A Halloween adventure full of demons, humor and a very smart boy and his dog.
- Entertainment factor: ★★★★★
- Fun factor: ★★★★★
- Scare factor: ★★☆☆☆
- Originality factor: ★★★★★
- Adventure factor: ★★★★★
- Occult factor: ★★★★☆
The Gates is a very funny, witty story about a clever boy who takes it up against a horde of demons and tries to close the Gates of Hell with help from his dog and his friends, before it’s too late.
It consists of 264 pages.
More Halloween horror books? Check out this list.
Plot
Samuel Johnson is eleven years old and lives with his mother and dachshund Boswell in Biddlecombe. His father has left them and both he and his mother struggle with this change. Samuel is an unusual boy, very clever and rational and because of that he decides to go trick-or-treating with Boswell on October 28, to get a head start. But instead of collecting candy he discovers something horrifying. Through the basement window at 666 Crowley Avenue he sees his neighbors, the Abernathy’s and their friends the Renfields clad in dark robes, summoning a glowing portal. A portal to hell, to be precise.
As the four people are sucked into the portal, four demons come through and disguise themselves as these four unfortunate people. They are here to pave the way for the Great Malevolence to come through with his army of demons to bring about the end of the world.
At the same time in Switzerland at CERN, a small particle in the Large Hadron Collider breaks loose and a demon called Nurd is transported from his home the Wastelands to Biddlecombe.
Samuel wants to stop the Gates from opening but Mrs Abernathy wants to stop him. But Samuel is resourceful, smart and very brave and so is his dog and he gets help from his friends Tom and Maria. He finds out that some demons are very dangerous, some are just what they are, and some are rather friendly, like Nurd whom he befriends.
Together they have to come up with a plan to stop the Gates from fully opening on Halloween before it’s too late.
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Did you know I also make Art & Designs.
This design of a Skeleton wearing a Pumpkin costume is made with pen and alcohol markers. You can buy this design on a Unisex Baseball Shirt and other apparel and on other products in my shop at Redbubble.
Short Review
Samuel is a very smart and clever boy and so is this story. It’s full with witty humor and funny scenes. The characters are fleshed out and often used for comical effect, but still remain very human but in a very funny way. The demons are very fun and fantastical as well. Their appearances are imaginative but their actions are even more creative and not always what you would expect.
The story is very well-written, with witty, clever humor, dark humor and the footnotes which explain some philosophical, scientific or historical issues are also very smart and funny, but not untrue. The story mixes science with philosophy, religion and occultism and a lot of humor, and that results in an original story that oftentimes makes you laugh out loud.
Samuel is a very funny boy, although he doesn’t exactly mean to be funny, he always outsmarts the adults and is much too clever for them. But the adults are funny in their own way especially when the horde of demons comes through the Gate to cause some mayhem. How some people are dealing with that from being very ignorant, but you can’t blame them because it’s Halloween and they just think it’s a very realistic costume, to very ready to fight back with everything they have. Those who successfully fight off demons are getting detailed scenes which are very funny and eventful.
The story combines science, philosophy, and occultism, and witty humor and wonderful characters, both demonic and human. It’s also a heartwarming story about a brave boy who has come to terms with his father leaving them. It’s a theme that always lingers in the background which also gives some depth to Samuel’s character, so he doesn’t become a caricature. The story is so well-written that none of the characters become actual caricatures of themselves but do have a lot of humor and dark humor about them.
It’s a story written for young adults, especially those who like witty smart humor, but this story is also very entertaining for adults. It’s a fun and sometimes grisly adventure full of thrilling events and clever solutions to stop the Apocalypse.
And the best part is; this is just the beginning. There are more books of the wonderful fantastical adventures of Samuel Johnson. The Infernals (2011), The Creeps (2013) and The Monks of Appalling Dreadfulness (2020).
Did You Know I Also Make Art and Designs?
you can buy my designs on apparel or stationary, mugs and more. You can learn more about it on my art & design shop page or go directly to one of my shops.