The Gates

With nothing on the package cover to indicate otherwise, Connolly fans might expect a gritty horror thriller; what they'll find instead is a comic yarn about a British boy, Samuel Johnson, and his dog, Boswell, who are attempting to stop the opening of the gates of hell. The footnote-laden opening unfolds in a jaunty, conversational style reminiscent of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy , only not as amusing. Once the footnotes fade, the plot grows more compelling, allowing Jonathan Cake to show off his vocal versatility by portraying dotty scientists, snarling denizens of the dark domain, an undead and unpleasant bishop, a surprisingly likable subdemon named Nurd, and the dark lord himself, herein called the Great Malevolence. The author includes numerous satiric swipes at science, religion, British lifestyle, and horror fiction. But much of the material is arch and condescending, and the reading is tediously tongue-in-cheek. An Atria hardcover (Reviews, Aug. 31). (Sept.)