The Gates- John Connoly

The Gates 
By: John Connolly

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Atria Books; 1st edition (October 6, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439172633
• ISBN-13: 978-1439172636

From the publishers website:

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. . . .

I picked this book up on an impulse while waiting in a Canadian airport. The back flap mentioned Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett and that was all that I needed.

In some ways, the narrative is formulaic: a boy and his brave dog fighting against the forces of evil. Yet, Samuel resists the attempt to place him in this narrow definition. He is clever and thoughtful.

While reading, I found myself invested in Samuel's plight, he resonated with me. He is the child who ask' s too many questions. The child that adults do not listen to or believe. Often both children and adults feel powerless. Samuel inspires us. The adults in his life may not listen, but he tackles the issues head on and does not wait for the themto take action.

Ultimately, the adults catch on to what is happening in their small town. They rally together and display remarkable fortitude in the face of the unknown. We learn about how one small town and one small boy can repeal the greatest evil.

The prose is light, with numerous use of interesting footnotes a la Terry Pratchett. However, where Pratchett's footnotes feel like the hilarious musing of the madman who wrote the book, Connolly's footnotes can feel long and stilted. At times it seems like the author is trying so hard to be funny that he misses the mark. The book contains sarcastic subtle social commentary. We laugh at people who don't believe in evolution and school teachers who don't like questions. At scientists who are so interested in scientific discovery that they don't worry about the destruction of the world. Ultimately, I felt lighter for reading the book and wanted a dachshund of my own.

Rating: 6.5/10

Read it or not: Read it!

Introduction

I love to read. I read all the time; while commuting, while walking. (Its quite difficult not to run into things) I will fall into a book and ignore everything else. Books have been my trusted friends. A lot of times I will read a book that I will then rave about. People ask: whats it about? I have a hard time telling you that. For me, I care more about how the book is written than what it is about. So, in this blog, I will rate the books that I read along with the name and author. I will give you a brief inkling of the plot, but there will be NO spoilers. I hate having to skip through reviews to the bottom. Most of the books are science fiction/fiction but as I do read other books, I will review them too. Reviews will most likely be short and subjective. Enjoy!