The Gates

A Novel

By: John Connolly

Narrated by: Jonathan Cake

Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2009 John Connolly (P)2009 Simon & Schuster

Entertaining Fantasy Novel: Great for a Young Teen

I would have loved this as a 13-year old. I still enjoyed it as a 48-year old :)

This was a very clever and entertaining book with just enough comedy, intrigue and mystery woven in to make it enjoyable for all ages.

Those who don't enjoy fantasy or science fiction stories may not like it, in my humble opinion; but, if you enjoy those genres, and can set your mind to listen to a "Ghostbusters" type of story for 7 hours, then I believe you will very much enjoy this one.

Overall, the book is well written and very well narrated.

I recommend this one if you like this genre.

Nothing to Write Home About

I really wanted to love this book, but the whole gates of hell opening story line fell a little flat for me. I just never got to the point where I found it believable or where I cared about the characters. Dull. #DarkFantasy #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

Great Fun!

Who knew the invasion of demons from Hell could be so charming? This lighthearted fantasy is a quick, often very funny listen, absolutely worth a credit. I'll be checking out the sequel.

Jonathan Cake's narration is perfect.

Very Funny

This book had me literally laughing out loud, and the "footnotes" delivered interesting tidbits of information with a good dose of humour.

Samuel was a delightful little fellow - often misunderstood, just as such a bright, quirky child might be.
I thought that the descriptions of the demons were a bit overboard, though, and I had a hard time actually picturing them - just too many tendrils and forked tongues to keep up with.

I was a little disappointed in the story. Having read (listened to) "The Book of Lost Things" - one of my favourite books of all time - I may have expected something a bit different. This one may appeal more to a younger audience.

The narrator was good, but not stellar. I think the characters' voices could have been better, a bit more diverse among characters - but I did thoroughly enjoy the police sargent's. He sounded just like you might expect an officer questioning a traffic violator to sound, with just enough exaggeration to make it very funny.

A good listen, but it might be better to have a kid - although not too young - listening along with you.
I say not too young only because a younger child would not likely understand the scientific stuff

great!

Loved this. Just a "cute", funny book which is odd since it is about the gates of hell.
The narrator was superb! I can't say enough. The narrator was very lively and he knew the book as if he wrote it.
I just finished the book last night and already bought the sequel.

really enjoyed this book

This was a great story and an excellent performance. I'm looking forward to more from this author.

Narrator makes ho hum fun

The narrator made this book enjoyable...story was not that exciting but the narration sent it into the good listen realm. Cute, easy listen for those mind numbing commutes.

very entertaining!

I enjoyed every minute of it never got bored. good characters. I'm going to look for another connelly book right now.

A great suprise!

Narrarator Jonathan Cake made great book even better ! Funny and entertaining. Go Nerd go!!!!

Fun!

I liked "The Book of Lost Things" so much I decided to try another book by this author. Comparatively, this one is a lot more kid friendly - not as immature as an RL Stein level novel (as another reviewer said, though I did love those books when I was a kid), but not as dark or gory as The Book of Lost Things. I also enjoyed the little tidbits of information and advice in the footnotes, and the way they chose to present those footnotes made it feel a bit like a William Goldman book.

Overall it's just a fun, lighthearted story, definitely worth a listen!