Synopses & Reviews
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 through 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 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.
In this wonderfully strange and brilliant novel, 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.
Review
"With its endearing protagonist, rollicking plot, and dollops of weird but mostly true science, The Gates has a shot at becoming a middle-school Halloween classic." Los Angeles Times
Review
"The plot appeals to all of us who, on occasion, hear "tentacles being folded" under our beds. But it's the tone, the details and the allusions...that make it such a delight." Minneapolis Star Tribune
Review
"Although The Gates is in that vein of magical adventure, it's more of a tongue-in-cheek romp through horror. It also has a smattering of fascinating facts about science and religion throughout." Writer's Voice
Synopsis
The Abernathys don't mean any harm by their flirtation with Satanism. But their practices just happen to coincide with a malfunction in the Large Hadron Collider that creates a gap in the universe. A gap that opens the gates to Hell.
About the Author
John Connolly is the author of The Book of Lost Things, Every Dead Thing, Dark Hollow, The Killing Kind, The White Road, Bad Men, Nocturnes, and The Black Angel. He is a regular contributor to The Irish Times and lives in Dublin, Ireland. For more information, see his website at www.johnconnolly.co.uk.