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The Gates (Samuel Johnson #1)

by John Connolly (Goodreads Author)

3.73 of 5 stars 3.73 · rating details · 4,846 ratings · 928 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 ga...more

Hardcover, 296 pages

Published 2009 by Hodder & Stoughton

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May 10, 2013 Nancy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Nancy by: Will Byrnes

Shelves: horror, humor, sf-fantasy, kids-and-teens, shelf-inflicted

Also reviewed at Shelf Inflicted

I read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy nearly 30 years ago and don’t remember finding it all that funny. I also never cared for Monty Python. Maybe it’s the British humor I don’t get, but Fawlty Towers cracks me up, no matter how many times I see each episode. Humor is such a personal thing, and sometimes I just don’t see humor in things others find funny. And other times I laugh hysterically at things people don’t understand. So I’m cautious about the humoro...more

39 likes · like · see review

Jun 01, 2013 Amanda rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of Neil Gaiman

Shelves: young-adult

Not to put too fine a point on it, but I hate my neighbors. Yeah, I know I'm supposed to love them, but it would be easier if they were just a little more lovable and not so loathable. Between the late night beerfests, the trucks without mufflers, the pit bulls tied to trees, and the Jerry Springer style public arguments (not to mention just a general lack of hygiene), there's not a lot I can be thankful for. Until The Gates. Now I can at least say, "Well, they haven't accidentally opened a gate...more

33 likes · like · see review

Nov 01, 2012 The Holy Terror rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: color-red, male-author, male-protagonist, borrowed, demons, paranormal, adult

A high three: enjoyable but it didn't blow me away. Definitely reminded me of Douglas Adams books and Simon Pegg movies, and if you like that type of British-style humor then you'll probably find this funny and worth the read. I never thought I'd see the Large Hardron Collider featured in a book about demons, but it plays a very prominent role, as does quantum physics, which was totally not what I was expecting.

Two things to note; first, this is an adult book and not YA, and many people have it...more

9 likes · like · see review

Nov 03, 2009 Jeanette rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: started-it-hated-it

ICK!! BAH!! Me no like this book! Terrible!
What a bummer. I so enjoyed The Book of Lost Things and hoped this would be another fun romp. Not to be. This one is just stupid. Connolly tried way too hard to be clever and failed miserably. I gave the book 80 pages before giving up, which is pretty generous for a book I'm not liking at all. So I don't think I was hasty in my judgment. I really wanted to give it a chance to get better. It doesn't.

6 likes · like · see review

Dec 02, 2009 Bookmarks Magazine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: jan-feb-2010

Critics compared John Connolly to two first-rate children's authors (Eoin Colfer and Madeline L'Engle) and two great satirists (Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams—whom many of us started reading in middle school anyway). The Gates, they said, displays the wonder and wit of the works of each of this impressive quartet while also having a personality of its own. Reviewers were especially impressed with the explanations of quantum mechanics, wormholes, black holes, and the Hadron Collider—which lent...more

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Jun 06, 2010 Andy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010

I've only read one of John Connolly's books before and have no recollection of what I thought about it. That generally means it wasn't interesting enough for me to pick the rest of the series. Still, I found this on sale (in the Hosptal University book shop, which is turning out to be a nice little shop) and was enraptured with the cover. It's brilliantly designed and captivating enough as a premise to grab my interest.

I started off not liking it though. My main issue being I couldn't figure out...more I've only read one of John Connolly's books before and have no recollection of what I thought about it. That generally means it wasn't interesting enough for me to pick the rest of the series. Still, I found this on sale (in the Hosptal University book shop, which is turning out to be a nice little shop) and was enraptured with the cover. It's brilliantly designed and captivating enough as a premise to grab my interest.

I started off not liking it though. My main issue being I couldn't figure out who he was writing it for. It seems to be aimed at young adults/kids in many ways - it's labelled 'for strange young people' and at one point he mentions it while addressing the reader as a young person (in one of the copious footnotes). Then there are the occasions he explains the meaning (and in one case, the pronounciation) of the 'bigger' words. All very patronising.

The flip side is a fair bit of complex discussion about god, religion, quantum physics, singularities and advanced wormhole theory. It makes for a chaotic mix.

The main plot is fairly run of the mill and obvious (it reminds me of Boom by Mark Hadon - small unusual boy saves world from Aliens/Demons). Apart from Samuel and Nurd (who I did enjoy) most of the supporting characters (including the two 'best friends' that are only mentioned half way through when a plot point calls for them) are thinly developed. The horror aspects are keenly described but played down and at no point did I feel there was any threat to any of the main characters. As for the demons, well, there's a lot of borrowing from Mr Pratchett.

Still, all that said and done, I quite enjoyed it as a way to kill three hours. I found myself giggling at times and got into the story and if there was a sequel I would probably read it. The initial annoyance I had with the vaguely patronising tone of the footnotes soon got brushed aside by amusement and a desire to keep reading. So I guess it does the job.

I think ultimately, he lacks the finesse and subtlety of say, Neil Gaiman or Terry Pratchett in creating stories that transcend age groups but it's still an entertaining read. And it does have a great cover.(less)

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Aug 11, 2012 The Flooze rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy-paranormal, vanquished_2009

Do you like Douglas Adams? Robert Rankin? Do you crack up at Shaun of the Dead or Monty Python?

Are you drawn to droll British humor and wonderfully inane commentary? Well, here you are then. The Gates is just the book for you!

Connolly's urban fantasy about a precocious boy, his protective dachshund, and an imminent apocalypse is delightfully amusing. It's a fascinating mix of demonic entities and mishaps of physics, playing on the idea that although scientists may seek the truth of the multivers...more

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Feb 21, 2012 Bunga Mawar rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, it-s-mine, translated-into-indonesian

Orang2 di Biddlecombe, Inggris, kota kecil tempat kejadian di buku ini, memang asik. Mereka memberitahu kita bahwa setan dengan segala jenis dan bentuknya itu sangat tidak patut ditakuti. Tusuk saja dengan gantungan topi atau garu rumput. Bisa juga dipukuli dengan payung, disemprot dengan parfum, atau digelontorkan ke dalam toilet...

Cerita buku ini standar cerita setan2an. Setan itu jahat dan ingin menguasai bumi. Ditambah lagi ada bumbu fisika mengenai lubang hitam, lubang cacing dan ilmuwan2 C...more

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May 07, 2010 Paul rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sciencefictionfantasy

Set in present-day rural England, this novel is about young Samuel Johnson and his faithful dachshund, Boswell. Samuel is showing initiative by going trick-or-treating three days early. He sees strange things happening at 666 Crowley Road.

Looking in through a basement window, he sees two local married couples, the Renfield’s and the Abernathy’s, dressed in long black cloaks, and with a pentagram drawn on the floor. They got hold of a book of spells, and are playing at devil worship. Things work...more

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Dec 22, 2009 Eileen Reeger rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Harry Potter and Lemony Snicket fans

Shelves: fantasy-or-sci-fi, young-adult

The following in quotes was actually written as my review for "Every Dead Thing" but belongs here as well:
"It was a decent book (Every Dead Thing). His first novel written in 1999. I had "Every Dead Thing" lying around forever and just picked it up b/c at the time I was out of stuff to read and it was the first thing nearest to me.I have never read one of his books before and it was weird that when I reached into my pile of library books for my next read it was another John Connolly, his most re...more The following in quotes was actually written as my review for "Every Dead Thing" but belongs here as well:
"It was a decent book (Every Dead Thing). His first novel written in 1999. I had "Every Dead Thing" lying around forever and just picked it up b/c at the time I was out of stuff to read and it was the first thing nearest to me.I have never read one of his books before and it was weird that when I reached into my pile of library books for my next read it was another John Connolly, his most recent, 10 years later, "The Gates Of Hell (are wide open want to take a peek)" and I didn't notice right away it was the same author! What are the odds?
These are completely different types of books, this new one (The Gates) is written in a kids style and not sure I like it yet. Seems a bit contrived but we'll see. Could be I am biased b/c I've never read any of the other novels he's written and it is QUITE a jump in subject matter and style from "Every Dead Thing". Then again he's had 10 years to hone his skills and explore styles. This will be a first for me to discover an author in this unique way. Back to back, first novel first, and written 10 years later, his most recent."

This is my review for "Gates of Hell":
I was so sad to not be able to give this novel a better rating b/c I liked his first novel "Every Dead Thing" and have heard great things about his more recent works (which I will still surely read). I was sad for Connolly. Is he going thru a mid-life crisis? Not nearly as good as other books in this genre. I couldn't help feeling he was trying too hard to be clever and get a stake in the big time children's fantasy movie money machine. Very predictable, very flat characters. Each monster description was tediously uninspiring and came off like he was imagining the movie deal. Embarrassing. But I did finish it just to see if I'd feel differently when I was done.
I didn't. Nice try Mr. Connolly. But I did enjoy the visual of the two creatures from hell getting all sloshy on bad beer. And Nurd was a fun character. The footnotes were nice but a bit too contrived and cutesy.(less)

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Jan 29, 2010 Infinite Playlist rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: people who liked Good Omens

Shelves: form-audiobook, creatures-demons, mood-funny, creatures-animals, apocalypse-catastrophes, mine

Dieses Buch war warmherzig und sehr amüsant.
Es geht um den 11-jährigen Samuel, der zusammen mit seinem Hund Boswell ein paar Tage vor Halloween Süßes oder Saures verlangt. Dabei wird er mit seinen unterschiedlichen Turnschuhen (er konnte sich nicht für ein Paar entscheiden, deshalb hat er einen Schuh von jedem Paar angezogen) und dem Gespensterlaken über dem Gesicht und darüber seine Brille, so putzig beschrieben, dass ich ihn sofort liebgewonnen habe. Samuel beobachtet zufällig wie ein paar Däm...more Dieses Buch war warmherzig und sehr amüsant.
Es geht um den 11-jährigen Samuel, der zusammen mit seinem Hund Boswell ein paar Tage vor Halloween Süßes oder Saures verlangt. Dabei wird er mit seinen unterschiedlichen Turnschuhen (er konnte sich nicht für ein Paar entscheiden, deshalb hat er einen Schuh von jedem Paar angezogen) und dem Gespensterlaken über dem Gesicht und darüber seine Brille, so putzig beschrieben, dass ich ihn sofort liebgewonnen habe. Samuel beobachtet zufällig wie ein paar Dämonen in unsere Welt eindringen und von dort die Apokalypse ankündigen. Von da an tauchen immer mehr Dämonen in der Geschichte auf, die teilweise Samuel und teilweise andere Menschen verfolgen. Zwischendurch wird von einem kaputten Generator in einem Labor berichtet, der im Endeffekt Schuld an der Öffnung der Höllentore ist. Dabei hat mich sehr beeindruckt, wie John Connolly wissenschaftliches Fachgedöns ganz nebenher, leicht verständlich und sogar lustig in die Story eingefädelt hat. Wenn ihm die Buchseite mal nicht ausgereicht hat, hat er sich mit einer seiner ca. 25 Fußnoten beholfen. Spätestens seit Terry Pratchett bin ich ein großer Verachter von Fußnoten, aber die von John Connolly haben mir erstaunlicherweise nichts ausgemacht und ich fand sie interessant und zur Geschichte gehörend.

Apropro Terry Pratchett. The Gates hat mich sehr an Good Omens von eben jenem und Neil Gaiman erinnert. Leider hab ich es bei Good Omens nie bis zum Ende geschafft (dank des Pratchett-Anteils :P), obwohl mir die Story sicherlich gefallen hätte. Bei den Stichworten "Dämonen, Apokalypse und Humor" fällt mir direkt auch Dämliche Dämonen ein, was ich in den Ansätzen sehr cool fand, aber von den Charakteren und der Story sehr, sehr mager. Aber all das, was ich an diesen beiden Büchern zu bemängeln hatte, hat John Connolly mit The Gates gemeistert und mir damit praktisch den perfekten humoristischen Dämonen-Apokalypse-Roman geschrieben.

Eine meiner Lieblingsszenen war übrigens als der Dämon Nerd in Samuels Zimmer auftaucht und die beiden sich nach einer kurzen Unterhaltung anfreunden und Jeallybeans zusammen vernaschen. Genau diese Art von drolligem, liebenswerten Humor zieht sich durch das ganze Buch und hat mich immer wieder zum Schmunzeln gebracht.

Zugegeben, an The Book of Lost Things kommt The Gates nicht ran, aber trotzdem kann ich es kaum erwarten, dass Mister Connolly noch mehr Jugendbücher schreibt.

Mit großem Lob möchte ich noch den Leser des englischen Hörbuchs hervorheben (Jonathan Cake), der zwar sehr schnell liest, aber einen wunderbaren Akzent und eine große Stimmvielfalt mitbringt. Wirklich gegruselt hab ich mich z.B. bei der Stimme von "The Great Malevolence".
Außerdem bin ich auch total in das Cover verliebt. Ich habe erst beim dritten Mal hingucken die dämonische Fratze im Tor erkannt und bin ganz begeistert, dass es 2 verschiedene Taglines gibt (the gates of hell are about to open - "want to peek?" und "mind the gap").(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jan 13, 2010 Lori rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-reviewers-copy, fiction, fricken-awesome

ARC/Reviewer's copy.

It's 4 days before Halloween. The neighbors at #666 are bored and looking for a way to spend the evening. Donning black capes in their basement, they recite a spell from an old book they found. At the same time, CERN's LHC (Large Haloden Collider) surprises the scientists by firing off "a bit" of energy they cannot account for. 11 year old Samuel, and his little dog Boswell, just happen to be peeking in the neighbors basement window when a portal to Hell opens up and let's a...more

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Jan 24, 2011 Brooke rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, fantasy

How DOES it work that I just recently read a book about the history of the search for the Higgs Boson, only to pick up a John Connolly novel and find out that its plot revolves around the Large Hadron Collider? Having read 11 John Connolly books before this one, that's the last thing I expected from him.

The Gates was a cute diversion from Connolly's darker Charlie Parker novels. I saw another review compare it to Good Omens, and it did remind me a lot of Terry Pratchett in style, right down to t...more

5 likes · like · see review

Jan 31, 2013 Stevedutch rated it 2 of 5 stars

What’s hot at the moment? Ah yes, children’s books featuring ghosts, goblins, spells, witches, wizards and all manner of demonic doings. What time of year is it? Ah yes, almost Halloween. What’s the zeitgeist - what’s so ‘it’ that you couldn’t possibly leave it out of an ‘it’ book? Ah yes, the Large Hadron Collider and quantum mechanics! Right let’s lump all of that together and throw in some suitably horrible, irritating and expendable adults, a cutesy dog and his impossibly precocious 11 year...more

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Dec 29, 2012 Miah D rated it 3 of 5 stars

Meh. The Book of Lost Things was AWESOME and the premise for The Gates was intriguing: Both of those convinced me to get The Gates and give Connolly a second round at the reading rodeo.

Lightning, however, usually only strikes once.

The book is cute. The depictions of the demons are scary. The dog is loyal. The writing is passe. While there was real depth of character in The Book of Lost Things, The Gates is full of missed opportunities for the characters to become complex and develop. It's a cros...more

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Oct 29, 2012 Felita rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-horor, fantasy-ringan, young-adult

cerita bermula dari keisengan pasangan Abernathy
gara2 sedang bosan dan hallowen sebentar lagi
membuat pasangan Abernathy melakukan ritual
ternyata....itu ritual membuka gerbang neraka

samuel, bocah 10 tahun melihat proses pembukaan gerbang tsb
gara2 inisiatifnya memulai trick or treat beberapa hari lebih awal
samuel menyaksikan hasil keisengan pasangan Abernathy

samuel ini dikenal orang dewasa sbg anak yg aneh
aneh dlm arti pertanyaan2 nya yg kelewat "sensitif" utk anak 10 thn
maka tidak heran, orang d...more

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Aug 08, 2012 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, humor, kids

In the mood for a tongue in cheek monster story full of hapless humans and dastardly demons? Open the cover of The Gates and watch as our unlikely hero, ten year old Samuel Johnson, fights to close the gates of hell, before the Great Malevolence can bring and end to the world with fire, mayhem, and as much suffering possible. Initially, no one believes what Samuel has discovered, until a demonic horde descends upon Biddlecoombe on Halloween.

Mrs. Abernathy, the GM's point demon, is a truly form...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Kristen rated it 4 of 5 stars

You wouldn't expect that a story about the gates of hell opening and attempting to destroy the earth and every human on it would be screamingly funny, and highly entertaining and clever, but it really is!

Eleven-year-old Samuel Johnson is trying to show initiative by trick-or-treating three days early, (which should make clear immediately that he isn't your typical eleven-year-old English boy and that this will not be your average coming-of-age story).

Because he rings the wrong doorbell on the w...more You wouldn't expect that a story about the gates of hell opening and attempting to destroy the earth and every human on it would be screamingly funny, and highly entertaining and clever, but it really is!

Eleven-year-old Samuel Johnson is trying to show initiative by trick-or-treating three days early, (which should make clear immediately that he isn't your typical eleven-year-old English boy and that this will not be your average coming-of-age story).

Because he rings the wrong doorbell on the wrong evening, Samuel and his little dachshund Boswell are the first to discover that the gates of Hell are about to open, which will lead to a great deal of rude unpleasantness in the lovely small town of Biddlecombe.

Samuel decides to do something about the unpleasantness, and quickly becomes embroiled in an adventure of epic proportions, involving incompetent - but polite! - demons, his two clever young friends, a lot of ingenuity, an Aston Martin, and, of course, faithful Boswell.

This is a crackingly wonderful book from start to finish! Although I'm not certain that this was written as young adult or children's fiction, as long as the child in question isn't easily frightened, this could be a wonderful story to demonstrate that children can be resourceful, brave and clever. Samuel is the hero of this story, and throughout all the unbelieveable things that happen, he stays just himself while attempting to save the world.

That isn't to say that this is not an enjoyable book for adults as well, because much of the humour is clearly directed to the adult reader, and the sly, smart-aleck asides, many done as footnotes to the text are laugh-out-loud funny!

The characters in the story are all wonderfully inventive and the cheeky humour that author John Connolly infuses into absolutely every page of the book is delightfully off-centre, and reminiscent of Neil Gaiman's somewhat twisted version of reality although Connelly certainly has his own unique style that stands on its own merit.

The story is a very fast and easy read, but the intelligence and creativity of the book, combined with the evil humour from start to finish makes it a must-read if you like smart-assed, intelligent and very, very funny fiction. Highly recommended!(less)

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Jul 24, 2012 Courtney rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal-twist, fiction-by-men

This book was recommended to me by Amanda Baltz after I read another John Connolly book, The Book of Lost Things. Looking at Amanda's review of it, I noticed that it said it was for fans of Neil Gaiman, and boy, was she right. It didn't take me long before I felt like I was reading a companion piece to Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's Good Omens (which I've probably read 5 or 6 times.) In both, the heroes are young boys (in Good Omens, an unwitting and unwilling Antichrist named Adam; in The Gates,...more This book was recommended to me by Amanda Baltz after I read another John Connolly book, The Book of Lost Things. Looking at Amanda's review of it, I noticed that it said it was for fans of Neil Gaiman, and boy, was she right. It didn't take me long before I felt like I was reading a companion piece to Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's Good Omens (which I've probably read 5 or 6 times.) In both, the heroes are young boys (in Good Omens, an unwitting and unwilling Antichrist named Adam; in The Gates, an extremely intelligent kid named Samuel Johnson) who both have smart little dogs (Dog and Boswell, respectively). Both have sidekicks in the form of a mixed gender group of friends (Pepper, Wensleydale and Brian for Adam; Maria and Tom for Samuel). Both have the unenviable and herculean task of stopping the end of the world (which, of course, they do at the last minute). Both books have demons who really aren't greatly suited to being demons (Crowley and Nurd). Both had whimsically named "bad" characters. In Good Omens, it was the 4 bikers who decided they were the OTHER 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Cruelty to Animals, Grievous Bodily Harm, Really Cool People, and Things Not Working Properly Even After You've Given Them A Good Thumping But Secretly No Alcohol Lager.) In The Gates, it's various demons (Schwell, the Demon of Uncomfortable Shoes; Ick, the Demon of Unpleasant Things Discovered in Plug Holes During Cleaning; Graham, the Demon of Stale Biscuits and Crackers; Mavis, the Demon of Inappropriate Names for Men; and Erics', the Demon of Bad Punctuation). The pacing feels the same, the style of writing is more or less identical...it's very nearly the same book, frankly. Fortunately, I really liked Good Omens, so I also really liked The Gates. I intend to keep reading the saga of Samuel and Boswell keeping the world safe from demonic incursions, as there is at least one more book (possibly two) after this one.

If, however, you don't like Neil Gaiman...avoid this book like the plague. (less)

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May 09, 2012 Richard rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Rating: 3.25* of five

The Book Report: Samuel Johnson and his dachshund Boswell are on an early trick-or-treat run, demonstrating initiative by beating out the competition or so Samuel thinks. Boswell sighs a lot. I think he knows. They go to the Abernathys house, and Mr. Abernathy (a miserably unhappy self-help book writer, married to Satan...no, seriously!) sends them on their way before rejoining his horrifying wife and two of their revolting bores of friends.

They are summoning a demon for fun...more

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Mar 02, 2012 Ari rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own-copy

Membaca tentang neraka-dan-penghuninya-yang-berusaha-menguasai-bumi tidak pernah semenyenangkan ini!

Ini perkenalan pertama saya dengan John Connoly dan saya sangat terkesan. Looking foward for his other books.

Kota Biddlecombe hanyalah kota kecil yang membosankan, saking membosankannya, sekelompak penduduknya dari 666 Cornwey Avenue yang titik kebosanan sudah sampai level 10, melakukan ritual yang mereka dapat dari buku kuno.Karena ritual itu, yang juga melibatkan sebuah penelitian alam tentang l...more

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Jan 22, 2012 Utami rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The second book from Connolly that I read for this month.

The Gates bercerita tentang Samuel, seorang anak laki-laki yang punya cara sendiri dalam menilai kehidupan. Dia sering dianggap aneh oleh orang-orang yang ada di sekitarnya dan merasa bingung dengan cara pandang Samuel. Suatu hari, Samuel memergoki tetangganya melakukan hal aneh di ruang bawah tanah mereka. Samuel mendapati bahwa yang dilakukan tetangganya itu adalah pemanggilan Setan. Sementara itu, pada waktu yang bersamaan, sebuah mesi...more The second book from Connolly that I read for this month.

The Gates bercerita tentang Samuel, seorang anak laki-laki yang punya cara sendiri dalam menilai kehidupan. Dia sering dianggap aneh oleh orang-orang yang ada di sekitarnya dan merasa bingung dengan cara pandang Samuel. Suatu hari, Samuel memergoki tetangganya melakukan hal aneh di ruang bawah tanah mereka. Samuel mendapati bahwa yang dilakukan tetangganya itu adalah pemanggilan Setan. Sementara itu, pada waktu yang bersamaan, sebuah mesin yang menjaidproyek sekelompok peneliti mengalami gangguan. Menurut analisis para peneliti, gangguan ini berupa terlepasnya suatu potongan energi (atau semacam itulah). Yang terjadi ternyata adalah terbukanya portal penghubung antara dunia ini dengan Neraka. Begitu portal itu membuka cukup lebar, muncullah berbagai entitas penghuni neraka. Samuel, dengan bantuan dari Boswell, anjingnya, dan Tom serta Maria, temannya, berusaha sekuat tenaga untuk menutup kembali portal tersebut.

Cukup menghibur untuk dibaca. Footnotes yang tersebar here and there juga lumayan lucu. Sedikit sarkastis, nyaris mengingatkan saya pada The Good Omens. Some parts are even hilarious. Walaupun Samuel adalah tokoh utama dalam novel ini, saya malah paling suka dengan Nurd, Pembawa Petaka Lima Dewa. Nyiahahahaha…. Gak kebayang aja ada Setan yang culun tapi rada narsis gitu. Pas bagian Nurd tertangkap polisi, itu lucu sekaliii…

First chapters of this book explained some not-so-easy concepts, seperti teori Big Bang, worm hole, dan hal-hal semacam itu. Tapi penjelasannya santai gitu, jadi malah asyik-asyik aja dibacanya.
Bagian waktu para entitas neraka bermunculan, somehow jadi semacam komedi. Seriusan, beberapa entitas Neraka itu terkesan konyol dan menggelikan. Masa ada yang mabuk dan malah jadi saling terharu gitu? *ngakak*.

Karena semenjak awal ada kesan science-fiction dalam novel ini, endingnya pun berasa sedikit scientific. And of course, there’s a sequel =). Karena seperti kata si tokoh jahat utama: “Ini belum berakhir”

4 out of 5. Lucu, menghibur, cocok untuk bacaan ringan di akhir pekan.
(less)

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Jan 17, 2012 Hollowspine rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this book in one go, devouring it like a demon his first digestive biscuit. A hellishly fun romp, with wonderful characters and amusing situations and a wonderfully put together plot involving growing up, realizing potential and, of course, thwarting the Devil.

Connolly, it seems, is a very gifted writer. Every word is well considered and every sentence is both beautiful and purposeful, creating a very fulfilling story, which satisfies every reading need, it entertained me, enlightened me,...more

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

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

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 03, 2011 Jonathan rated it 3 of 5 stars

John Connolly won me over with his tale of "The Book of Lost Things." He transported me into the world designed by Lewis Carroll and L. Frank Baum and populated it with wonders and horrors fit for Neil Gaiman and Carlos Ruis Zafon.
This book is good but not as good as that one. Perhaps, that is unfair to say. The reason being--this book is definitely made for children as its audience. "The Book of Lost Things" had a darkness and danger to it. Something which I think helped it move easily from yo...more

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Aug 20, 2011 Dawn Vanniman rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've never read anything by John Connolly, so I am quite pleased to have started with THE GATES. I was quite amused by the covers - this one says "The Gates of Hell are about to open, nind the gap", my copy says "The Gates of Hell are about to open, want a peek?" Both are funny!

The writing is clever, humorous and darkly funny. The tone is sarcastic and mocking, which I find very desirable in a smart, funny book. It definitely reminded me of Neil Gaimon's GOOD OMENS. If you liked that, give this...more I've never read anything by John Connolly, so I am quite pleased to have started with THE GATES. I was quite amused by the covers - this one says "The Gates of Hell are about to open, nind the gap", my copy says "The Gates of Hell are about to open, want a peek?" Both are funny!

The writing is clever, humorous and darkly funny. The tone is sarcastic and mocking, which I find very desirable in a smart, funny book. It definitely reminded me of Neil Gaimon's GOOD OMENS. If you liked that, give this one a try! There are footnotes in most of the chapters, but instead of being annoying, I began looking forward to them. Here's my favorite:

26. Actually, teleportation is not nearly as far-fetched as you might think. Scientists at the Joint Quantum Institute in Maryland recently managed to teleport the quantum identity of one atom to another a few feet away. However, teleportation of humans is a long way off, as the experiment only works once in every one hundred million attempts. Therefore the chances of you being teleported and arriving as interesting goo at the other end, if you arrive at all, are very high indeed. You don't want to be the subject of the following conversation: "Is he there yet?" "Well, bits of him are..."

So, anyhow, young Samuel Johnson and his faithful daschund, Boswell se his neighbors crack open the Gates of Hell three days before Halloween. See, Samuel was trying to get a jump on all the best candies by trick or treating early. Unfortunately, no one believes him about the Gates of Hell. He does end up finding some unexpected help from a minor demon named Nurd: The Scourge of Five Dieties and a scientist who works on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Who knew that the LHC could be partially responsible for opening the Gates of Hell?

The demons seem to expect humans will be pretty easy to conquer and are surprised when they put up a fight...or ignore them altogether. Of course, arriving on Halloween probably didn't help.

I giggled most of the way through this book and look forward to reading more by Mr. Connolly.(less)

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Aug 02, 2011 JChipol rated it 3 of 5 stars

Set in present-day rural England, this novel is about a young bespectacled Samuel Johnson and his faithful dachshund, Boswell who accidentally discover that their next door neighbours have opened the gates to hell.
Looking in through a basement window, Samuel sees two local married couples, the Renfield’s and the Abernathy’s, dressed in long black cloaks, and with a pentagram drawn on the floor. Due to their boredom Mrs Abernathy and her husband and neighbours play at devil worship. Things work b...more Set in present-day rural England, this novel is about a young bespectacled Samuel Johnson and his faithful dachshund, Boswell who accidentally discover that their next door neighbours have opened the gates to hell.
Looking in through a basement window, Samuel sees two local married couples, the Renfield’s and the Abernathy’s, dressed in long black cloaks, and with a pentagram drawn on the floor. Due to their boredom Mrs Abernathy and her husband and neighbours play at devil worship. Things work better than they expected, because an actual gate to Hell is opened. All four are taken over by demons from Hell.
But...what can a little boy and his dog do about the crack in the gates of hell, especially when grown-ups won’t believe a word?
The main thing to remember about this book is that it is a children’s book and reading it with this in mind helps to enjoy the book in the right frame of mind. As an adult I would give this 3 stars as it was quite diverting and reminded me of my childhood reading the Terry Pratchett series, however, I can imagine that if this was given to me as a child I would have given it a higher score.
The premise of the book is nothing especially new, but John Connolly has drawn a story with good characters, slapstick humour, and partnered them with particle physics, funny footnotes and droll asides. The old-fashioned story-telling in "The Gates" will appeal to adults looking for a book to read aloud to kids. And for those who fear schools don't teach enough science these days, "The Gates" discourses in an accessible language subjects such as quantum mechanics, wormholes, black holes, dark matter, the big bang, the Higgs boson "god particle" and Switzerland's Large Hadron Collider.
This book was a quick read, and my first introduction to John Connelly. Reading various reviews of this books seems to show that if you’ve read “The Book of Lost Things” first, then you might not enjoy this book quite as much, however, as I hadn't read it, I really enjoyed this one and now feel I now feel that The Book of Lost Things will be on my list of things to read this summer.(less)

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Jun 18, 2011 Lisa Lute rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Terry Pratchett fans

The first book I read of John Connolly's was The Book of Lost Things. Adored it. Then I started on his Charlie Parker books. Within 3 weeks I had devoured all 9 of the series, so when I found this book on the clearance rack, I was overjoyed. Until I tried to read it. It took me four attempts to finish it. Was it that bad? Well, no . . . but it doesn't seem like a Connolly book to me. It's more of a Terry Pratchett novel actually. To be even more specific, it is in the exact same vein as the nove...more

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May 24, 2011 Nicola rated it 4 of 5 stars

Acquired: Received a review copy from Simon & Schuster Canada.

Reason for Reading: I've always wanted to read this author and this sounded like a fun book to start with.

This is Connolly's first children's/teen book. It can be gross (in a demon/monster sense) and the language is a high level, not written down to anyone so I personally would recommend the book to teens even though the main character is only 11-years old. This book is humour at tongue-in-cheek's finest. Connolly takes stabs and...more Acquired: Received a review copy from Simon & Schuster Canada.

Reason for Reading: I've always wanted to read this author and this sounded like a fun book to start with.

This is Connolly's first children's/teen book. It can be gross (in a demon/monster sense) and the language is a high level, not written down to anyone so I personally would recommend the book to teens even though the main character is only 11-years old. This book is humour at tongue-in-cheek's finest. Connolly takes stabs and jabs at all concerned and you need to be able to laugh at yourself and not take offense to appreciate this type of humour. Think Christopher Moore, but clean! without the profanity or sex. Seriously, the book is a riot.

The story involves Samuel Johnson who just happens to see his next door neighbour and some friends conduct a ritual in their basement which opens a portal to Hell and brings forth four of The Great Malevolence's top demons who take over the four unfortunate participants' bodies to prepare the way for his arrival to take over the world. What ensues is comic slapstick, witty repartee and just plain silliness, but it is full of demons, death and Hell, so not for the squeamish either.

I love Christopher Moore and got the CM vibe right away as I started to read so settled down for a comedic ride. If you are expecting thrills and chills this is not what you'll find here. The most endearing character is a down-on-his-luck demon named Nurd who has been shunned by the other demons and finds himself mysteriously zipping back and forth between our world and Hell. Once he is here to stay, we find out he is lovable in a stray mutt kind of way and he helps Sam who happens to be targeted for death by Ba'al, the GM's number one in command.

A fun book, which certainly made me smile, and giggle a few times. Not exactly laugh out loud funny, like Christopher Moore, but a good show nevertheless. The book ends obviously hinting at a sequel and a bit of searching shows me that a sequel has been released in the UK this month (May, 2011), Hell's Bells. I'll be keeping my eyes open for it's appearance this side of the ocean. (less)

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May 20, 2011 Jake Kerr rated it 4 of 5 stars

Good fun, if a little uneven. Connolly starts out with a cheeky and irreverent narrative that evokes both Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy in its snark and Stroud's Bartimaeous books in its use of footnotes. Connolly loses a little steam about halfway through--the footnotes inexplicably disappear, only to reappear near the end, and the tension of the plot overpowers quite a bit of the innocent poking fun in the early part of the book. We also see Samuel's dog's point-of-view at key moments, but...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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“I'm a ghost," said the small figure, then added, a little uncertainly, "Boo?” — 20 people liked it

“He had never really speculated about this before, since demons came in all shapes and sizes. Indeed, some of them came in more than one shape or size all by themselves, such as O'Dear, the Demon of People Who Look in Mirrors and Think They're Overweight, and his twin, O'Really, the Demon of People Who Look in Mirrors and Think They're Slim When They're Not.” — 19 people liked it

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The Gates (Samuel Johnson #1)

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