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The Gatekeeper
THE GATEKEEPER by Derek Gunn (Author of the Vampire Apocalypse trilogy, The Estuary and Gemini.).
Four Talismans of Power: The Cup, the Spear, the Sword and the Stone. Throughout history they have been known by many names including the Grail, the Spear of Destiny, Excalibur and Tara. Their power is legendary and their individual appearance in this dimension has always heralded great change. Together they could bring about a time of peace and enlightenment or they could unleash Hell on Earth. They have not been brought together since the forging of the world - until now.
Investigating a series of murders linked to a druidic sect practising the dark arts, Inspector John Holmes is unwittingly led to play a pivotal role in a ritual from the ancient book ‘The Angelicus Infernal’, thought to have been written by Lucifer himself.
The ritual brings the four talismans of power together and opens a gateway to a nightmare world that unleashes armies of hellish creatures that spread throughout Europe leaving mayhem, death and destruction in their wake.
The only hope for humanity is thought to be contained in a secret chapter in The Book of Kells written by The Columban monks in 800AD. Holmes must locate it and decipher the code in a race against time to close the Gates of Hell.
Four Talismans of Power: The Cup, the Spear, the Sword and the Stone. Throughout history they have been known by many names including the Grail, the Spear of Destiny, Excalibur and Tara. Their power is legendary and their individual appearance in this dimension has always heralded great change. Together they could bring about a time of peace and enlightenment or they could unleash Hell on Earth. They have not been brought together since the forging of the world - until now.
Investigating a series of murders linked to a druidic sect practising the dark arts, Inspector John Holmes is unwittingly led to play a pivotal role in a ritual from the ancient book ‘The Angelicus Infernal’, thought to have been written by Lucifer himself.
The ritual brings the four talismans of power together and opens a gateway to a nightmare world that unleashes armies of hellish creatures that spread throughout Europe leaving mayhem, death and destruction in their wake.
The only hope for humanity is thought to be contained in a secret chapter in The Book of Kells written by The Columban monks in 800AD. Holmes must locate it and decipher the code in a race against time to close the Gates of Hell.
361 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 2011
1 person is currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Derek Gunn
33 books83 followersDerek Gunn is the author of the critically acclaimed bestseller, Vampire Apocalypse: A World Torn Asunder - the eBook alone has had over 100,000 downloads and has been described as “a Summer Blockbuster..” ~Gorezone, “An incredibly original piece of fiction “ ~Horror-Web, and “a terrific tale.” ~Apex Science Fiction and Horror Digest.
Three more books have been published in this series, Descent into Chaos and Fallout and a fourth instalment in April 2014, Vampire Apocalypse, Trail of Tears.
In August 2012, Derek self published in eBook editions two novellas (The Diabolical Plan and The Island) and a novel (Crimson Seas) in his historical naval horror fiction series, The HMS Swift Adventures. These have been picked up by his publisher Permuted Press for reissue in 2014 as a single volume in print and eBook.
Derek also has a number of other stand alone novels published, The Estuary (Zombie fiction), The Gatekeeper (Apocalyptic Irish mythology thriller) and Gemini (Espionage thriller).
Derek’s short stories have been included in many anthologies including, from Signet Classics, Vampires, Zombies, Werewolves and Ghosts: 25 Tales of the Supernatural. The inclusion of his short story “The Third Option” fulfils a his childhood ambition to have a story of his included in an anthology with some of his literary heroes, as this collection also features works by Bram Stoker, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Oscar Wilde, Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, Ann Rice, Woody Allen, Charles Dickens, Henry James, Joe Hill, Yvonne Navarro, Rudyard Kipling, Angela Carter and many more.
Derek works as a specialist consultant for a global telecommunications company. He holds a degree in Marketing. He is a member of and a contributing editor for The International Thriller Writers Association and an active member of The Horror Writers Association.
Derek Gunn was born in 1964. He is married with three children and lives in Dublin, Ireland.
Three more books have been published in this series, Descent into Chaos and Fallout and a fourth instalment in April 2014, Vampire Apocalypse, Trail of Tears.
In August 2012, Derek self published in eBook editions two novellas (The Diabolical Plan and The Island) and a novel (Crimson Seas) in his historical naval horror fiction series, The HMS Swift Adventures. These have been picked up by his publisher Permuted Press for reissue in 2014 as a single volume in print and eBook.
Derek also has a number of other stand alone novels published, The Estuary (Zombie fiction), The Gatekeeper (Apocalyptic Irish mythology thriller) and Gemini (Espionage thriller).
Derek’s short stories have been included in many anthologies including, from Signet Classics, Vampires, Zombies, Werewolves and Ghosts: 25 Tales of the Supernatural. The inclusion of his short story “The Third Option” fulfils a his childhood ambition to have a story of his included in an anthology with some of his literary heroes, as this collection also features works by Bram Stoker, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Oscar Wilde, Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, Ann Rice, Woody Allen, Charles Dickens, Henry James, Joe Hill, Yvonne Navarro, Rudyard Kipling, Angela Carter and many more.
Derek works as a specialist consultant for a global telecommunications company. He holds a degree in Marketing. He is a member of and a contributing editor for The International Thriller Writers Association and an active member of The Horror Writers Association.
Derek Gunn was born in 1964. He is married with three children and lives in Dublin, Ireland.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 9, 2013
great read
October 6, 2023
Grabbed my attention...
This book grabbed my attention and held it from beginning to end. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes apocalyptic thrillers.
This book grabbed my attention and held it from beginning to end. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes apocalyptic thrillers.
November 24, 2016
I've been enjoying author Derek Gunn's Vampire Apocalypse series, so I decided to give his stand-alone novel The Gatekeeper a try. In it, we're introduced to Inspector John Holmes, who is investigating a series of bizarre murders that seem tied to a Druidic cult. Little does he know, the murders are merely a prelude to a greater horror, one that will unleash the very forces of Hell on our world and cause untold devastation.
The Gatekeeper starts out along the lines of a Ben Aaronovitch urban fantasy, but quickly moves into apocalyptic territory along the lines of Hogan and Del Toro's Strain trilogy and F. Paul Wilson's Repairman Jack series (especially the original Nightworld book).
Being a fan of Gunn's work, as well as an eager reader of supernatural/horror/post-apocalyptic fiction, a novel like The Gatekeeper should have been right up my alley. And while I did enjoy the general premise and the memorable main characters, this ended up being a tough one to make it through. The abrupt shift about midway through the book from police story to full-on apocalyptic invasion tale was jarring, almost like two unfinished novels jammed together. The book also seemed to take a lot of ideas - druids, Irish mythology, religion, magic, prophecies, bloodlines, etc. - and just throw them out there without much explanation or real cohesion. This probably would have been just fine in a longer series, where you can do some world building and introduce new concepts gradually while cementing existing ones, but in a single novel it was a bit awkward. The book also needed a good pass-through by a copy editor to clean up some grammar and word usage errors, but by self-publishing standards this is still better than most.
I hate to be so harsh on a book that actually has some really good ideas, plenty of action and interesting characters, but the various little issues kept jumping out and getting in the way of my really enjoying the book. The potential is definitely here, but in the end The Gatekeeper just doesn't measure up to Gunn's Vampire Apocalypse novels.
The Gatekeeper starts out along the lines of a Ben Aaronovitch urban fantasy, but quickly moves into apocalyptic territory along the lines of Hogan and Del Toro's Strain trilogy and F. Paul Wilson's Repairman Jack series (especially the original Nightworld book).
Being a fan of Gunn's work, as well as an eager reader of supernatural/horror/post-apocalyptic fiction, a novel like The Gatekeeper should have been right up my alley. And while I did enjoy the general premise and the memorable main characters, this ended up being a tough one to make it through. The abrupt shift about midway through the book from police story to full-on apocalyptic invasion tale was jarring, almost like two unfinished novels jammed together. The book also seemed to take a lot of ideas - druids, Irish mythology, religion, magic, prophecies, bloodlines, etc. - and just throw them out there without much explanation or real cohesion. This probably would have been just fine in a longer series, where you can do some world building and introduce new concepts gradually while cementing existing ones, but in a single novel it was a bit awkward. The book also needed a good pass-through by a copy editor to clean up some grammar and word usage errors, but by self-publishing standards this is still better than most.
I hate to be so harsh on a book that actually has some really good ideas, plenty of action and interesting characters, but the various little issues kept jumping out and getting in the way of my really enjoying the book. The potential is definitely here, but in the end The Gatekeeper just doesn't measure up to Gunn's Vampire Apocalypse novels.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews