The Gates by John Connolly

4.5 stars -- I really liked it!

Another book that my husband grabbed for me, The Gates wasn't a book I was attracted to. Neither its cover nor its back-ad really captured my attention. But from the first page I read, I couldn't get enough of this novel.

John Connolly's writing reminds me of Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but it's not really at all the same. There are footnotes all over the place that really enhance the story, and I love humorous footnotes!

The Gates is a humorous and satirical telling of the story of Samuel Johnson, an 11-year-old boy, who oversees his neighbors opening (very briefly) the gates of Hell (thanks to the Hadron Collider) and then becoming possessed by demons. Knowing he must stop his neighbors, but unable to find anyone that believes him, Samuel is on his own (except for his faithful dachshund, Boswell) for the majority of the story.

The demon Ba'al, however, the main character of our evil cast, saw Samuel and knows that Samuel could really get in the way of his master's plan to take over the world.

Thus ensues a very humorous and completely inept attempt on the demons' part to a.) kill Samuel, and b.) take over the world.

The writing in this book is very clever, and the plot is very well told. In between play-on-word names (O'Dear is the name of the demon that makes thin people see a fat person when they look in the mirror), there is quite a bit of technical science explanation, but even the technical explanations are told in a light-hearted and understandable way.

Overall, this book was a delight to read, and it made me literally laugh out loud in some parts. I really enjoyed it, and if you enjoy funnier sci-fi/fantasy stories, this one might tickle your funny bone as well.