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The Infernals (Samuel Johnson #2)

by John Connolly (Goodreads Author)

3.79 of 5 stars 3.79 · rating details · 1,082 ratings · 210 reviews

Samuel Johnson is in trouble. Not only is he in love with the wrong girl, but the demon Mrs. Abernathy is seeking revenge on him for his part in foiling the invasion of Earth by the forces of evil. She wants to get her claws on Samuel, and when Samuel and his faithful dachshund, Boswell, are pulled through a portal into the dark realm, she gets her chance.

PLEASE NOTE: This...more

Hardcover, 309 pages

Published October 18th 2011 by Atria Books (first published 2011)

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Community Reviews

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Aug 01, 2012 Elizabeth Ellen added it

The Infernals is a surreal adventure billed as YA, and it reads well that way in many aspects. The multiple-plotline style is said (by writing experts) to be difficult for YA readers to follow or appreciate, which could be distracting to readers who prefer a story to remain sharply focused on the protagonist.

This is BOOK TWO of a series. I did not realize this when I picked it from the library shelf, but the expertise of the author in cluing in a reader to book one was well-handled and didn't in...more

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Jan 17, 2012 Hollowspine rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this follow up to the Gates in one go, as quickly as...a drop of Old Peculiar starts to burn flesh. Just as in the first installment the writing is superb, the story is humorous and dark and still fuzzily heartwarming, but not tooth rottingly sweet.

All of our favorite characters return and are joined by some other interesting, if somewhat truculent, blokes. Hell, since the last volume, is in chaos, which makes it even more dangerous and interesting than normal.

In a way, I even started to...more

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Dec 06, 2011 Book Him Danno rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-sent-by-author-publisher-for, 2011

I think we can thank JK Rowling for making the youth literature market a viable option for authors by proving that kids will buy books, especially ones that tell a compelling story that doesn’t stoop to the lowest commoner denominator for laughs. Following the path of great mystery writers like John Grisham and Carl Hiassen, John Connolly has entered the market with the intrepid Samuel Johnson and his ever faithful dachshund Boswell as they battle the forces of evil embodied in cranky Mrs. Abern...more I think we can thank JK Rowling for making the youth literature market a viable option for authors by proving that kids will buy books, especially ones that tell a compelling story that doesn’t stoop to the lowest commoner denominator for laughs. Following the path of great mystery writers like John Grisham and Carl Hiassen, John Connolly has entered the market with the intrepid Samuel Johnson and his ever faithful dachshund Boswell as they battle the forces of evil embodied in cranky Mrs. Abernathy from down the road.

In book one, The Gates, The forces of evil have been stuck in their dimension (hell) for a very long time, but luckily for them modern science has unintentionally provided them with a way to earth. Specifically to 666 Crowley street. All that stands between them and world destruction is our hero Samuel. Through various battles with the help of his friends, and a helpful demon named Nurd, the scourge of five deities, the forces of evil our held at bay.

In book two, The Infernals, poor Sam and Boswell, as well as several other local residents are transported to hell wherein Mrs. Abernathy can seek her revenge and re-establish herself as demon number one. Of course everything doesn’t go to plan as Samuel and company do their best to hold her at bay and make it back home again.

Right from the start Connolly dismisses the concept of universal evil and shows his hell to be a mixture of the truly bad and the harmless lost. They may be a demon, but it wasn’t their choice, and if they get a vote they just soon keep quietly to themselves. My favorite parts of the books are the footnotes; and both books are riddled with them. There is a surprising amount of science packed into these stories, and each principle that is laid out (concisely, simply) usually has a corresponding footnote telling an interesting, and quite amusing side story. I expected to have fun reading these books, but I did not expect the education that I got with them as well.

This series is fun enough to entertain both adults and children, and as an added bonus you will gain a little scientific education too (unless, of course, you are already up on basic physics and Haldron colliders). Well worth the read while you await the next Heroes of Olympus book. Plus they would make an excellent children’s gift for this Christmas season (mine are off to my nieces as part of their gift).(less)

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Nov 10, 2011 Chris Bauer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Very entertaining book to read, with many laugh out loud moments and a surprisingly tender side...despite the basic plot of a boy and his dog plucked from Earth by a vengeful demon and brought to Hell.

I have to admit I'm a big fan of John Connolly's writing. His first book in this series, "The Gate" was an extremely memorable work. The sequel is no exception. Simple characters with layer upon layer of complexity, a fast-paced plot, often hilarious footnotes and other touches make The Infernals o...more

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Oct 17, 2011 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Hell warming story of a boy named Samuel and his Dachshund Boswell. Both are trapped in purgatory located in another dimension which happens to be Hell. Samuel ends up in a rather hilarious segment of perdition entitled The Mountain Of Despair which happens to be ruled by the one and only The Great Malevolence. In recent history Samuel and Boswell foiled plans that were constructed by the evil Mrs. Abernathy and her cohorts of demons. Now she has learned to require an enormous amount of ener...more

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Jun 08, 2011 S.J.B. Gilmour rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ooh, I had been looking forward to reading Hell's Bells: Samuel Johnson vs The Devil. Back in January this year, I read the first in this series (Is it a series? So far there's only two and I'm not sure how much further Connolly's going with this... Let's just call it a series, eh?) The Gates, I was blown away. Not so much by the fact that it was a ripsnorter - it also made me suspect Connolly's true calling isn't really the dark, creepy stuff for adults that he does so well, but this dark, cree...more

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Jul 05, 2012 Jim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: humorous, horror

The Infernals: A Samuel Johnson Tale is the second in a series of tales aimed at what I guess is the Young Adult audience. Well, I'm an old adult [64 years young] and I enjoyed the Hell out of this book. It probably would help if you read the first volume - The Gates - because, thankfully, many of the characters are back. In this outing Samuel and his dachshund Boswell are pulled into Hell by Mrs. Abernathy, who also manages to snag two police officers, an ice cream man and his truck and four an...more

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Jan 04, 2012 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dog-and-canines-fiction, modern-fairy-tales, youngadult

Samuel Johnson has a problem. He asked a post box out. It didn't answer.

But on the plus side, he still has his faithful Boswell, and he's alive.

But, on the negative side, he is alive in Hell.

But there is a silver lining. He and Boswell are not alone in Hell. There are two police officers (bobbies), Dan the Ice Cream Man (and his truck), and four elves . . er dwarfs . . . er midgets . . . er vertically challenged men.

Actually, the last four are homicidal manics who scare boy bands.

(Honestly, wha...more

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Dec 30, 2011 Melki rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, humorous-fiction, young-adult

The following message is brought to you by Spiggit's Old Peculiar. Now proven to cause only TEMPORARY blindness. Ask for Spiggit's - The Beer with the Biohazard Symbol!

Yay! Mrs. Abernathy is back! Her teeth are still sharp and pointy, her tentacles still drip with slime, and she burns with a passion to destroy the one who kept her from taking over the earth for her master, The Great Malevolence.

After a failed attempt to open a doorway from Hell using that Large Hadron Collider thingy, the crew o...more

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Dec 20, 2011 Paul Pessolano rated it 4 of 5 stars

“The Infernals” by John Connolly, published by Atria Books.

Category – Fantasy/Science Fiction

This book is an excellent change of pace for the adult reader and is definitely a great read for those who like Young Adult books.

I would suggest that you read John Connolly’s “The Book of Lost Things”, and the first in this series, “The Gates” before you read “The Infernals”.

If you have read “The Gates” you will remember that young Samuel Johnson and his dachshund, Boswell, became involved in opening th...more

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Oct 17, 2012 Brian rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Infernals is a sequel to The Gates, which forces Connolly to pause for a page and catch you up to date even though "it's people like you who cause unrest." Luckily I didn't mind as immediately the story and more importantly the style is evident.

Each chapter title is a concise and humorous summation of what is to come whether it's "In Which We Delve Deeper into the Bowels of Hell, Which Is One of Those Chapter Headings That Make Parents Worry About the Kind of Books Their Children Are Reading...more

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Oct 04, 2012 Lett' rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

http://letteraturaa.wordpress.com/201...

Oui, vous êtes prévenus qu’il y a un tome 1, ce qui n’était absolument pas mon cas malheureusement ! A la moitié du livre, j’ai enfin compris (suite à des recherches) que ce n’était que le tome 2 d’une série littéraire. J’était super dérangé, mais bon, malgré cela, j’ai super bien aimé ce bouquin qui fut une excellente découverte.

Le maitre mot de ce bouquin est sans doute l’originalité. Je n’avais, je crois, jamais lu un tel livre, une écriture très décalé...more http://letteraturaa.wordpress.com/201...

Oui, vous êtes prévenus qu’il y a un tome 1, ce qui n’était absolument pas mon cas malheureusement ! A la moitié du livre, j’ai enfin compris (suite à des recherches) que ce n’était que le tome 2 d’une série littéraire. J’était super dérangé, mais bon, malgré cela, j’ai super bien aimé ce bouquin qui fut une excellente découverte.

Le maitre mot de ce bouquin est sans doute l’originalité. Je n’avais, je crois, jamais lu un tel livre, une écriture très décalé, une narration complètement hors du commun et une intrigue bizarre. Voilà, donc si vous lisez ce livre, ne cherchez pas à le comparer à d’autres, cette comparaison ne serait que fortuite. Je me demande à l’instant si j’ai été séduit parce que j’étais au début assez sceptique, mais au final, j’ai été assez séduit par l’originalité qui m’a assez “parlé” si je puis dire.

Comme je l’ai dit, au début, ce livre vous déroute, l’auteur commence à décrire des choses complètement différentes, on se demande le lien entre les choses décrites et l’intrigue principale, puisqu’aucune ne ressort. Mais peu à peu, on commence à se faire à cette façon différente de narrer une histoire. Donc, on suit au final les histoires de Samuel Johnson, avec quelques autres petites intrigues autour qui viendront, sans doute, se rattacher par la suite.

Les personnages crées par l’auteur sont super différents les uns des autres…soit on les adore, comme les petits nains qui sont affreusement adorables, et Samuel Johnson ou bien ignobles comme…certains que je ne citerais pour ne pas. Au final, l’auteur réussit son pari de nous faire ressentir des émotions face aux personnages.

Et si je vous parlais des digressions, des notes de bas de pages, tout ce qui fait de ce livre, un livre original au niveau rédaction. Alors, il y a donc plein de petits bonus où l’auteur commente quelque chose, rajoute des données historiques, scientifiques ou autres, c’est super divertissant. On sort des sentiers battus, tant dans le genre puisque l’auteur est un auteur de policier en général et tant dans la narration originale. J’ai beaucoup aimé cette petite touche personnelle de l’auteur qu’il a donné au bouquin.

Quand à l’histoire, en fait, j’avais dit bizarre puisque ce n’est pas vraiment une intrigue hyper développée, à part le concept de l’Enfer qui est super bien exploité. J’ai trouvé l’Enfer de Connolly vraiment réaliste, où l’humain est empêché d’espéré une rédemption, où tout est terminé pour laisser place à l’éternité. Les idées sous-jacentes de cet enfer m’ont vraiment plu, même si en surface ça parait vraiment superficiel. Sinon, comme je l’ai dit, l’intrigue est trop simple, surtout le dénouement qui est comme une facilité alors que j’attendais quelque chose de bien mieux, mais bon, cette fin était correcte aussi mais un peu rapide tout de même. Cependant, le contenu de l’intrigue au milieu était vraiment bien réussi puisque l’action était au sommet.

Ce livre ne me laissera peut être pas autant de souvenirs, même si l’Enfer pourra resté profondément ancré, parce que cette vision m’a bien secoué. Déjà, si je ne m’en rappelle plus, je pourrais le lire rapidement, parce que ce n’est pas vraiment un pavé vu la taille de la police.

J’ai oublié de vous dire un petit point qui me chagrine dans ce bouquin, c’est le début. Il est

Pas un coup de cœur, pas une déception, je dirais une bonne lecture à conseiller pour ceux aiment les récits originaux. Ayant aimé ce bouquin, je pourrais sans doute me mettre à lire Le livres des choses perdues qui me fait bien envie.

PS : Cette chronique m’a parut un peu impersonnelle, j’espère qu’elle ne l’était pas vraiment parce que j’ai vraiment bien aimé, même si j’ai eu quelques réservés par rapport à ce livre.(less)

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Jan 17, 2012 Paula Hebert rated it 4 of 5 stars

when I last met samuel johnson, he had just saved the world from an invasion of the demons of hell, with the help of his dachshund, boswell, and a bumbling not-very-demonic extra minor demon called nerd, who in his short time on this side of hell developed a strong fondness for jelly beans and samuel's father's aston martin sports car, which he ended up driving back to hell. well! in the infernals, the right hand demon of satan is determined to have revenge, and in this attempt to break through...more

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Jan 18, 2012 Gloria Feit rated it 5 of 5 stars

This novel, the sequel to “The Gates,” picks up 18 months after the events described in that book, after young Samuel Johnson [just turned 13], assisted by his faithful dog, Boswell, repelled an invasion of earth by the forces of evil. The two books are quite a departure for the author, whose Charlie Parker mysteries are highly regarded and widely read. These are categorized as YA books, laced with pseudo-scientific and amusing footnotes. [It should perhaps be noted that the tenth Charlie Parker...more

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May 13, 2011 Rebecca Fleming rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

(originally posted on my blog at http://rebeccajfleming.wordpress.com/)

Hell’s Bells is the sequel to John Connolly’s first Samuel Johnson novel, The Gates. Set in the English town of Biddlecombe, the story picks up fifteen months after the events of the first novel, in which the demonic Mrs Abernathy’s invasion of Earth was was thwarted by 11-year-old Samuel Johnson, his dog, Boswell, and an un-demonic demon named Nurd.

Life in Biddlecombe is slowly returning to normal for Samuel and his friends....more (originally posted on my blog at http://rebeccajfleming.wordpress.com/)

Hell’s Bells is the sequel to John Connolly’s first Samuel Johnson novel, The Gates. Set in the English town of Biddlecombe, the story picks up fifteen months after the events of the first novel, in which the demonic Mrs Abernathy’s invasion of Earth was was thwarted by 11-year-old Samuel Johnson, his dog, Boswell, and an un-demonic demon named Nurd.

Life in Biddlecombe is slowly returning to normal for Samuel and his friends. However, Mrs Abernathy has not forgotten her defeat at the hands of the boy and longs for revenge. When the scientists in Sweden turn on the Large Hadron Collider once more, it gives Mrs Abernathy the power she needs to drag Samuel into hell, so she can make him suffer before presenting him to the Great Malevolence in order to win back her place as his second-in-command. However, things don’t go to plan, and she finds herself contending with two police officers, four rowdy dwarves and Nurd’s loyalty to Samuel.

Hell’s Bells is aimed at young teenagers, with its easy-to-read, casual prose, though it would appeal to many adults as well. Some of the scenes and imagery created here are so utterly ridiculous (in a good way) that you can’t help but snort a bit with laughter when you read them. There are quite a few footnotes scattered throughout the book, amusing little asides on history, science or life in general. Some readers might find them annoying, as they can distract the reader from the flow of the story a little – indeed, I’ve seen them used poorly in other books – but I think they work well enough here, especially as they are often educational and quite funny. This is really the only complaint I had about the book, and that’s probably because footnotes remind me too much of academic papers, which are Evil.

The descriptions give you a real sense of how the world looks; particularly in hell, which has variety to its landscape as opposed to the typical “lots of pits full of fire” approach. The protagonists are likeable – I particularly enjoyed the close bond of friendship between Samuel and his dog – and even the evil characters have depth to their personalities.

And really, any story that includes a troupe of alcoholic dwarves can only be hilarious.

It looks like the series will continue, but (as far as I can tell), there’s no way of knowing when the next Samuel Johnson book will come out, or how many more there will be; Connolly’s next book, Charlie Parker mystery The Burning Soul, is due out in September, I believe.(less)

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Apr 25, 2013 Alan Mills rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is actually a sequel to The Gates. However,I didn't realize it--until the narrator rudely pointed out that readers who read the second book before the first were weird. While I'm sure it works better if you read the Gate first, but this one works just fine as a stand alone.

In The Gate, the devil,sought to,take over the world by sending an army of demons through a gateway opened because of the high speed accelerator. But the devil's plans were foiled by Samuel--a young boy, and his dog. As t...more

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Sep 09, 2012 Utami rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've read the previous book, and love that one. Dan ternyata, yang satu ini gak kalah bagus. Anyway, saya waktu liat buku ini dengan bodohnya mikir, "eh, round II? yang Round I aku kekna belum punya deh...". Padahal buku pertamanya adalah The Gates. Stupid me. *tepok jidat sendiri*

Bagi yang belum baca buku pertama, there was a quick review about what happened in the first book at some first pages of this book. Anyway, menyambung permusuhan antara Samuel Johnson dan Mrs. Abenarthy. Mrs. Abernathy...more I've read the previous book, and love that one. Dan ternyata, yang satu ini gak kalah bagus. Anyway, saya waktu liat buku ini dengan bodohnya mikir, "eh, round II? yang Round I aku kekna belum punya deh...". Padahal buku pertamanya adalah The Gates. Stupid me. *tepok jidat sendiri*

Bagi yang belum baca buku pertama, there was a quick review about what happened in the first book at some first pages of this book. Anyway, menyambung permusuhan antara Samuel Johnson dan Mrs. Abenarthy. Mrs. Abernathy, setelah gagal dalam misinya membawa Neraka ke dunia, mencoba cara lain untuk memenangkan kembali kepercayaan The Great Malevolence, si bosnya Neraka. Sementara itu, di dunia, ada Samuel Johnson yang diam-diam masih dihantui trauma dari apa yang sudah terjadi ketika Mrs. Abenarthy membuka portal antara dunia dan Neraka. Dan tentu saja...masih ada Nurd! Si setan yang diam-diam punya perasaan halus ini sebenarnya merindukan Samuel, the first creature that he ever call as a friend.

Mrs. Abenarthy akhirnya berhasil menarik Samuel dan Boswell ke Neraka. Tapi sialnya, Samuel tidak langsung jatuh ke Neraka di hadapan Mrs. Abenarthy. Dan tidak hanya itu, dua orang polisi, empat orang kurcaci yang sangat penggerutu *omaigat, keempat kurcaci ini asli annoying banget!* dan seorang penjual es krim yang over-optimis ikut terbawa ke Neraka. Mrs. Abenarthy berusaha mencari Samuel, Samuel berusaha mencari jalan pulang, dan Nurd berusaha menyelamatkan Samuel. Oh, dan tidak hanya itu, ada pengkhianatan dan pemberontakan di Neraka terhadap The Great Malevolence.

Seperti buku pertama, yang paling menonjol dalam buku ini adalah gaya penceritaan Connolly. Hilarious in a sarcastic way. Nuansa sainsnya tidak sebanyak di buku pertama sih. Kalau di buku ini, Connolly lebih banyak menggambarkan entitas yang ada di Neraka, dan kepribadian mereka. It's really interesting, actually, the Hell that Connolly created, with all the entities and creatures in it. Konsep Neraka disini lebih luas dan kreatif daripada hanya sekedar tempat penyiksaan abadi. Jangan membayangkan Neraka yang mengerikan. You'll be surprised to see the way Connolly describes it and entities living in it.
Cara Connolly menyelipkan kosep tentang Evil and Good terkesan halus, dan tidak menggurui. I particularly like this sentence:
" All things considered, it's better to be on the side of Good, even if Evil occasionally has nicer uniforms..."
And footnotes! I always love the footnotes part :).
Don't forget to read the title of each chapter. It's part of the fun in reading this book.

However, saya merasa kepribadian Samuel tidak begitu muncul disini. Yang terlihat menonjol malah para kurcaci ituuuu... Dan obsesi mereka pada Spiggit's Old Peculiar, minuman yang lebih mirip racun.
And somehow, agak aneh rasanya membayangkan para entitas Neraka bisa semudah itu dikalahkan...

Yakin deh, bakal ada sekuel. Gak cuma soal pertempuran Samuel dan penghuni Neraka. Kekna bakal ada nuansa-nuansa romannya juga niiiihhh...

Still, it's a smart, hilarious, and yes...it's an entertaining book!
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Apr 24, 2013 Cheryl rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a YA book, but very, very funny. John Connolly's hero is Samuel Johnson and his dog Boswell, whom have upset Mrs. Abernathy, one of Hell's most fearsome demons in a most profound way. Just the names of the boy and the dog, made me chuckle right away, never mind that one of the locations is Shirley Jackson street, heheh. Connolly is extremely fond of footnotes which can be found liberally peppered throughout the book. Do not skip over them, as they are some of the funniest parts of the bo...more

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Jan 22, 2012 John rated it 4 of 5 stars

When the demons Shan and Gath become brewers, writes author John Connolly in his YA novel The Infernals, they “discovered one of the secrets of happiness: find something that you would have done anyway as a hobby, and convince someone to pay you good money to do it instead.” Then in one of his many footnotes, which cover everything from quantum theory to language he expounds: “Most people will spend their lives doing jobs that they don’t particularly enjoy, and will eventually save up enough mo...more

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Dec 02, 2011 Idris rated it 3 of 5 stars

Long before I could read this book, I had a few unanswered questions in my head. The first one was: After reading The Burning Soul by John Connolly, and seeing his writing style, so serious, so mysterious and dark with a really complicated book about murderers, victims, detectives and that kind of thing, it was impossible for me to think that the same author also writes books like this one with a completely different topic. From a thriller to a young adult book, a funny young adult book. I mean,...more

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Nov 19, 2011 Sora91 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Segunda aventura de Samuel Johnson. Han pasado unos meses desde la acción de "Las puertas del infierno" y Samuel vive tranquilo en su ciudad con su perrito Boswell, su madre y las apariciones de la Sra. Abernathy en los charcos de agua u otras superficies reflectantes de vez en cuando. Pero ya se sabe que la tranquilidad en los buenos libros no dura para siempre y menos cuando tenemos un colisionador de partículas con tendencia a abrir caminos hacia otras dimensiones de nuevo en funcionamiento.
L...more

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Nov 17, 2011 Albert rated it 4 of 5 stars

I first read John Connolly in The UnQuiet and fell in love with the ultra dark and ultra violent paranormal mysteries that would become the Charlie Parker stories. If you choose one of these start with Every Dead Thing which is sure to leave you disturbed and looking around the corner for what evil may lay there. Human or not.
So imagine my surprise when I picked up the little novel called The Gates, a whimsical young adult tale about demons and hell coming to earth and the little young boy who m...more

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Nov 08, 2011 Blair rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was a firm follow-up to "The Gates". I am a big fan of Connolly's so I feel it must be said that the story felt forced. Editor deadline forced. "Let's turn this puppy out to fill the gap now that HP is finished" forced. Returning cast of characters are dragged into hell by the evil Mrs. Abernathy in her quest to restore her mighty visage in the eyes of the Great Malevolence. Samuel Johnson and his trusty dachshund, Boswell traverse the desolate landscapes and ultimately learn valuable lesso...more

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Nov 19, 2011 Megan rated it 2 of 5 stars

while reading the book that came before this, the gates, i thought there were moments that connolly was trying much too hard to be funny. but, overall, the footnotes and chapter names, etc, were fun.

the infernals read like one long, trying much too hard, joke. the premise is good, and the characters are lovable and relatable, but connolly has none of that natural wit and humour that terry pratchett has and douglas adams had. it just seems forced.

also, i mean, this is hell. i expected to be hor...more

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Mar 09, 2012 John Ashline rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had already read "The Gates", and was thrilled to find a sequel. I must have forgotten about it, or something. "The Infernals" picks up a bit after the events of "The Gates".

Mrs.Abernathy, having harnessed energy from the LHC at CERN after it had been reactivated, brings her hated enemy Samuel Johnson (and his little dachsund Boswell) to Hell to get her revenge.

John Connolly creates demonic hordes very well! His cast of characters--demons and humans alike--are easily loveable/detestable. His...more

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Jan 07, 2012 Alexandra Hunter rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: already-own

Let's talk about John Connolly.

The Infernals is a sequel to his earlier book The Gates, which I fell in love with last year. The Gates was clever, funny and touching with humour that reminded me of Douglas Adams. The Infernals, a continuation of Samuel Johnson's story, is good but doesn't reach the same level of cleverness as the book that came before it.

So let's rewind:

A year has passed for Samuel Johnson since his encounters with the demons of hell and he has done everything he could to move...more Let's talk about John Connolly.

The Infernals is a sequel to his earlier book The Gates, which I fell in love with last year. The Gates was clever, funny and touching with humour that reminded me of Douglas Adams. The Infernals, a continuation of Samuel Johnson's story, is good but doesn't reach the same level of cleverness as the book that came before it.

So let's rewind:

A year has passed for Samuel Johnson since his encounters with the demons of hell and he has done everything he could to move past it. But unbeknowest to Samuel, the demon Mrs. Abernathy (formally known as Ba'al) is plotting revenge against him for foiling her previous plans. Samuel finds himself dragged to Hell where he encounters many of it's denizens and a few of his old friends.

There are other characters who end up falling into hell with Samuel, two policemen and a band of Dwarves who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Their stories, cute at some times do not hold up against Samuel's adventures.

The book started out fairly slow, but picked up when Samuel began to have encounters with demons, and I have to say that's where the book's real strength lies. The vibe kind of reminded me of the vibe in his other bok The Book of Lost Things (I'll talk about this book another day), which is more creepy then comedy. I was fascinated by the character's of Old Ram and the Old Oak, and I was interested in Connolly's portrayal of hell, but I don't want to go into anymore details and spoil the story for you.

Similar to The Gates, the chapter titles and the footnotes were clever or laugh out loud funny and offered either blunt insight into their chapters (in the case of the titles) or background information and comments on the narrative. My favourite footnote out of the entire book had to be number 42:

"Most people will spend their lives doing jobs that they don't particularly enjoy, and will eventually save up enough money to stop doing those jobs just in time to start dying instead. Don't be one of those people. There's a difference between living, and just surviving. Do something that you love, and find someone to love who loves that you love what you do.

It really is that simple.
And that hard" (Connolly, 303)

In the end, this book doesn't hold up against Connolly's previous work, but it still is enjoyable. If you liked The Gates, I recommend you do read the sequel (which clearly sets up for a third book) and continue the story of young Samuel Johnson.

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Nov 07, 2011 Clockstein Lockstein rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Infernals by John Connolly is the sequel to The Gates about young Samuel Johnson's battle against the demonic forces of Hell, with his best friend daschund, Boswell. In the previous book Ba'al took the form of Mrs. Abernathy and attempted to use the power of the Super-Collider to open a gateway to Hell and allow Satan to enter the world. Samuel and his demon friend, Nurd, were able to thwart her plans, so now she is on a mission to both destroy them and regain her status with Satan himself,...more

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Nov 20, 2012 Ken rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

Excellent YA fantasy! This is a sequel, but, not having read the previous book, still very accessible. Samuel Johnson and his dog, Bosworth, are the enemies of Hell, due to their thwarting an invasion of Earth, made possible by the switching on of the Large Hadron Collider. Samuel and Bosworth, as well as two policemen, an ice-cream truck and four truculent dwarves, are sucked into Hell, in the midst of a power struggle to see who will be The Great Malevolence's right hand, er, demon. Very witty...more

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Oct 01, 2012 Gretchen rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is written in a humorous style and features Samuel as the main character - a 13 year old boy who ends up having to fight demons in Hell along with his dog, Boswell, and various other funny and strange characters. This is the 2nd book in a series (but I did not realize that until after I had rented it from the library), but the author fills you in on roughly what happened in the first book so I did not feel like I was missing out by not having read the first book. But I would say I am s...more

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May 29, 2012 Matthew Galloway rated it 5 of 5 stars

The whole book is funny, but it's the footnotes that really bring on the guffaws.

All in all it was a great sequel to "the Gates" and it left me excited for the probably sequel. Once again, you learn all kinds of interesting tidbits about physics all while the power of being a good person is shown to be enough to vanquish the demons of Hell. What can I say? Sometimes a non-cynical read is necessary in this day and age. This isn't to say that this book isn't sarcastic and satirical of modern day l...more

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About John Connolly

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...more

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“Why is there always one bloke in these boy bands who looks like he came to fix the boiler and somehow got bullied into joining the group?” — 7 people liked it

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The Infernals (Samuel Johnson #2)

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