The Gates

Brief Description: 11-year-old Samuel Johnson witnesses an inadvertent intersection of science and the supernatural while trick-or-treating at the Abernathy household in Biddlecombe, England. Something nasty reaches through an atomically engineered portal to Hades and possesses four suburban sorcerers. From that point on, Samuel finds himself battling hordes of invading demons and desperately trying to convince disbelieving adults that the impending end of the world is not a fancy of his overactive imagination. Marc Notes: When Samuel Johnson and his dachshund Boswell go trick-or-treating early, they unwittingly unlock a gap in the universe that opens the gates of Hell, and Samuel must now fight to reseal it. Publisher Marketing: 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 through 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 and impossible to put down, The Gates is about the pull between good and evil, physics and fantasy and the courage of a boy who is barely old enough to trick or treat on his own. This novel makes anything seem possible. Review Citations:

Publishers Weekly 11/30/2009 pg. 42 (EAN 9781442300606, Compact Disc)

Audio File 03/01/2010 pg. 42 (EAN 9781442300606, Compact Disc) - *Starred Review

Publishers Weekly 08/31/2009 pg. 32 (EAN 9781439172636, Hardcover)

Kirkus Reviews 10/01/2009 (EAN 9781439172636, Hardcover)

Booklist 10/15/2009 pg. 27 (EAN 9781439172636, Hardcover)

People Weekly 10/26/2009 pg. 51 (EAN 9781439172636, Hardcover)

Contributor Bio:  Connolly, John John Connolly is the author of the Charlie Parker series of mystery novels, the supernatural collection Nocturnes, and the Samuel Johnson and Conquest of the Invaders series for younger readers. He lives in Dublin, Ireland. For more information, see his website at JohnConnollyBooks.com, or follow him on Twitter @JConnollyBooks.