Halloween Jack and the Devil's Gate

Halloween Jack #1

by M. Todd Gallowglas

"Halloween Jack is a perfect blend of Harry Potter and Harry Dresdon, only with no magic and just the right dash of attitude." Damon Stone - Fantasy Flight Games. "Halloween Jack and the Devil's Gate was an amazing read. The first time. And the second time... And for many more to come. Once the book sucked me in, it wouldn't let me go." Merelan Jones - Renaissance Productions When the Devil's Gate comes down, releasing all the hordes and legions of the darkest realm to roam the earth any night they wish, and jack o lanterns no longer keep the dark creatures at bay, only the last three descendants of the mythical Jack of the Lantern can save the world from the Devil and all his kin. "The journey the cousins’ travel, the wisdom about the nature of good and evil undergirding their actions, and the delightful imagination of the author, make Halloween Jack and the Devil’s Gate a story not to be missed." - Taylor Lee - Author of the Grandmaster's Legacy Based on one of the oldest Irish legends of Halloween, HALLOWEEN JACK AND THE DEVIL'S GATE is a Steampunk adventure story for all ages that will carry you to the heart of how we protect ourselves on the darkest night of the year. Be sure to look for "The Dragonbone Flute," also by M. Todd Gallowglas

Genres: Fantasy, Halloween, Steampunk, Horror, Fiction, Mythology, Urban Fantasy

126 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 19, 2011

About the author

M Todd Gallowglas has been a professional storyteller at Renaissance Faires and Medieval Festivals for over twenty years. After receiving his Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University in 2009, he used his storytelling show as a platform to launch his fiction career. He is the author of the Tears of Rage and Halloween Jack series, which have spent time on various bestseller lists. He was a fiction contributor for Fantasy Flight Games and developed creative content for the reboot of the children's classic Reading Rainbow. Now he spends most of his time trying to find the perfect balance between family, writing, airsoft (because it's not as messy as paintball), and gaming while he's not off somewhere telling stories.

M Todd Gallowglas is a proud member of the Genre Underground.

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

John O'Brien has heard all the legends of how Jack of the Lantern was supposed to have protected humanity from demons on All Hallow's Eve for centuries. The demons and creatures were supposed to have feared him too much to approach any jack o' lantern. One Halloween night with the help of steam soldiers, The Devil finally got the better of Jack of the Lantern and broke through the Devil's Gate.

Now with the help of his cousins, Moira O'Neil and Daniel McRory, John takes over for Jack of the Lantern to help save the world from the demons. John now becomes Halloween Jack and with Moira's knowledge of closing the gate and Daniel and his inventions the trio take on the Devil and the task of closing the gate.

Well Halloween Jack and the Devil's Gate was certainly an interesting little read for this time of year. A mix of horror and fantasy with a bit of steampunk thrown in for good measure this one was a nice little fast paced Halloween read. Nothing like a group of heroes taking on the devil and his army of demons along with a steam powered army to save the world from their evil.

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[Wol · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a neat little surprise this novella turned out to be – a whimsical YA steampunk tale that draws from Irish folklore, set mostly in late 1800s Boston.

Once a year on Halloween, the Devil’s Gate is opened and all the demons in Hell pour out to create their mischief. The O’Neil family line are the guardians of the gate – they supervise the demons and serve them drinks in their Tavern. Come midnight they shoo the demons back through the gate, when it will close again until next Halloween. Jack of the Lantern is a mystical figure with the magic and strength to keep the demons cowed and obedient.

This year, however, something goes wrong. Jack of the Lantern is captured, and the Devil and all of the demons of Hell run amok instead of returning to their own dimension.

What follows is a fast paced adventure with a clever protagonist and a darkly comic tone. There’s a robot army, magical artifacts, a deal with the devil, a morally ambiguous Ogre named Mickey, and a tightly plotted narrative with some nice twists. It’s an imaginative romp in which the main character must best the Devil largely by thinking on his feet, and it’s great fun. The prose is straightforward and the story is dark without becoming grim, making it a great book to read with children. There’s certainly enough excitement to keep them interested. Some of the details I found especially enjoyable – I grew up in Britain in the 80s, and I remember having a turnip as a Jack O’Lantern myself. 😉

I’ll absolutely be picking up the sequel for this one.

With all that said, however, it’s not without a couple of issues. There are a smattering of typos, and a couple of occasions where a word is misused (“penultimate” was a glaring one – it doesn’t mean what the author thinks it means). This is occasionally an issue with self-published novels and it’s especially unfortunate here because it marred a story that was otherwise pretty great. Personally I found it enjoyable enough to forgive these problems, but YMMV.

[Ashe Armstrong · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very fun read. Fun characters, fun story, fun ogre. The power of myth and lore can, as Jack shows, carry some weight. Could use an editing touch up, but it wasn't enough to diminish my enjoyment. Indie authors take a lot on their shoulders so it makes a lot of things even more forgivable. Especially if you enjoyed the work. If you like clever heroes and steampunk, give it a read.

[Todd Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book for free from Amazon over the weekend. I was surfing /r/fantasy on reddit and the author mentioned that it was free for a few days. I figured I'd pick it up and give it a try.

Before I get into the review though...
I was wondering is this is a novella or novelette? What is the breaking point between the various definitions. When does a short story become a novelette, and that into a novella, and eventually a full novel? I have no idea, and its not really pertinent to the review anyway.

So this is a fun little story about how a bunch of descendants (from Jack of the Lantern) trick the devil into only coming out on Halloween. They all have some really weak magic, but use it creatively.

one thing that bothered me a little while reading was how beaten demons seemed to return to London overnight/instantaneously without any travel time. I think the whole story was supposed to take place over a single year, but it felt more like ~5 years or more.

This was a fun story that was pretty timely to read due to the season we are in. It kinda felt like the literary equivalent of watching a silly made for tv/disney holiday movie. Its not a really great story, nor told all that well, but I still had fun anyway.

[Katharina Gerlach · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've had this on my eBook reader for quite a while and always meant to read it. It was a pleasant surprise. The book was one of the fastest paced I've read in a while with many interesting twists and turns.

I liked Jacks female cousin best, but Jack was an interesting character too. Normally, I despise it when characters in a novel don't tell the others their intentions or plans but here, it made sense.

Very enjoyable read for everyone who's got a heart for Halloween. I wouldn't give it to young children though because there's some violence (although not graphic).

[Jeffery Moulton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm really torn on the review for this book. In fact, I finished it a couple of weeks ago and have been coming up with excuses to not post a review because I wasn't sure what to say. Here are some of the problems:

The story is very fun. I loved the mythology angle and the steampunk aspect. The variety of demons was also well done and interesting, and I got a kick out of reading a tale about out-smarting the devil, which you just don't get very often anymore.

In general, the story was also well-told with some fun action sequences and the afore-mentioned out-smarting the devil, which was just great.

There were also some really great lines in it. I loved that little boys were a bit more tart because of all the puppy dog tails while girls were too sweet because of the sugar and spice. Great imagery and great use of a phrase we all know. I laughed out loud and even posted that part on Twitter.

So why the three stars?

Well, first of all, the book needs serious revision. There are typos and problems throughout. I'm not talking about grammar faux pas or sentence structure, I'm talking about straight up typos and word misuse. For example, in one place, the author used the word "concur" instead of "conquer" and so on. I can forgive a few typos here and there, but in this case it was over the top. One appeared on practically every page. For the most part, you can figure out what was intended, but more than once they impede understanding. I didn't feel like I could give the book full marks with that hanging over it.

The second problem was the main characters. The opening sequence (which I really enjoyed), started with a particular character, Moira. I thought she was a great character. She revealed a little depth, a lot of spunk, and had a great attitude. I also love the name Moira, so that was a big plus At the end of the first chapter, it seemed to set her up for a quest.

And then it skipped forward a couple of years and switched to an entirely different character. Ok, I thought, we'll get back to her in a bit. But we never did. In fact, she turned out to be relatively minor after that. You didn't really learn more about her and the payoff wasn't there. It was a bit frustrating because I thought she was one of the strongest characters in the book.

The main character, Halloween Jack, was ok. But there was a problem with him—he was extremely one-dimensional. Pretty much what you saw was what you got. That isn't always a major problem in straight-up action stories like this, but here it really didn't work. Jack is supposed to be extremely clever and secretive and trapped in a life he didn't want and so on. And he just never came across that way. He accepted everything very quickly, came up with a plan on the spot, and rarely made a mistake or regretted his decision. He just wasn't deep enough for me. I kept wanting the book to get back to Moira.

The finally issue is that I wanted to know more. I especially wanted more information about Jack-of-the-Lantern and his legend. You got hints of it but not enough to form a full picture. Steam soldiers are nice, but I really wanted some great mythology thrown in and the book left me wanting.

I think that is a great way to describe this book: it left me wanting. I wanted more from the characters and more from the mythology.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the book. 3 stars means "I liked it," so please take it that way. I'm also more than ready to read more from Gallowglas (I've already downloaded another of his books). The idea behind the story was excellent, some of the dialogue was really well done, and there were moments in the story that were absolutely magical. I just wanted a bit more.

And, again, it really needs some editing.

[Christopher Kellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Halloween Jack and the Devil’s Gate is, at its heart, a folk tale. It stirs up feelings of stories featuring other characters named Jack – like Jack & The Beanstalk, for example. This is a story of whimsy and hearkens back to an age of storytelling when history was a murky blur and legends ruled and had power.

In fact, the power of myth, story and legend is one of the central themes in HJ&tDG. The mythical figure Jack o’ the Lantern (who keeps the demons away from Earth, chasing them back into Hell after they are allowed to come out on Halloween) loses his power, and it’s up to his distant descendants to do something about it.

The characters are larger-than-life, as they are in any good folk tale. This tale of the triumph of human ingenuity over adversity is a rollicking good read from beginning to end. John and Moira are heroes you can really root for, and the supporting cast (including my favorite side character, the ogre named Mickey) lends great color to the story.

The story has a steampunk-esque feel to it – the Devil’s minions use something called Steam Soldiers as part of their world-conquering army, which seem to be Victorian-esque robots, though they are never described in great detail. There is a gas-lantern feeling about the whole story, which covers locations such as Boston, rural Ireland, London and even ranges all the way out to Texas. A folk tale with globe-trotting heroes is exactly what this story sets out to be, and it accomplishes that task with panache and daring.

I do have to deduct minor points for a few technical issues – namely, editing ones. More than once, there is a homonym confusion. The most prevalent one is “heals” to refer to the back of one’s feet – the correct word is, of course, “heels”. There was one other homonym confusion I noticed which I do not now remember.

On the more technical side, I only encountered one actual typo, and for a ~40,000 word work, that’s excellent.

One of the joys of indie publishing is that all of these things could easily be fixed with a quick edit and re-upload to the sites, and nothing is committed to a massive print run where these minor mistakes would be set upon parchment in indelible ink.

Thanks once again to Mr. Gallowglas for a great story; I am eagerly awaiting the next installment in his Tears of Rage series!

[Mandy Walkden-Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this one. A bit more serious than I was expecting at times, but there are plenty of humorous moments.
A wonderfully diverse group of characters tread the stage for this adventure as they battle to return the recalcitrant escapees from hell to their warm and toasty abode. Demon outsmarting always makes for a good read and this was no exception.
Halloween Jack is a particularly sneaky, and brave young man and young Moira is someone even demons need to think twice about before battling. This duo together with Micky, the ogre, make an unusual but awesome team.
The assorted steampunk oddities existent in this strange world add yet another layer to its depth.
Definitely a story and characters worth following.
Highly recommended.

[Ren Bedasbad · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story of a family taking on demons and the devil. It's a fun story. Even though it is based around battling demons, it is very lighthearted and comedic. The characters and storyline is great. Overall it is a very enjoyable read. There is a clear resolution to the story at the end, but also teases about the next book too. I wish there was more character development. It centers on Halloween Jack, and I feel like I don't know or care about the other two. The dialogue is also not written that well.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun read from beginning to end. It's a nice mix of folklore and steampunk. It has something for everyone: fantasy, sci-fi, adventure, scary monsters and did I mention steampunk? Halloween Jack should be read alongside The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. I recommend this book to everyone who loves Halloween folklore.

[Sgt Roman Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

AWESOME, CAN'T WAIT TO READ THIS. MY FAVORITE HOLIDAY IS HALLOWEEN. I HEARD THIS WAS A GOOD READ. 5 STARS NOW TILL I READ IT. THANKS M. TODD

[Seonaidh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of fun, A sort of mashup of Irish and American folklore with a dash of steampunk.

A light read for younger readers of all ages :)

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

very quick read. Clever story, could have used a little more substance.

[Pop Bop · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Very Good Jack Story

Jack of the Lantern is one of my favorite characters from modern legend, and it's always fun when he makes an appearance in a tale. Doomed to wander on the plane between Heaven and Hell, he often shows up as a bemused observer when devilish things are happening at a cross roads, and is always available to frustrate and annoy Satan. This book is a complete Jack adventure, and both he and the tale are presented well.

The setup is that the Gate to Hell opens once a year on Halloween, with Jack tasked to make sure all of the denizens of Hell return through the Gate when their day on Earth ends. Jack is trapped by Satan's minions, the Gate remains open, and a new Jack, (from the original Jack's bloodline), has to be called into service. This book follows the recruitment of the new Jack and his devious and clever plan to best the Devil and close the Gate.

The tale moves quickly, aided by an engaging new Jack and a fine collection of sidekicks. There are funny and sweet scenes, as well as suspense and thrills. The dialogue is often sharp and witty, and Jack is especially clever and a master at deception. This Jack is a much better person than the traditional Jack, (who was a bad enough person to be denied entry to Heaven), and less dark and melancholy, but that's fine for this lighthearted tale about outsmarting Satan. There are a number of set scenes, (I'm thinking about the opening chapter at the Gate to Hell, or the scene in which St. Peter tries to explain to Jack who he is), that are especially appealing, but the whole book has a ramshackle charm.

The book has a steampunk element, but that's incidental and not at all a central part of the plot or the action. If your main interest is steampunk, this might not suit. On the other hand, if you like tales about courageous scamps who outwit the Devil, or if you like buddy comedies with interesting plots, or if you like a bit of Irish blarney, or if you just like snappy dialogue and some action, this is a nice find.

(Please note that I found this book while browsing Amazon Kindle freebies. I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

[Kimberly Reed Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun read. The characters were a blast. And the plot takes a lot of twists and turns.

[Scott Marlowe · Rating 1 out of 5]

Meh. DNF. The writing is not that good and the characters are uninteresting.

[Robyn McIntyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a romp of a story.

Based on Irish folklore, Halloween Jack and the Devil's Gate starts out on a darkly magical note with the Devil's minions taking over the gatehouse where demons gather on their way back to Hell. This Halloween night, the only night in which demons are free to walk the earth, will be the last one where Jack o' the Lantern holds power. At least, if the Devil has his way. And to make sure, he orders every one of Jack's line to be killed.

Caught up in this maelstrom is John O'Neill, soon to take on the persona of Halloween Jack. With his magical coat, stick, and lantern, he and his only surviving relatives and allies must find a way to return Satan and his demons to Hell and keep them there. It seems like an insurmountable problem, but Jack has a Plan.

The tone stays comically dark all through the novel and the action occurs at a furious pace. There's no time at all for resting and planning; each step of Jack's plan must be carried out forthwith, but nothing really goes right. Fortunately, Jack is nothing if not clever, and like the heroes of the tales at the heart of this one, he overcomes obstacle after obstacle, managing to convert an ogre to a friend and even get St. Peter to help out.

Naturally, as all heroes must, Jack will triumph. But at what cost? Only Jack knows, and he's keeping that a secret from the others. After all, without a secret or two, the adventure wouldn't be as much fun, would it?

[Vannessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun quick read, telling the story of how Jack of the Lantern was defeated by the Devil Lord on the Darkest night (Hallowe'en to you and me!) and because of this demons roamed the earth doing as they please with no one to stop them.

No-one that is until Hallowe'en Jack comes into being. Hallowe'en Jack is the grandson of Jack of the Lantern and with the aid of his two cousins, both of whom carry magical artefacts to help scare off the demons (they cannot be killed, but can be scared into going back to Hell), Father McDermot and Saint Peter, they all try to find a way to defeat the Devil Lord and get him to return to Hell along with all his demon followers! And I so want a pair of boots like Moira's!

The little twist at the end was good and totally unexpected. I thoroughly enjoyed this short story and look forward to reading more by this author. I just hope the little typos (you're instead of your quite often) can be sorted in his next book.

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella, inspired by stories of Stingy Jack or Jack of the Lantern, was a fun, light read.

In this version of the story, Jack not only tricked the Devil, but he and his descendants became keepers of the Devil's Gate. The story opens with the end of a Halloween night, when the forces of Hell are allowed to roam the earth, but instead of going back through the Gate they finally overcome Jack and stay on earth to wreak havoc.

It's up to the the final descendants of Jack's line to find a way to rescue their ancestor and drive the demons back through the Gate. The story of how they get there is interesting, exciting and amusing. I will definitely be looking into the other Halloween Jack stories.

(One repeated annoyance, and an examples of the pitfalls of self publishing, is Mr. Gallowglas' repeated misuse of the word "penultimate" as a synonym of "ultimate" rather than "next to last.")

[Christopher Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this one from the author himself while visiting a renaissance fair with my then two year old grandson (who by the way was on my nerves that day) Although I did enjoy the few moments that I had in talking with the author, I would have liked to have spent more.

The story got down behind some books on the shelf as was missed for some time. Finding it a few days ago, I decided to read the story that I had purchased for the first of my grand kids. Unfortunately...I don't think that (my now four year old) grandson has the attention span for the story yet, but it will be kept for a future when the lad might enjoy the writings of M. Todd Gallowglas like his granddad did.

Halloween Jack and the Devil's Gate would be a fun read for those maybe six and up? I know that I'm picking through the catalog for a longer story from Gallowglas.

[Lisa Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read a lot of steampunk, but I was surprised by how much I liked this book. It's a mixture of old-fashioned Irish folk legends, the traditions of fun and light-hearted besting-the-devil stories, some magic, bargaining with St. Peter, a genius who tinkers with inventions no one else can understand, and a Victorian setting.

It was fun, kept me thinking, made me re-read it to see what clues I had missed along the way, and the characters were really sympathetic and entertaining. It made me think that if these stories were told at the local bar, the whole place would be laughing.

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like many other reviewers, I must agree that this story would be much more enjoyable and easier to read after a bit more proof-reading.

That said, I did very much enjoy the story in itself. I will likely add this to my annual Halloween reading list.

[Valruspines · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fast paced, even a bit rushed at a times. But a very fine reading. The characters could be a little deeper but the story is like a presentation to longer and better stories. I'm going to follow Jack and his latern for sure. And Mickey, I'm sure wanna follow Mickey!

[Mia R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story! I haven't had this much fun with a folklore tale since deLint. I can't wait for the next one!

[Deanna Goodson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute folk tale. Some editing mistakes reduce overall quality of the story.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of a folk tale legend sort of thing. Fun little read of Good vs Evil. Nice story line that reminded me of a Fairy Tale. Not a scary Halloween horror at all. I liked this one.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This an excellent read. It delves into the true meaning of Halloween --- guarding against evil spirits and demons. Halloween Jack is cuning, daring, and devious. My kind of character!

[Misty Mirko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very addictive

Great story, nice writing style and super hard to put down. Looking forward to seeing if his other works are as well written. Great job!

[Morgan Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun little romp, putting a semi-updated (steampunk) take on old Irish mythology.