# The Gates

By John Connolly · The Samuel Johnson Series, book 1

Profile: https://hahafiction.com/books/the-gates-1045faf5/

Samuel Johnson and his dachshund find that the neighbors have opened a route for demons to invade Earth. Their small English town becomes the place where an enormous supernatural disaster needs to be stopped.

## What makes it funny?

Before the invasion gets going, the narrator detours through the creation of the universe, taking in snacks and the famous people who may once have contained your atoms. The grand explanation keeps running into ordinary human concerns.

### The comedy at work

Explanatory footnotes and conversational asides interrupt cosmic danger with homely comparisons. The demons also have trouble maintaining their dignity: Nurd's physical mishaps provide another source of jokes alongside the narrator's digressions.

### Try this if…

Spooky stakes and a chatty narrator share the page. Whimsical fantasy readers who enjoy comic demons and interruptions to the action have plenty to follow here.

### Good to know

Published in editions for adults and younger readers, with the latter aimed at ages 10–14. The demon invasion gives the jokes a frightening backdrop; Publishers Weekly also notes the book's appeal to adults who enjoy whimsy.

## What to expect

- Genre: Fantasy
- On the shelf: Urban fantasy
- Kind of humor: Dark comedy · Dry wit
- The atmosphere: Whimsical
- Audience: Middle grade
- Format: Novel
- Length: 304 pages
- Audiobook: Available

## A few distinguishing details

- Cosmology explained through everyday jokes
- A boy and his dachshund facing a demon invasion

## Sources & further reading

- Publisher: [The Gates | Book by John Connolly | Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster](https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Gates/John-Connolly/The-Samuel-Johnson-Series/9781439175408)
- Review: [Publishers Weekly review](https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781439172636)
- Reading sample: [Author opening chapter](https://www.johnconnollybooks.com/other-books/the-gates-----------------------)
- Publisher: [Simon & Schuster younger-reader edition](https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Gates/John-Connolly/The-Samuel-Johnson-Series/9781442429338)
- Publisher: [Simon & Schuster publisher page](https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Gates/John-Connolly/The-Samuel-Johnson-Series/9781439175408)