker) happen upon the unlucky coven just as they are absorbed by large things with tentacles and issues with personal hygiene. One local in particular, Mrs Abernathy, or what has taken her over, takes charge and the game is on.

How will Sam convince the people? I mean really. Would you believe it if someone told you that your town had been invaded by beings from hell? Of course I do remember the Republican convention here in NYC, but none of them actually displayed physical tentacles.

The cast grows to include a conflicted demon named Nurd, a pair of game clerics, a very evil dead bishop who would prefer not to remain beneath the ground, dark creatures of all sorts, and a town population determined to defend their blessed plot, their earth, their realm, their England. Connolly has a lot of fun with names. A teacher is named Hume, the Renfields comprise half the summoners, Dr. Planck and Professor Hilbert work at CERN. It seems like a cast list for an episode of LOST.

You will laugh and you may cry, but if the latter, it will be from laughing so hard. The Gates is a madcap romp that offers engaging characters, scary monsters, silly monsters, walking dead and some good old common sense. Ok, some of the evil-doers were maybe not so new, but there are plenty of new ones to go around. I was very much reminded of Christopher Moore’s work and of the tone of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. You won’t have to conjure a good feeling while reading Connolly’s sweet-sulfurous offering. It will arrive uninvited.

P.S - I cannot imagine that when (really, it must be when and not if) this is made into a film, there would not be roles for Simon Pegg, Jessica Stevenson and Mike Watt.

P.P.S. – the scatological twelve-year-old hiding under my gnarled hide leaped for joy when a hapless demon arrived and commented on his unfortunate landing, “I appear to be covered in poo.”

Review first posted in 2011

Published - January 1, 2006


=============================EXTRA STUFF

The Author's personal, FB, Twitter, and GR pages

[carol. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I probably should not describe a book about the gates of Hell opening as ‘cute,’ but here we are:

It was cute.

I haven’t read any Connolly before, not even the famous The Book of Lost Things, so I didn’t know what to expect–besides the fact that friend Mimi liked it. Turns out it was a quick little read that was clever and entertaining.

Samuel Johnson is avoiding Stephanie the Babysitter and her bossy tendencies when he and his faithful dog, Boswell (the constant companion), witnesses the new neighbors at 666 Crowley Road summon a demon. As Samuel watches through the basement window, the demon brings over a few more pals and then helpfully outlines its plans to pave the way for the Great Malevolence. At the Large Hadron Collider beneath a mountain, the scientists are puzzled when a particle seems to ‘fly off’ and code is suddenly re-written. That shouldn’t be possible, either in Battleship or in Boson land. Meanwhile, Nurd, Scourge of Five Deities (but mostly just Annoying to his brothers who include “Graham, the Demon of Stale Biscuits and Crackers and Erics’, the Demon of Bad Punctuation“), is facing a serious bout of exile-induced boredom in the Wasteland when he’s suddenly pulled to Earth.

Narration has a dry British humor to it, although played down a bit to the young adult level. There’s some interesting science background integrated into the story–it’s not every day a fiction book educates on beginning of the universe and the scientific method--I appreciate Connelly noting, “This is how we end up with nuclear weapons, and scientists claiming that they’d only set out to invent something that steamed radishes.” It may be that I’m in British humor mode lately, as I make my way through Aaronovitch’s Grant audio books, but I found myself snickering quite a bit, especially in the beginning.

Trigger warning: there are a lot of footnotes, although used to a much better effect than Susanna Clarke. They really take off when he explains being ‘sick’ to the presumed adolescents reading the book. As he explains the punctuation, he then describes 'air quotes,' then taking it a step further by suggesting said adolescent use air quotes to describe a ‘dinner’ of boiled fish, I found myself laughing out loud. But perhaps I’m easily amused. The asides allowed educational but tongue-in-cheek social commentary while the story focused on plot and entertaining dialogue. Like the best child films, there’s quite a bit here to amuse those with a classical education, as when Samuel runs into trouble showing a Mr. Hume a pin, speculating about angels dancing on the head (please, dear reader, stop a moment and think on that).

Given all the cheeky asides and references, it is a relief that the plot is straightforward and moves briskly. Characters don’t get a ton of space to develop, but what is there is serviceable enough, avoiding caricature. I liked that Samuel’s separated parents provided an emotional foil to rival the physical threat of the demons.

I disagree with those who saw similarities with Gaiman, whose focus is often on world-building, weirdness and the occasional creepy sexuality, or those who saw a similarity with Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Pratchett, who never met a farce he didn’t want to turn into a 350 page book. Writing most reminded me most of A. Lee Martinez’ Gil's All Fright Diner(review), somewhat strangely of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and for a very brief moment, Mr. Frog of Frog and Toad Are Friends.

Breezy, quick, with charming little informative asides–did you know that Michelangelo wrote a poem complaining about painting the Sistine Chapel?--I both laughed and learned. When was the last time I said that about a fiction young-adult book?¹ For that matter, an adult urban fantasy?² Highly recommended if one is feeling whimsical and clever.



¹Never.

²Only if you count mythology.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Posted at at Shelf Inflicted

I read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy nearly 30 years ago and don’t remember finding it all that funny. I also never cared for Monty Python. Maybe it’s the British humor I don’t get, but Fawlty Towers cracks me up, no matter how many times I see each episode. Humor is such a personal thing, and sometimes I just don’t see humor in things others find funny. And other times I laugh hysterically at things people don’t understand. So I’m cautious about the humorous fiction I read, mostly preferring titles that are unexpectedly funny rather than those which claim to be funny.

I wasn’t too sure I wanted to read The Gates, particularly after reading a few reviews claiming it was laugh-out-loud funny, but I’ve heard many good things about the author, so I thought I’d give it a try.

This story takes place in a small town in England. 11-year-old Samuel Johnson and his dachshund, Boswell, witness their neighbors summoning strange beings though a small, glowing hole in their basement. Meanwhile, two scientists in Switzerland in the middle of a Battleship game are bewildered by a rotten egg smell and a bit of energy that escaped from a particle accelerator. Together, these events have freed all kinds of nasty beings intent on destroying the world. It is up to Samuel to stop them, that’s if anyone would believe him.

The physics stuff in the beginning slowed me down a little, but I thoroughly enjoyed the quirky characters, the nasty demons, and the banished demon, Nurd, who becomes Samuel’s unlikely ally. I loved the fantasy and horror elements, the lighthearted humor, and the enlightening footnotes.

This is a fun story that I’d recommend to young and old alike.

[Eloy Cryptkeeper · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Algunas religiones creían que en el Infierno ardía el fuego y otras creían que era un lugar frío y tenebroso...ninguna de ellas podía saberlo a ciencia cierta, porque cuando alguien descubría la verdad, ya estaba muerto y era demasiado tarde para que la información resultara útil. Lo que sí encontró interesante fue que casi todas las religiones del mundo creyesen en el Infierno, aun cuando no siempre lo llamasen así, y que muchas de ellas tuviesen nombres para los seres que lo habitaban: Satanás, Yanluo Wang, Yamaraj… Sin embargo, todo el mundo parecía estar de acuerdo en que era un lugar muy desagradable, y en absoluto el sitio donde uno quisiera ir a parar"

2.5*
Una simpática historia "apocaliptica" de corte juvenil, por momentos infantil y con detalles satíricos orientados a un publico mas adulto.
Historia que esta parcialmente ambientada en Halloween, y que esta repleta de referencias a escritores del genero de terror, demonología, ocultismo, ocultistas y ciencia, todo en un tono muy liviano y superficial.
En lo personal no la he disfrutado mucho la historia, me aburrió bastante e indudablemente los personajes son el punto mas débil. Tiene un buen comienzo, pero después se me hizo muy cuesta arriba. No esta mal, pero no era para mi. Quizás la pueda disfrutar mas alguien mas asiduo a este tipo de literatura, y también podría ser una buena opción para leerle a un hijo, hermanito, sobrinito, primito, etc.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had me laughing out loud every several pages, it's a keeper! John Connolly just earned himself a fan.

In "The Gates", Samuel Johnson and his dog, Boswell, have stumbled upon a portal to hell when his neighbors unleashed demonic forces during a ritual gone wrong. With the help of his friends, a pair of misfit scientists and a demon, Nurd, Samuel must repair the rift between earth and hell to keep the Great Malevolence from taking over the world and destroying humanity.

The book is punctuated throughout with footnotes on the Big Bang, wormholes, the confusing ways of teenaged girls, and many other allusions to hell and the devil in literature. I enjoyed Connolly’s snarky, whimsical prose, and the little quirks and great amount of feeling his characters possess as they try to save their world. Samuel is such an endearing character, very inquisitive and bright, and the story never strayed from the fact that he is a normal albeit strange 11 year old boy.

The novel has an added layer of science, which makes it a fascinating read for anyone interested in particle physics. The gateway to hell is opened when a stray particle escaped from the Large Hadron Collider, and Samuel insists on understanding the scientific principles behind it. The difficult concepts of quantum mechanics are discussed with surprising detail and clarity. I was quite entertained and, for a while, oblivious that I was being schooled. Well played!

Overall, "The Gates" is a quick and easy read that will engage readers of many ages. Connolly has built a fun little world in this book, and it's exciting to know that there is a sequel, "The Infernals" . If you’re looking for an amusing read that won’t make you think too hard, but is different from your normal fare, this is a good choice.

[Ɗẳɳ 2.☊ · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Which We Learn about “The Gates” and the Subjective Nature of Humor, None of Which Is Entirely Helpful

The Gates opens with Samuel Johnson, an eleven-year-old boy from Biddlecombe, England, also looking to get a jump on the season by trick-or-treating, with his beloved dachshund, Boswell, a full three days early. His initiative, however, is met with disbelief and scorn by a rather rude chap at 666 Crowley Road, and, while he regroups in the alley behind the grump’s house to think up other ways to avoid his babysitter,¹ Samuel comes to witness some strange goings-on in the basement.

In a foolhardy attempt to liven up their lives, the Abernathys and another couple have chosen an extremely unfortunate time to dabble in the occult. Because at the same moment that they’re attempting to summon a demon, a couple of scientists at CERN notice a problem with the Large Hadron Collider when –

“A bit just whizzed off,” said Ed. “And it went beep.”
“A bit? said Victor. “It’s not a bicycle. Bits don’t just whiz off.”
“Right then,” said Ed, looking miffed. “A particle of some kind appears to have disengaged itself from the whole and exited the accelerator. Is that better?”
“You mean that a bit just whizzed off?” said Victor, thinking, who said we Germans don’t have a sense of humor?

The two events intertwine, on a cosmic level, to inadvertently open a portal to another dimension – Hell! 😶 Cue the ominous music . . .

This book was loads of fun with characters like Nurd, the Scourge of Five Deities, who couldn’t catch a break, or the shapeshifting monster under the bed, too inexperienced for the job. But, I was most impressed by the author’s ability to blend what, on the surface, would appear to be the polar opposite fields of physics and fantasy.

The narrative was broken up by a series of asides, in the form of humorous and often highly informative footnotes. I loved how the author was able to insert all those little science factoids and cheeky social commentary into a rather light-hearted young adult urban fantasy.

Here’s the thing though - humor is subjective. And, while I’m a longtime fan of American humorists like Mark Twain, Joseph Heller, Kurt Vonnegut, Christopher Moore, and Joe Lansdale, British humor often falls flat, for me. I find the comedy in books by Douglas Adam, Terry Pratchett, and P.G. Wodehouse often grows wearisome, but here I thought Connolly managed to walk that thin line between amusing and exhausting.

I can neither explain nor justify it because the main knock on this book is much the same as those others - it’s rather relentless in its routine. There’s no real ebb and flow to the quips because the author can’t resist the urge to toss one in at every opportunity. That may annoy some readers, but the saving grace for me was that I read the book in small doses, so it never felt excessive.

Bottom line: The humor outweighs the horror in this delightfully twisted tale of a precocious boy and his faithful dachshund battling it out with the Great Malevolence’s right hand [wo]man and her zany, and surprisingly sympathetic, demon hoard in an attempt to stave off the apocalypse! The story was not only highly amusing but surprisingly educational. In other words, it’s fun for the whole family, so you may want to consider adding it to your library as well.

-----------------------------------------------
1: “It is a curious fact that small boys are more terrified of their babysitters than small girls are. In part, this is because small girls and babysitters, who are usually slightly larger girls, belong to the same species, and therefore understand each other. Small boys, on the other hand, do not understand girls, and therefore being looked after by one is a little like a hamster being looked after by a shark. If you are a small boy, it may be some consolation to you to know that even large boys do not understand girls, and girls, by and large, do not understand boys. This makes adult life very interesting.”

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not to put too fine a point on it, but I hate my neighbors. Yeah, I know I'm supposed to love them, but it would be easier if they were just a little more lovable and not so loathable. Between the late night beerfests, the trucks without mufflers, the pit bulls tied to trees, and the Jerry Springer style public arguments (not to mention just a general lack of hygiene), there's not a lot I can be thankful for. Until The Gates. Now I can at least say, "Well, they haven't accidentally opened a gateway between our world and Hell during a seance gone wrong." I feel confident that they'll never do this as they don't appear to be readers of books, and a book is indeed used by the Abernathys (who have the misfortune of living at 666 Crowley Road) to summon forth the legions of Hell.

When I bought the book, I had no idea that it was a young adult book, so that was a little disappointing. However, once I got over that fact, I really enjoyed the tale of precocious Samuel Johnson and his little dachshund, the only hope mankind has in the face of the apocalypse being brought about by Ba'al, who is preparing the way for The Great Malevolence. The book is often clever, frequently humorous, and just dark enough for the intended age group (although it might frighten some as this may be marketed as more of a "tweener" book than young adult novel). There are also footnotes aplenty (but not boring ones--my favorite explains how astronomers found a substance in a dust cloud in the center of our galaxy called ethyl formate, which smells of raspberries and rum--which I think is a pretty kick ass scent for a galaxy).

Overall, it reminded me of Neil Gaiman's writing for young adults (at one point I even thought it was like Good Omens--For Kids) and, like Gaiman, John Connolly never underestimates his intended reader's intelligence nor appetite for the macabre.

Cross posted at This Insignificant Cinder and at Shelf Inflicted

[Richard Derus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.25* of five

The Book Report: Young Samuel Johnson and his dachshund, Boswell, are trying to show initiative by trick-or-treating a full three days before Halloween which is how they come to witness strange goings-on at 666 Crowley Road. The Abernathys don't mean any harm by their flirtation with the underworld, but when they unknowingly call forth Satan himself, they create a gap in the universe. A gap in which a pair of enormous gates is visible. The gates to Hell. And there are some pretty terrifying beings just itching to get out...

Can one small boy defeat evil? Can he harness the power of science, faith, and love to save the world as we know it?

Bursting with imagination, The Gates is about the pull between good and evil, physics and fantasy. It is about a quirky and eccentric boy who is impossible not to love, and the unlikely cast of characters who give him the strength to stand up to a demonic power.

John Connolly manages to re-create the magical and scary world of childhood that we've all left behind but so love to visit. And for those of you who thought you knew everything you could about particle physics and the universe, think again. This novel makes anything seem possible.

My Review: Samuel Johnson is demonstrating initiative by beating out the competition for Halloween candy, or so he thinks; Boswell sighs a lot. I think he knows. They go to the Abernathys house, and Mr. Abernathy (a miserably unhappy self-help book writer, married to Satan...no, seriously!) sends them on their way before rejoining his horrifying wife and two of their revolting bores of friends.

They are summoning a demon for fun and, maybe, profit.

Trouble is...heard of CERN? The quest for the God Particle?...no one ever thought that maybe, just maybe, it was the DEVIL particle....

Thus is the world doomed, doomed I say!, only to be saved from enslavement and destruction by a nebbishy little boy. Does this ring a bell? It's less portentous than the Harry Potter books, more like an extra-long boy-centric episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

It's amusing and it's a charming way to spend a few hours. If it changes your life, you didn't have much of a one before. If the next installment somehow makes it through my door with no effort whatsoever on my part, I'll get around to reading it. About the best I can say is that I chuckled every half-hour or so.

[Eliasdgian · Rating 3 out of 5]

O John Connolly παρωδεί ευφυώς το άκρως εφιαλτικό σενάριο της έλευσης του Βεελζεβούλ στα εγκόσμια και διασκεδάζει τους αναγνώστες του ‘εγκαθιστώντας’ στο Μπίντλκομπ της Αγγλίας, παραμονές του Χαλοουίν, ορδές καταχθόνιων πλασμάτων. Οι Πύλες της Κόλασης έχουν ανοίξει - οι επιστήμονες του CERN έβαλαν το χεράκι τους σε αυτό- και ο Μοχθηρότατος, που επί αιώνες καραδοκούσε στα πιο βαθιά σκοτάδια, είναι (σχεδόν) έτοιμος να κάνει την εμφάνισή του. Εκτός κι αν ο εντεκάχρονος Σάμιουελ Τζόνσον, που έτυχε πρώτος αυτός να αντιληφθεί το άνοιγμα των Πυλών της Κόλασης, πάρει την κατάσταση στα χέρια του.

Απαίσιοι δαίμονες που θα φοβέριζαν τον καθένα μας μιαν οποιαδήποτε άλλη ημέρα του χρόνου, αλλά όχι τη Νύχτα με τις Μάσκες, όταν ένα σωρό άνθρωποι βάζουν τα δυνατά τους για να είναι υπέρ το δέον τρομακτικοί, καταχθόνια πλάσματα με ευαισθησίες που συγκινούνται εξίσου από μία ταχύτατη πόρσε κι ένα ποτήρι παγωμένη αφριστή μπύρα, ιπτάμενες νεκροκεφαλές που κονιορτοποιεί με το ρόπαλό του το συνομήλικο φιλαράκι του Σάμιουελ, ο άρχοντας των δαιμόνων Βάαλ επικυρίαρχος του κορμιού της κ. Αμπερνάθι, κι ένας άλλος απίθανος δαίμονας, ονόματι ‘Σπάστης’, που θα αποδειχθεί ‘εντάξει τύπος’ και θα αυτομολήσει προστατεύοντας το ‘βασίλειο’ του ανθρώπου.

Η αλληλεπίδραση ανθρώπων και δαιμόνων ήταν διασκεδαστική και η αφήγηση κύλησε νεράκι. Κοντολογίς, έγινε της κολάσεως και το χάρηκα πολύ.

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zany and hilarious and probably one of the best Halloween stories I've read. The narration and footnotes had me laughing out loud every time I picked up the book. As soon as my copy arrives in the mail, I'm gonna post all the quotes that cracked me up.

There isn't much of a plot here though--amateurish Satanists accidentally open a portal to hell with unintentional help from the large collider at CERN, which was in the middle of some Higgs-boson-related work. Then subtle chaos ensues when some of hell's denizens crawl through the portal. The fate of the world and the task of closing the portal falls on an 11-year-old boy from a small English town and his faithful dachshund.

Even though I'm not the target audience (young adults) for this book, I enjoyed it immensely.

Full review at https://covers2covers.wordpress.com/2...

[Phrynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this very much but let me say straight away it is nothing like any of his other books. Not the ones I have read anyway and that is nearly all of them:) This is really a series for older children and it is written in that light, entertaining way where, even when the world is filling up with beings from Hell, you just know nothing bad is really going to happen. Samuel, who is about eleven years old and definitely idiosyncratic, manages to repeatedly escape death by demon by luck not judgement. The book is funny in the manner of a Terry Pratchett novel with entertaining postscripts popping up frequently. I think the book is directed at children but there is still heaps in it for the adult reader and this very adult reader will be looking for the sequel very, very soon!

[Ioanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Άλλαξα 10 φορές τα αστεράκια από 4 σε 5 και το αντίστροφο οπότε βάζω 4 αλλά είναι στην πραγματικότητα 4.5/5.

Ο Σάμιουελ περνάει λούκι. Είναι πολύ έξυπνος για την ηλικία του και οι ανορθόδοξες παρατηρήσεις που κάνει στους δασκάλους του στο σχολείο π��λλές φορές τον βάζουν σε μπελάδες. Ο μπαμπάς του έχει φύγει από το σπίτι και έχει αφήσει πίσω την πολυαγαπημένη του Άστον Μάρτιν, το τελευταίο οχυρό, που κάνει τον Σάμιουελ να πιστεύει πως κάποια στιγμή θα επιστρέψει. Η μητέρα του είναι θλιμμένη και χαμένη στις σκέψεις της. Και οι γείτονές του στον αριθμό 666 με αρχηγό την τρομακτική κυρία Αμπερνάθι, προσπαθούν να ανοίξουν στο υπόγειο του σπιτιού μια πύλη που θα απελευθερώσει στον κόσμο μας κάθε καρυδιάς καρύδι από την Κόλαση, οδηγώντας τελικά στο ΤΕΛΟΣ. Πιστός του σύντροφος ο Μπόσγουελ, το σκυλί του, αλλά και ένας δαίμονας με κρίση ταυτότητας ο Σπάστης, που ίσως να μην είναι και τόσο κακός τελικά. Θα καταφέρει ο Σάμιουελ να σώσει τον κόσμο;

Ήταν εθιστικό και πανέξυπνο. (Είχε ωραίες τρίβια επιστημονικές παραπομπές που σου μάθαιναν και κάτι.) Το χιούμορ ήταν ευρηματικό. Πολλές φορές διάβαζα ξανά και ξανά τα σημεία που με έκαναν να γελάσω και κάθε φορά το πετύχαιναν. Το προτείνω σε όλους, για όλες τις ηλικίες. Αν και όχι τις πολύ μικρές γιατί ο Σάμιουελ, μέσα σε όλες τις κουλές του περιπέτειες, σε κάποια φάση συνομιλεί με ένα τέρας κάτω από το κρεβάτι του. Και μπορεί αυτό το τέρας να ζητάει τη συμβουλή του Σάμιουελ για το πώς να τον τρομάξει, γενικά πρέπει να είναι λίγο η ντροπή του είδους, αλλά δεν παύει να είναι ένα τέρας κάτω από το κρεβάτι.

[Obsidian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finished this on my way to Montreal. It just didn’t work for me. I love most of Connolly’s works but this dragged way too much. The footnotes though interesting, killed the flow as well.

I liked the characters very much and enjoyed Samuel and Nurd.

The plot was intriguing though so I can see myself reading the remaining books in this series.

Full Review:

I am still very shocked how boring I found this one. I absolutely adore John Connolly. And he's written another young adult book before I thought was quite good. This just dragged on to the point that I kept wishing for something to happen because I kept nodding off.

"The Gates" follows a young/teenish Samuel Johnson. Samuel decides to start trick or treating a few days before Halloween and comes across something weird at his neighbor's home at 666 Crowley Road. Samuel and his faithful dog, Boswell are witnessed to a summoning that literally causes the devil's demons to try their best to force an opening so there's a hell on Earth. Too bad that no one believes Samuel outside of his two friends. The book follows Samuel and his two friends trying to stop the devil from conquering the world.

Samuel was interesting as a character. Honestly though, I found Boswell to be more intriguing, lol. What can I say, I love dogs. Samuel is dealing with his father abandoning him and his mother and nothing left outside of his father's beloved car. If you don't think that car comes into play later, you have read zero books before people.

The other characters fell flat though outside of demon, Nurd. I hope the other books build up some of the other characters like Samuel's mom and his two best friends.

The writing is interesting. It's some Connolly mixed with lots and lots of humor. That becomes a bit grating after a while. The footnotes started to feel overused. At least reading it on my Kindle, I was able to flip back and forth.

The setting of the book confused me at times. And only because at one point I thought the book was taking place in the 1950s in England. Then I read enough to realize this was supposed to take place in the modern era.

The book though ends on a cliffhanger which I absolutely loathe.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good book...of course the fact that I gave it 5 stars probably gave away my feelings on that score.....

I have only read one other book by Connolly, "The Book of Lost Things", which I also liked greatly, but I really think that this one could be rated, "more enjoyable" at least in some ways. It's not so "deep" as the aforementioned "other novel" but neither is it quite so "down". And this might be considered odd for a book about the gates of Hell opening into a small English town foreshadowing the end of the world....

Read this book for the enjoyment factor (not as a theology lesson or morality tale) and you'll be rewarded. I think the "foot notes" may have actually been my favorite part...for example upon mentioning a demon's rank a foot note informs us that we find in the book "Dragon Rouge" or Red Dragon that there are 3 levels of demon. The Red Dragon is a spell book of Black magic and is called a grimoire. For grimoires to be powerful they must be written in red ink and bound in human skin. So, your local book store probably doesn't stock them.

I'll probably look for other books by Connolly now. I considered going 4 stars here instead of 5 as this isn't what I'd call "a great book" but I rated it based on enjoyment factor as I've done some others. I liked it.

[Maryam · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I'm a ghost,"
Said the small figure, then added, a little uncertainly,
"Boo?”

I laughed a lot with this book. Dialog and footnotes are both so funny sometimes I ended up having tears in my eyes.

Samuel Johnson lives with his dog Boswell and his mother in a village. He starts Halloween earlier and when he stops at his neighbor house, the Abernathys, something terrible and horrifying happens. In their basement there is an explosion and after that some strange creatures emerges from a blue fire…gates to Hell is opened and demons can now come to human worlds and the Devil himself intends to concur the earth and destroy the living.
This is a combination of horror, fantasy, science and humor. The characters are awesome. Demons whom some are funny, some stupid and some scary. Monstrous Abernathys and Samuel and his friends. My favorite character is Nurd. The first demon emerging to earth with the mission to eat Samuel but ends up being friend with him and actually find things he enjoys in human worlds such as gums.

It kind of reminded me of the animation: Monsters, Inc. (2001) but for sure it tends to be scarier. There is a lot of laughing involved in reading this horror fantasy world of childhood!

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A high three: enjoyable but it didn't blow me away. Definitely reminded me of Douglas Adams books and Simon Pegg movies, and if you like that type of British-style humor then you'll probably find this funny and worth the read. I never thought I'd see the Large Hardron Collider featured in a book about demons, but it plays a very prominent role, as does quantum physics, which was totally not what I was expecting.

Two things to note; first, this is an adult book and not YA, and many people have it shelved incorrectly. It's appropriate for a YA audience, though it was definitely a bit gory, but it's categorized as adult. I suppose that's not a big deal but it bugs me. Second, this takes place a few days before Halloween so if you're looking for something with that theme then this is a good pick.

This was a super quick read that contains a precocious young male protagonist and his dachshund sidekick attempting to thwart Hell coming to Earth. Many demons were harmed in the making of this book. I liked the author's style so I'll be checking him out sometime in the future.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading The Book of Lost Things and feeling a bit let down, I wasn't really in all that much of a hurry to read The Gates, fearing to be let down again. But, while I did have some issues with The Gates, overall I really enjoyed it.

If this book was a person, it would have been conceived and raised thus:
Conception (biological parentage) - Christopher Moore & JK Rowling
Raised by (adoptive parentage) - Douglas Adams's spirit

Biology:
Christopher Moore's swimmers supplied the most dominant chromosomal info for the creation of this little embryo. There's a lot of humor here, and a lot of imagination and quirkiness.

JK Rowling provided the character traits:
Harry, in the role of Samuel: Brave main character who takes it upon himself to stop evil, helped along by his trusty, and smarter than usual, animal companion. Bravely walks into the baddies' turf based on nothing more than the understanding that it has to be done.
Hermione, in the role of Maria: The friend who is a girl who is also incredibly smart, solves the problems, and "enjoys doing homework for fun".
Ron, in the role of Tom: The best guy friend who, despite sometimes thinking that Harry Samuel is a bit of an idiot, still sticks around to help fight the baddies.

The Raising:
Despite Douglas Adams having been dead several years before the conception of this book, his spirit* knew that such potential as this little nugget showed could not be raised by just anyone. So, he pulled a few strings (AKA: he haunted the adoption official [by which I mean the author]) and was named guardian of little Gatesy-poo. Douglas raised Gates (as he now wishes to be called – they grow up so fast…) to love science above all, so even though Gates decidedly does believe in Hell, he believes in it in a secular, scientific way - that is, another dimension.

Because of Gates’ dominant humor gene, a gift from Papa Moore, Adams’ British humor was a perfect fit, and there was no end to the imagination and fun that possessed** the Gates/Adams home. And, of course, being raised by a spirit*** also gave Gates just a smidge of an uncanny tendency.

All of which I thought made for a great book - interesting, humorous, delightfully macabre, and plausible all at once.
---------------
* I’m well aware that Adams was atheist and therefore did not believe that he’d survive death in any form, but for the sake of this review, I’m choosing to go with eccentricity over pure reality, as sometimes Adams did himself. I mean, he invented Vogon poetry.
---
** See what I did there?
---
*** And there?
---------------

Despite the epic formative influence lottery this book won, I did have some issues with it; two, in fact.

First, there seems to be a tendency towards “the evil feminine” in Connolly’s writing – at least in these YA fantasy books. In both The Book of Lost Things and The Gates, the major threats to the main characters are almost all feminine in form. Now, I know that in each book, these feminine threats aren’t meant to be the greatest threats in general, and in both books there is a greater masculine menace, but the difference is that to the main character in each book, each a young boy, the feminine threat is the more personally dangerous. I just find this… curious. Honestly, I might not have noticed it in The Gates had I not read The Book of Lost Things first, but I did notice it, and I wonder if there’s something to it.

In The Book of Lost Things, the Crooked Man was supposed to be scary in his trickiness and unpredictability, as well as by virtue of his folklore roots, but I didn’t find him especially frightening, and I don’t even think he warranted even a mention in my review of that book. In The Gates, again, the “main threat” was a bit of a let-down. Supposedly the source of all evil, I didn’t think that The Great Malevolence was scary at all. There’s more danger of falling asleep while he’s talking. Sssssssssssssssooooooooooooo ssssssssssssslllllllllllllllloooooooooooowwwwwwwllllllllllllllllllllyyyyyyyyyyy does he speak. I can’t even keep up the impression longer than two words because I just started yawning. Wake me up when he finishes a sentence. His lieutenant, Ba’al, is much more threatening… you know, because she’s a girl.

Secondly, and this is the biggest issue I had, was the plot hole big enough to drive a car through. Literally. So, when the portal to Hell initially opened, through a confluence of events that just perfectly coincided, four people were dragged into it, and then came back through as demonic haute couture. Things got all crazy, with more and more and more demons pouring through the portal to lead the way for The Great Somnolence to come through, and then Maria hit upon the solution to close it and prevent The End of The World as We Know It.

Potentially spoilery stuff below:
---------------
Her theory is that the portal must be a one-way street, and that if they could send something back through, it’d close the portal, presumably taking all the demons back with it.

Which is exactly what happens when a demon drives a car back through it.

Except that it was already proven that it was a two-way street, having had 4 people go in, and 4 demons in human bodies go out.

"But wait!" you’re saying. (Yes, I can hear you.) "Maybe she meant it was a one-way street for the creatures of each dimension. For instance: demons can come through to Earth, and humans can go through to Hell, but when a demon that came through the portal goes BACK through the other way, it mucks up the portal’s polarity and vortexes all the trans-dimensional travelers back to their home dimensions. Ha! Logic me that, uhh, Logicker!"

I can't believe you just said that. Lame! Anyway, it's a good theory, but... the demon who went back through the portal to Hell, had never come out of it in the first place. He arrived by different means, completely independently. So he shouldn’t have been able to short circuit the portal.

"But, OK, say that there’s something that recognizes the unique molecular make-up of creatures from each dimension, and as soon as something with the matching structure goes the wrong way through the portal, the whole thing reverses – all the demons get sucked back to Hell?" you ask?

Plausible, but what about the corpses of the 4 initial humans that are now housing demons? They’d have human molecular structure, and shouldn't be affected by the reversed portal polarity.

"OK, so maybe it can suck demons of ANY dimensional structure back through, so long as they're demons (maybe the portal has X-ray vision or something!)"

Jeez... You got an answer for everything, don't you? If that's the case, then why didn’t the human corpses get spit back out to Earth?
My point is, SOMETHING doesn’t add up in this solution. Plot hole! So there!!

---------------
End potentially spoilery stuff.

Anyway, despite these complaints, I did still really enjoy the story. Even with all the footnotes. It was immensely humorous, and some parts even made me laugh out loud. I thought the reader did a fantastic job with this one, and I would gladly listen to more stories he’s read. My only complaint was that he kept pronouncing “Nurd” as “Nyerrrrd”, which made me keep thinking of this:



LOL

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this one. Had a real Gaiman-esque feel to it.

Samuel and his dog Boswell, Nurd, the Scourge of Five Dieties, Shan and Gath the warthog demons getting hammered on Spiggit’s Old Peculiar beer and the very gates of hell opening in the quaint little town of Biddlecombe.

5 Stars and Highly Recommended.

[The Flooze · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you like Douglas Adams? Robert Rankin? Do you crack up at Shaun of the Dead or Monty Python?

Are you drawn to droll Irish (or even British) humor and wonderfully inane commentary? Well, here you are then. The Gates is just the book for you!

Connolly's urban fantasy about a precocious boy, his protective dachshund, and an imminent apocalypse is delightfully amusing. It's a fascinating mix of demonic entities and mishaps of physics, playing on the idea that although scientists may seek the truth of the multiverse, they may not like what they discover.

At the pinnacle of the story, Connolly's scenes are easily visualized and would make for a spectacular film. Special effects and costuming teams would have a ball. Add to that a brilliant knack for droll dialogue, zany characters, and well-imagined chaos and The Gates is entertaining as Hell.

Well, maybe not Hell. Hell is really quite horrid and tedious. That's what started this mess in the first place...

[Jamie Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a hilarious laugh out read while being creepy, thoughtful and spine-tingling all at once. The style of writing is similar to Terry Pratchett’s, including the use of foot notes, that makes the story even more of a joy to read.

The Gates is about a young, clever boy called Samuel Johnson who happens to stumble upon four demons who want to open the gates of Hell and cause the apocalypse. Samuel is a fantastic character, often in novels I find the main characters to be very plain in attempt to allow readers to put themselves in their shoes, Samuel isn’t like that. He has his own quirks, such as his curiosity and his own unique out look on life. As well as this there are several supporting characters that stand out such as the two vicars and Nurd. All in all this is a perfect read for both adults and children that as your reading you’ll be thinking about buying the rest in the series.

[Mauoijenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first started reading this all I could think of was the Tom Hanks movie The Burbs!



This book was fun and I am looking forward to reading the next 2 in the trilogy. Sam and his dog, Boswell were great characters that made this book. Excellent story!!

[Emily]

DNF at 80%

This is cute and fun, but it was starting to feel like a chore towards the end there... Made the choice to forcing things and just put it down.

[Stephanie Swint · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recently, I requested of the Blogverse some recommendations of good Halloween books. ‘The Gates’ was recommended, and I am indebted to Ashley at readfantasybooks for doing so. This is a delightful tale of a precocious eleven year old boy, Samuel Johnson, who takes initiative to start trick-or-treating with his dachshund Boswell on October 28 to get a head start. Initiative, in this case, being something everyone says they want but don’t actually like when being used. Connolly is humorous. He sprinkles in footnotes that explain words like initiative, the Hadron Collider at CERN, and nefarious in delightfully amusing ways rather than using strict boring definitions. It is young adult, but I believe I would be hard pressed to find adults that don’t like this. Samuel Johnson’s reward for early trick or treating is not candy but witnessing, albeit looking through his neighbors basement window, the Gates of Hell being summoned. Samuel tries to tell his mother, his father, and his babysitter but no one believes him. They all believe he is making it up and is spending too much time playing video games to get such weird ideas stuck in his head.

Samuel must figure out how to stop the Gates of Hell from being opened and allowing The Great Maleficence to enter Earth and destroy it. Along the way we meet scientists, Samuel’s classmates, and a bevy of demons. A beautiful aspect of this book is that when Samuel is visited by demons, who are supposed to either eat him or drag him to the pits of Hell, he befriends them. You must understand Hell isn’t a terribly fun place and they don’t want to return to it either. Just like adult humans the demons must have a job, like scaring small children, or being that terribly annoying bit of toothpaste you can’t get out of the end of the tube. Some demons have exciting jobs, but others have to take jobs that are more frustrating or annoying. Those more boring jobs are good for gentler demons. We meet Nurd, a less successful demon, who was banished by The Great Maleficence. He randomly is traveling between Hell and Earth without his say so, once being hit by a car, and once visiting Samuel’s room. Here they share jelly beans, Nurd learns to smile, and Nurd gains the only friend he’s ever had.

Connolly is brilliant. I read/listened to this book a second time immediately after finishing it. If you enjoy audible books there is a great narration done by Jonathan Cake. He made me love this book even more. It is one of those rare combinations where the narrator is perfectly matched to the book and enhances it. Either way I believe you will enjoy it

This is the first installment of the Samuel Johnson vs. the Devil series. I’m excited to pick up the next book, ‘The Infernals.’ This is a series you want to be able to pay attention to. Some audible books I can listen to and not give them my full attention. You can do that here, and probably glean most of the story without too much trouble. I fear you would miss some of Connolly’s humorous gems, however, and I just don’t know that it would be worth it. I recommend you listen to it while driving or doing something mindless so you can enjoy the whole of it. If the kids are asking to many questions for a group listen turn it off and listen/read it on your own time. You can make them take a second turn if they can’t behave. We all must learn patients after all. You’re building their character…that’s the reason…isn’t it? – You should no

[Jeanette (Ms. Feisty) · Rating 1 out of 5]

ICK!! BAH!! Me no like this book! Terrible!
What a bummer. I so enjoyed The Book of Lost Things and hoped this would be another fun romp. Not to be. This one is just stupid. Connolly tried way too hard to be clever and failed miserably. I gave the book 80 pages before giving up, which is pretty generous for a book I'm not liking at all. So I don't think I was hasty in my judgment. I really wanted to give it a chance to get better. It doesn't.

[Adam Light · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with my eleven year old daughter. We both had a devilishly fun time with it, and we are looking forward to the next book in the series. Connolly proves he can write for anyone with this book.

[Γιώργος Δάμτσιος · Rating 4 out of 5]

Το χιούμορ λένε ότι φωτογραφίζει και την ευφυΐα του ανθρώπου. Αν όντως ισχύει αυτό, τότε ο Κόνολι με τις ''Πύλες'' μας απέδειξε ότι ο δείκτης iq του είναι πολύ πάνω από τον μέσο όρο!
Το βιβλίο αυτό δεν έχει σχέση με τη λογική των ιστοριών του Τσάρλι Πάρκερ και καλά είναι οι αναγνώστες του Κόνολι να το γνωρίζουν αυτό από πριν για να μη βρεθούν προ εκπλήξεων. Εδώ υπάρχει μαύρο χιούμορ και ασταμάτητος σαρκασμός. Το βιβλίο έχει επίσης γραφτεί για να διαβάζεται και από νεαρούς αναγνώστες οπότε το όλο στυλ περιπλέκεται κι άλλο.
Αν κάποιος λάβει υπ' όψιν αυτές τις παραμέτρους εξαρχής χωρίς να ενοχληθεί, τότε είναι βέβαιο ότι δεν θα το κάνει ούτε διαβάζοντάς το. Η γραφή του Κόνολι είναι και πάλι σούπερ απολαυστική, ενώ μας αποδεικνύει περίτρανα και το πόσο πολύ διαβασμένος είναι.
Το διάβασα μέσα σε δύο απογεύματα, κατά τα οποία βρέθηκα να χαμογελώ ασταμάτητα.

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Phantom Tollbooth has been around for over 50 years and it seems a lot of people reading The Gates find some resonance with it. It can't be the precise setting, which has more in common with Harry Potter. Nor, can it be the illustrations, because it lack Jules Feifer or any other illustrator. But there may be a certain vibe in 11 year old Samuel Johnson that others are channeling.

This is a contemporary fantasy that should appeal to Samuel's age set as well as older teens and some adults. Connolly imagines that there is a nexus between sorcery and our current scientific probe of the nature of matter with CERN's massive particle collider. Oops! Instead of opening up a black hole that could swallow our planet, it opens up a wormhole from us to Hell!

It is lucky for all of us that Samuel, who is getting a several day head start on Halloween doesn't take a brushoff from the Abernathys. Instead what he and his dog, Boswell, observe holds the key to our world's survival.

Living with his mother, who is distracted and depressed by the departure of Samuel's philandering father, Samuel finds it challenging to save the world when he can't get any adult attention. Connolly gives us a fast-paced tale with a lot of humorous asides (note the names of characters) and plenty of instructive footnotes that brings modern science to all in bite-sized paragraphs.

Aside from missing some potentially great illustrations, this was a very entertaining piece of fiction...at least I hope that those scientists know what they are doing with the Large Hadron Collider.

[Bookmarks Magazine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Critics compared John Connolly to two first-rate children's authors (Eoin Colfer and Madeline L'Engle) and two great satirists (Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams—whom many of us started reading in middle school anyway). The Gates, they said, displays the wonder and wit of the works of each of this impressive quartet while also having a personality of its own. Reviewers were especially impressed with the explanations of quantum mechanics, wormholes, black holes, and the Hadron Collider—which lent more scientific substance to the story. While noting a few spots that made the plot drag, critics generally recommended the book to both children and adults. This is an excerpt of a review published in Bookmarks magazine.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a funny, quirky read. Perfect for adults who enjoy a little whimsy and irony, especially for a lighter Halloween pick. I really enjoyed this.

[BJ Richardson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Imagine a sciency type fiction book, add some British humor, and make it a "children's" book that isn't really for children.

That is what I was told to expect when this book was suggested to me as some light Halloween reading. What I got instead? Poop. Yes, one big heaping steaming pile of poop.

Using the physical energy produced by the Large Hadron Collider and the spiritual energy (?) created by a few amateur dabblers in the dark arts, a portal between hell and earth is cracked open a slight bit. The four most ignorant and incompetent demons you could possibly imagine slide through this crack and are tasked with creating a larger breach so that the Dark Malevolence himself might stride through and turn earth into a second hell.

That is the premise of this book. The fact that the LHC and CERN are mentioned here and there as well as black holes and wormholes I guess is what was supposed to make this an "intelligent" kids book? If so, then we must ignore the fact that the few science concepts breached are either ridiculously oversimplified or just plain wrong (often both).

The British humor in here... OK, so I'm not a Brit and perhaps I missed a thing or two. But I often love British humor. I'm a huge fan of Doug Adams and Monty Python among others. But stacking this book up against those is like putting a first time, off-Broadway amateur comedian and stacking him up against Chris Rock and George Carlin. This book was just not funny. To be fair, it was obvious that the author was trying really, really hard to be funny. He just wasn't.

And the children's book premise? This is certainly no Narnia or Hobbit. I guess this has more of a feel of Diary of a Wimpy Kid? But even there, the comparison is just not fair. I would not recommend this book to children. I wouldn't recommend it to adults. Unless, of course, they are short of toilet paper...