Name: The Gates
ISBN: 9781439175408

John Connolly

When Samuel Johnson and his dachshund Boswell go trick-or-treating early, they unwittingly unlock a gap in the universe that opens the gates of Hell, and Samuel must now fight to reseal it.

A Samuel Johnson Tale

The Gates

A strange novel for strange young people. Young Samuel Johnson and his dachshund Boswell are trying to show initiative by trick-or-treating a full three days before Hallowe'en. Which is how they come to witness strange goings-on at 666 Crowley Avenue. The Abernathys don't mean any harm by their flirtation with Satanism. But it just happens to coincide with a malfunction in the Large Hadron Collider that creates a gap in the universe. A gap in which there is a pair of enormous gates. The gates to Hell. And there are some pretty terrifying beings just itching to get out . . . Can Samuel persuade anyone to take this seriously? Can he harness the power of science to save the world as we know it?

A Strange Novel for Strange Young People

Leticia Leal

I found it slightly reminiscent of a Raold Dahl book, very clever, for youngsters with discerning taste. I recommend it for kids and adults looking for a quick read.

Maggie Gordon

The Gates is very reminiscent of Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. It other words, it's hilarious British comedic speculative fiction! 

The story centers on Samuel Johnson, a young, precocious boy who witnesses something strange happening at a neighbour's house. Soon demons are after him and CERN discovers the gates of hell are opening and it's really not a fun time for anyone! Well, except for the readers! It's a short, easy read, but incredibly enjoyable. If you need a break from the bleakness of the world, read about how demons mess up their invasion horribly thanks to the work of a small boy and his dashhound!

Milo Jean

I didn’t know what to expect going into this book. I picked it up on a whim looking for books to read in October. And the first couple pages I was not sure what kind of book I had chosen.

It turned out to be an entertaining and cute comedy about a young boy who spies on his neighbors and finds them getting taken over by demons who mean to open the gates of hell. 

This book made me laugh out loud multiple times especially when the like-able demon Nurd was around. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would read it again.

Paul Chapdelaine

Ryan Mateyk

Zita Azlina

Michael Cowell

Erik Wallace

Chrystal Giordano

jaymie b

Ashley Janssen

Juliet

Mirella Hetekivi

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 Avenue. 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 which holds a pair of enormous gates—the gates to Hell. And there are some pretty terrifying beings determined 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 and impossible to put down, 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. Like Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, this novel manages to re-create for grownups that magical and scary world of childhood that we’ve all left behind but so love to visit.

The Gates A Samuel Johnson Tale

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