The Gates Of Doom

by Rafael Sabatini

‘Depend above all on Pauncefort’, announced King James, ‘his loyalty is dependable as steel. He is with us body and soul and to the last penny of his fortune.’ So when Pauncefort does indeed face bankruptcy after the collapse of the South Sea Company, the king’s supreme confidence now seems rather foolish. And as Pauncefort’s thoughts turn to gambling, moneylenders and even marriage to recover his debts, will he be able to remain true to the end? And what part will his friend and confidante, Captain Gaynor, play in his destiny?

Genres: Fiction

268 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1914

About the author

Rafael Sabatini (1875 - 1950) was an Italian/British writer of novels of romance and adventure. At a young age, Rafael was exposed to many languages. By the time he was seventeen, he was the master of five languages. He quickly added a sixth language - English - to his linguistic collection. After a brief stint in the business world, Sabatini went to work as a writer. He wrote short stories in the 1890s, and his first novel came out in 1902. Sabatini was a prolific writer; he produced a new book approximately every year. He consciously chose to write in his adopted language, because, he said, "all the best stories are written in English. " In all, he produced thirty one novels, eight short story collections, six nonfiction books, numerous uncollected short stories, and a play. He is best known for his world-wide bestsellers: The Sea Hawk (1915), Scaramouche (1921), Captain Blood (1922) and Bellarion the Fortunate (1926). Other famous works by Sabatini are The Lion's Skin (1911), The Strolling Saint (1913) and The Snare (1917).

Reviews

[Redsteve · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Gates of Doom is set in early 18th Century London (based on the historical events mentioned, I'm guessing 1722
). It is a classic (if lesser known) Sabatini novel, featuring athe often misunderstood hero (in this case a Jacobite agent) who acts cynical yet has a heart of gold, witty banter, romance, intrigue, mistaken identity, and the occasional improbable coincidence. All of these are characteristic of most of Sabatini's fiction works, and quality-wise, I'd put this one in the middle - it's no Scaramouche or Captain Blood, but it's still an entertaining story with hairsbreadth escapes and a satisfying ending. Solid 3 stars.

[April Sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent.

[Pushpa Rao · Rating 4 out of 5]

Captain Harry Gaynor, a Jacobite during the time of Queen Ann, may well be the only (so far in my experience) Sabatini hero, fully armed with soldier creds but deprived even one engagement with the story’s antagonist. The lone minor skirmish is cut short by Pauncefort’s hysterical cowardice. Still the story satisfies with miraculous escapes and turn of the tables in the best Sabatini style. Damaris is a worthy Sabatini heroine. Enjoyable and quick read.