kecresser's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
adampppp's review
1.0
I found The Gates a disappointment after Connolly's impressive mastery of fantasy in The Book of Lost Things. It simply does not compare.
mindlessly_reading's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
4.0
What a funny, quick read. I’ve never chuckled or laughed so much while reading a novel. I enjoyed the elements of bringing fact and real life events into this story. Samuel and Boswell are quite the unlikely heroes of such a story. Being 11 is a lot harder than we would like to admit. I chose this purely because of the dachshund on the cover. I am a huge fan of weenie dogs. I’m so glad I picked this up from the library. We’re always told to never judge a book by its cover but in this case, I’m glad I did. God forbid if such an experiment led to demons entering our world and attempted world domination, we have a kid like Samuel and his best bud, Boswell, helping save the world.
aristeegan's review
3.0
I enjoyed story and the dry humor that accompanied it. The characters were well-developed and diverse. The only thing that keeps me from giving this book another star is that I feel, perhaps, it is better suited to younger readers/teens. But, if you are looking for an easy, enjoyable and humorous read, this is a great choice!
beardedbarista's review against another edition
4.0
For a YA book this was pretty fun and super easy to read. This was my wine bars book club book as a change up from our typical very serious readings. I felt like I was reading a Neil Gaiman book. I am sure Connolly hears this all the time but it's very similar. In fact they should write something together! I would definitely read that. I wish my daughter was a bit older she will love this in a few years time. I am glad I have a copy to give her and by then I will hopefully read the sequels to it.
fancylibrarian's review
5.0
It’s usually hard for me to get into fantasy novels, but I enjoy John Connelly’s style of writing so much that I really enjoyed this story. So funny and whimsical and he writes the characters so well, you even feel sympathy for a demon! Also, the audiobook version narrated by Jonathan Cake was excellent I recommend it if you can get it (currently on Hoopla)
scarecrow2013's review against another edition
4.0
I've been looking at this book the past few times I've been to the library. I'm glad I finally decided to read it. It's full of humor, science, demons, and magic. It made me laugh, and just I was overall happy to have given this book a read.
Samuel has witnessed something in his neighbors basement. Somthing disturbing. Demons are planning to open the gates of Hell and let the great evil into our world conquer and take over. What's a kid to do? None of the adults believe him, and demons are threatening his life! He's going to save the world, of course. With help.
My favorite character is definitely Nurd and just how he changes through the book. Everyone learns about themselves and that children aren't just telling things to get attention. They can be telling the truth sometimes. You just need to listen.
Samuel has witnessed something in his neighbors basement. Somthing disturbing. Demons are planning to open the gates of Hell and let the great evil into our world conquer and take over. What's a kid to do? None of the adults believe him, and demons are threatening his life! He's going to save the world, of course. With help.
My favorite character is definitely Nurd and just how he changes through the book. Everyone learns about themselves and that children aren't just telling things to get attention. They can be telling the truth sometimes. You just need to listen.
beakarnstein's review against another edition
5.0
Este libro se ha convertido en uno de mis favoritos, aunque al principio no podía creerlo: cómo un libro fuera tan, pero tan, bueno y que no le encontrara un defecto o aspecto a perfeccionar. Al principio pensé que mi juicio crítico estaba siendo afectado por no haber tenido demasiadas expectativas sobre él al principio, pero luego me puse en un lugar más objetivo y realmente decidí que este libro se merecía las 5 estrellas por mérito propio, y no por subjetividad de la crítica.
Pero vayamos por partes. Desde el primer momento, la sinopsis me atrapó e incitó a comprarlo, pues en ella se deja entrever la caótico y a la vez cómico de la historia. «Un niño, un perro como compañero de éste, problemas cotidianos mezclados con sobrenaturales y un demonio desafortunado. Tengo que leerlo!» fue lo que pensé.
Y desde que empecé con él no pude soltarlo: la narración, la trama, los maravillosos y fácilmente queribles personajes (hasta los villanos!), todo fue tan perfecto en este libro que si me preguntaran por algún defecto no podría encontrar ninguno. Tuvo todos los detalles necesarios muy bien pensados y me agradaron enormemente las acotaciones filosóficas e inspiradoras del narrador.
Ahora hablemos un poco de los personajes: el pequeño Samuel Johnson encabeza ahora mi lista de...
Lee la reseña completa AQUÍ
Pero vayamos por partes. Desde el primer momento, la sinopsis me atrapó e incitó a comprarlo, pues en ella se deja entrever la caótico y a la vez cómico de la historia. «Un niño, un perro como compañero de éste, problemas cotidianos mezclados con sobrenaturales y un demonio desafortunado. Tengo que leerlo!» fue lo que pensé.
Y desde que empecé con él no pude soltarlo: la narración, la trama, los maravillosos y fácilmente queribles personajes (hasta los villanos!), todo fue tan perfecto en este libro que si me preguntaran por algún defecto no podría encontrar ninguno. Tuvo todos los detalles necesarios muy bien pensados y me agradaron enormemente las acotaciones filosóficas e inspiradoras del narrador.
Ahora hablemos un poco de los personajes: el pequeño Samuel Johnson encabeza ahora mi lista de...
Lee la reseña completa AQUÍ
elle4352's review
DNF'd at 143.
The Gates is a sci fi/fantasy novel that seeks to combine ideas of science and faith to open a portal to hell.
Things you'll find:
*Possessed Middle Aged Couples*
*A boy and his dog*
*Exposition....LOTS of exposition*
The concept for this book sounds like a lot of fun, however there's a lot of exposition that doesn't seem to lead up to anything of any substance.
I really enjoyed "The Book of Lost Things" by this same author, but I'd definitely advise all fans of that novel that this novel neither reads nor feels similar.
The Gates is a sci fi/fantasy novel that seeks to combine ideas of science and faith to open a portal to hell.
Things you'll find:
*Possessed Middle Aged Couples*
*A boy and his dog*
*Exposition....LOTS of exposition*
The concept for this book sounds like a lot of fun, however there's a lot of exposition that doesn't seem to lead up to anything of any substance.
I really enjoyed "The Book of Lost Things" by this same author, but I'd definitely advise all fans of that novel that this novel neither reads nor feels similar.