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Samuel Johnson #3
The Creeps
In this delightfully imaginative novel, once again, hell threatens to break loose as Samuel Johnson and his ragtag group of friends must defend their town from shadowy forces more threatening than ever before...
In this clever and quirky follow-up to The Gates and The Infernals , Samuel Johnson’s life seems to have finally settled down—after all, he’s still got the company of his faithful dachshund Boswell and his bumbling demon friend Nurd; he has foiled the dreaded forces of darkness not once but twice; and he’s now dating the lovely Lucy Highmore.
But things in the little English town of Biddlecombe rarely run smoothly for long. Shadows are gathering in the skies; a black heart of pure evil is bubbling with revenge; and it rather looks as if the Multiverse is about to come to an end, starting with Biddlecombe. When a new toy shop’s opening goes terrifyingly awry, Samuel must gather a ragtag band of dwarfs, policemen, and very polite monsters to face down the greatest threat the Multiverse has ever known, not to mention assorted vampires, a girl with an unnatural fondness for spiders, and highly flammable unfriendly elves.
The latest installment of John Connolly’s wholly original and creepily imaginative Samuel Johnson Tales, The Creeps is humorous horror for anyone who enjoys fiction at its best.
In this clever and quirky follow-up to The Gates and The Infernals , Samuel Johnson’s life seems to have finally settled down—after all, he’s still got the company of his faithful dachshund Boswell and his bumbling demon friend Nurd; he has foiled the dreaded forces of darkness not once but twice; and he’s now dating the lovely Lucy Highmore.
But things in the little English town of Biddlecombe rarely run smoothly for long. Shadows are gathering in the skies; a black heart of pure evil is bubbling with revenge; and it rather looks as if the Multiverse is about to come to an end, starting with Biddlecombe. When a new toy shop’s opening goes terrifyingly awry, Samuel must gather a ragtag band of dwarfs, policemen, and very polite monsters to face down the greatest threat the Multiverse has ever known, not to mention assorted vampires, a girl with an unnatural fondness for spiders, and highly flammable unfriendly elves.
The latest installment of John Connolly’s wholly original and creepily imaginative Samuel Johnson Tales, The Creeps is humorous horror for anyone who enjoys fiction at its best.
321 pages, Hardcover
First published October 3, 2013
114 people are currently reading
2400 people want to read
About the author
John Connolly
220 books7,913 followersJohn Connolly was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1968 and has, at various points in his life, worked as a journalist, a barman, a local government official, a waiter and a dogsbody at Harrods department store in London. He studied English in Trinity College, Dublin and journalism at Dublin City University, subsequently spending five years working as a freelance journalist for The Irish Times newspaper, to which he continues to contribute.
He is based in Dublin but divides his time between his native city and the United States.
This page is administered by John's assistant, Clair, on John's behalf. If you'd like to communicate with John directly, you can do so by writing to contact-at-johnconnollybooks.com, or by following him on Twitter at @JConnollyBooks.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See other authors with similar names.
He is based in Dublin but divides his time between his native city and the United States.
This page is administered by John's assistant, Clair, on John's behalf. If you'd like to communicate with John directly, you can do so by writing to contact-at-johnconnollybooks.com, or by following him on Twitter at @JConnollyBooks.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See other authors with similar names.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 274 reviews
November 27, 2019
I confess: I'm still not entirely sure who the titular 'creeps' are. Are they Samuel Johnson, his dog Boswell, and the compadres from the adventures of The Infernals? Namely, Dan the ice-cream man, now managing a group of Dwarves With Attitude (so much better than the Stars Of Diminished Stature [S.O.D.S.]); Nurd, 'The Nurdster,' and Wormwood, ex-demons of Hell and car-testers extraordinare; as well as agents of order Sergeant Rowan and Constable Peel? Or are the the Shadows from the Multiverse using the very angry Mrs. Abernathy's (the Demon Formerly Known as Ba'al) desire for revenge as a gateway to devouring Earth? Could it be the optimistic demon Crudford oozing his way through the Multiverses in search of Mrs. Abernathy's molecules? Or might it possibly be the scientists who have left Switzerland and the Hadron Collider to take up residence in Samuel's village disguised as sweet-shop salesmen? Or, just possibly, could it be the former boy-band and now unemployed, middle-aged singers BoyStarz ("Love is like a run-on sentence")?
The last book in the Samuel Johnson trilogy is a perfect capstone for the series (1). The team has returned from Hell and gotten on with their lives. The demons have all found jobs and are more or less fitting into the human world although Nurd still feels the great divide from himself and the humans, and is particularly aware of how he needs to hide his looks. Samuel is trying to put the past behind him and has made been dating Lucy Johnson. Dan is trying his best to find work for the dwarves and BoyStarz. But Evil will be Evil, and something sinister is taking place in the abandoned Wreckit & Sons department store (2), soon to re-open as a toy store. When Samuel & Friends all receive invitations to the Christmas Grand Opening, it seems like time for a celebration.
The plot moved right along, taking turns following the large cast. It serves to build some suspense, but it also nicely captures the different moods of the characters. Melancholy from Nurd, the vague worries of Samuel, and the relentless optimism of Crudford, Esq. (3). Connolly is able to achieve an amazing balance between suspense, humor, the melancholy of growth and the horror that the universe might be destroyed.
The humor almost always amused me. Connolly is particularly good at sliding in running jokes adults will appreciate such as the titles of pop songs and the properties of special brews ("My love is like a Little Man"). I confess, Crudford's incomprehensible pictorial explanations cracked me up. A couple of times the dwarves' dialogue made me laugh out loud, particularly during their job interview (4). Once again, the footnotes played an entertaining role, whether it was recalling the prior books, explaining the problems of kings, or the differences between an English biscuit and an American one. They aren't as much science/history informative this time as much as outright commentary on the author's part ("I don't know why I bother") and further elaboration on running gags about the sweets at the sweet shop and Mr. Spiggit's alcoholic brews. Thanks to the insight of Melora, this time I noticed the sticking-things-up-the-bum jokes, an excessive four or five times. But probably completely consistent with the kid humor. At the very end is an Epilogue about Samuel and Nurd meeting in Samuel's old age that provides a nice bit of emotional resolution.
Overall, I unhesitatingly give the series 4 1/2 stars. I re-read the last book twice; it not only held up, but was perhaps even more enjoyable for my ability to savor even the throw-away bits. I think this series will be worth a re-read or two and recommend it if you enjoy clever writing, dark humor, and a willingness to play with YA conventions.
(1) "Once again, if you'd read that book then you'd know all of this already. Look, why don't we just arrange for me to give you a telephone call and I can read the book to you?"
(2) Although according to the narrator, it was not particularly long in the timeline of a giant barrel sponge.
(3)"Being blown apart on the subatomic level must have hurt an awful, awful lot, thought Crudford. Still, look on the bright side: at least Mrs. Abernathy was seeing new places."
(4) "He fumbled in another pocket and extracted a tattered, folded sheet of paper. He started trying to unfold it, but he immediately ran into trouble due to a lack of fingers. 'Need a hand?' said a dwarf voice."
The last book in the Samuel Johnson trilogy is a perfect capstone for the series (1). The team has returned from Hell and gotten on with their lives. The demons have all found jobs and are more or less fitting into the human world although Nurd still feels the great divide from himself and the humans, and is particularly aware of how he needs to hide his looks. Samuel is trying to put the past behind him and has made been dating Lucy Johnson. Dan is trying his best to find work for the dwarves and BoyStarz. But Evil will be Evil, and something sinister is taking place in the abandoned Wreckit & Sons department store (2), soon to re-open as a toy store. When Samuel & Friends all receive invitations to the Christmas Grand Opening, it seems like time for a celebration.
The plot moved right along, taking turns following the large cast. It serves to build some suspense, but it also nicely captures the different moods of the characters. Melancholy from Nurd, the vague worries of Samuel, and the relentless optimism of Crudford, Esq. (3). Connolly is able to achieve an amazing balance between suspense, humor, the melancholy of growth and the horror that the universe might be destroyed.
The humor almost always amused me. Connolly is particularly good at sliding in running jokes adults will appreciate such as the titles of pop songs and the properties of special brews ("My love is like a Little Man"). I confess, Crudford's incomprehensible pictorial explanations cracked me up. A couple of times the dwarves' dialogue made me laugh out loud, particularly during their job interview (4). Once again, the footnotes played an entertaining role, whether it was recalling the prior books, explaining the problems of kings, or the differences between an English biscuit and an American one. They aren't as much science/history informative this time as much as outright commentary on the author's part ("I don't know why I bother") and further elaboration on running gags about the sweets at the sweet shop and Mr. Spiggit's alcoholic brews. Thanks to the insight of Melora, this time I noticed the sticking-things-up-the-bum jokes, an excessive four or five times. But probably completely consistent with the kid humor. At the very end is an Epilogue about Samuel and Nurd meeting in Samuel's old age that provides a nice bit of emotional resolution.
Overall, I unhesitatingly give the series 4 1/2 stars. I re-read the last book twice; it not only held up, but was perhaps even more enjoyable for my ability to savor even the throw-away bits. I think this series will be worth a re-read or two and recommend it if you enjoy clever writing, dark humor, and a willingness to play with YA conventions.
(1) "Once again, if you'd read that book then you'd know all of this already. Look, why don't we just arrange for me to give you a telephone call and I can read the book to you?"
(2) Although according to the narrator, it was not particularly long in the timeline of a giant barrel sponge.
(3)"Being blown apart on the subatomic level must have hurt an awful, awful lot, thought Crudford. Still, look on the bright side: at least Mrs. Abernathy was seeing new places."
(4) "He fumbled in another pocket and extracted a tattered, folded sheet of paper. He started trying to unfold it, but he immediately ran into trouble due to a lack of fingers. 'Need a hand?' said a dwarf voice."
June 9, 2018
The final book in this fun trilogy. Many laugh aloud moments make it a really entertaining read for young adults and older ones alike.
Samuel Johnson and his lovable dog Boswell have suffered a lot in the previous two books and they are not out of the woods yet. There are demons and ghosts and dark matter from the multiverse all trying to dispose of them in unpleasant ways. The dreaded Mrs Abernathy returns in a manner of speaking anyway. And then there are the elves, the animated stuffed toys and walking eyeballs with teeth. Connolly’s imagination knows no bounds.
His humour is wonderful too, some of it way over the heads of many younger readers meaning older ones like me can have a few extra laughs. Some of the plays on words are great for example after the scene with the wooden Xmas elves and the fire when someone asks whether we should discuss “Elf and Safety.”
All is of course resolved happily and there is a nice little epilogue which sorts out the whole of the rest of Sam’s life. Beautifully done. Thank you Mr Connolly.
Samuel Johnson and his lovable dog Boswell have suffered a lot in the previous two books and they are not out of the woods yet. There are demons and ghosts and dark matter from the multiverse all trying to dispose of them in unpleasant ways. The dreaded Mrs Abernathy returns in a manner of speaking anyway. And then there are the elves, the animated stuffed toys and walking eyeballs with teeth. Connolly’s imagination knows no bounds.
His humour is wonderful too, some of it way over the heads of many younger readers meaning older ones like me can have a few extra laughs. Some of the plays on words are great for example after the scene with the wooden Xmas elves and the fire when someone asks whether we should discuss “Elf and Safety.”
All is of course resolved happily and there is a nice little epilogue which sorts out the whole of the rest of Sam’s life. Beautifully done. Thank you Mr Connolly.
March 15, 2015
The third and last book in this great action packed trilogy about a young boy and is faithful little dog. Fighting evil straight from Hell is a hard job but Sam has lots of help. It was a great wrap up and I was a little sad at the end. I will miss these crazy adventures. Definitely a great series for young adults and US young at heart.
December 3, 2019
The perfect ending to a great series, I wasn't expecting to tear up during the last few pages but here we are! This coincidentally has Christmas elements, so I can now say that I've read a Christmas book this season (even if it's also about demons and Hell).
I felt like The Infernals dragged a bit, but it was the opposite in this book. There was always something going on, which was made more evident by the multiple POVs. Funny, imaginative, snarky, and overall a great conclusion to the Samuel Johnson series.
I felt like The Infernals dragged a bit, but it was the opposite in this book. There was always something going on, which was made more evident by the multiple POVs. Funny, imaginative, snarky, and overall a great conclusion to the Samuel Johnson series.
September 29, 2017
Now this one is a solid 4 stars.
Weirdness descends upon Biddlecombe again. And it's hilarious to see the townfolks' reaction to it.
The ending is touching.... :')
Weirdness descends upon Biddlecombe again. And it's hilarious to see the townfolks' reaction to it.
The ending is touching.... :')
July 25, 2025
Mrs Abernathy's last stand
The Creeps is the third and last book of John Connolly's Samuel Johnson series. You should read the first two books before this one. If you don't, prepare to be scolded at length in detailed footnotes by Connolly. Actually, it's fun to be scolded by Connolly. You will want to to read all the footnotes, anyway. They are literally the best part of the series.
By now, book 3, Connolly has assembled a large cast of characters: Samuel Johnson himself, his dachshund Boswell, his human friends Maria and Tom, assorted clueless physicists, his demon friends Nurd and Wormwood, Dan, Dan, the Ice-Cream Man and his Dwarfs, officers Rowan and Peel. and a new one: the monster Crudford, a small behatted gelatinous blob. Also, of course we have The Great Malevolence and Mrs Abernathy, who was once the GM's left-hand demon Baal, but has now become a sort of vaguely humanoid essence of pure hatred for Samuel.
So, really, all Connolly needs to do is set this company in motion and let them bounce off each other. And of course interject with the all-important footnotes full of scorn and scholarly remarks. Tons of fun!
Blog review.
The Creeps is the third and last book of John Connolly's Samuel Johnson series. You should read the first two books before this one. If you don't, prepare to be scolded at length in detailed footnotes by Connolly. Actually, it's fun to be scolded by Connolly. You will want to to read all the footnotes, anyway. They are literally the best part of the series.
By now, book 3, Connolly has assembled a large cast of characters: Samuel Johnson himself, his dachshund Boswell, his human friends Maria and Tom, assorted clueless physicists, his demon friends Nurd and Wormwood, Dan, Dan, the Ice-Cream Man and his Dwarfs, officers Rowan and Peel. and a new one: the monster Crudford, a small behatted gelatinous blob. Also, of course we have The Great Malevolence and Mrs Abernathy, who was once the GM's left-hand demon Baal, but has now become a sort of vaguely humanoid essence of pure hatred for Samuel.
So, really, all Connolly needs to do is set this company in motion and let them bounce off each other. And of course interject with the all-important footnotes full of scorn and scholarly remarks. Tons of fun!
Blog review.
July 9, 2014
2.5 Stars
This was a tough read for me in that it is by far the weakest of this fun young adult series. This book starts off slow and never really comes together. Samuel takes sort of a back seat in this one and there is little from his amazing little dog. It was a fast read but it was lacking for me.
This was a tough read for me in that it is by far the weakest of this fun young adult series. This book starts off slow and never really comes together. Samuel takes sort of a back seat in this one and there is little from his amazing little dog. It was a fast read but it was lacking for me.
July 16, 2018
One of those books with many extremely clever parts worth more than their total sum, and which I won't remember anything about within a few days of finishing it. Except for maybe the stereotyping of girls. Book 1 was great, but by this installment Connolly was phoning it in.
May 14, 2014
A well done novel of good versus evil with interesting characters and plot lines involving the supernatural. 7 of 10 stars
July 3, 2017
Pertarungan Samuel - Nurd x penghuni neraka yang ingin menguasai bumi, berakhir di sini!
We're back again in Biddlecomb! Sam dkk yang baru kembali dari neraka menjalankan kehidupan normalnya di Biddlecomb; Nurd mencoba menyesuaikan diri dengan kehidupan manusia, Dan the dedicated ice cream salesman kini menjadi "gembala" 4 kurcaci nakal, dua polisi sibuk menjalankan tugasnya, mostly karena 4 kurcaci nakal tersebut. Mereka tidak sadar something evil akan muncul dari sebuah toko mainan yang sudah lama tutup.
The Creeps terjadi tidak lama setelah The Infernals, jadi gak bertele-tele introducing new characters. Kemudian ada footnotes yang sebenernya tidak terlalu banyak membantu menjelaskan jalan cerita tapi worth your smile untuk dibaca.
Kemudian, saya suka ending persahatan Nurd dan Sam. Gimana pun juga Nurd adalah makluk neraka, tidak akan pernah nyaman tinggal dan pretend to be human di Bumi. Dan John Conolly membuat ending yang manis untuk Nurd. LOve!
We're back again in Biddlecomb! Sam dkk yang baru kembali dari neraka menjalankan kehidupan normalnya di Biddlecomb; Nurd mencoba menyesuaikan diri dengan kehidupan manusia, Dan the dedicated ice cream salesman kini menjadi "gembala" 4 kurcaci nakal, dua polisi sibuk menjalankan tugasnya, mostly karena 4 kurcaci nakal tersebut. Mereka tidak sadar something evil akan muncul dari sebuah toko mainan yang sudah lama tutup.
The Creeps terjadi tidak lama setelah The Infernals, jadi gak bertele-tele introducing new characters. Kemudian ada footnotes yang sebenernya tidak terlalu banyak membantu menjelaskan jalan cerita tapi worth your smile untuk dibaca.
Kemudian, saya suka ending persahatan Nurd dan Sam. Gimana pun juga Nurd adalah makluk neraka, tidak akan pernah nyaman tinggal dan pretend to be human di Bumi. Dan John Conolly membuat ending yang manis untuk Nurd. LOve!
January 14, 2014
John Connolly writes the dark, violent and visceral Charlie Parker murder mysteries that if you have never read, you are really missing out. It's the knowledge that he writes those books that make his Samuel Johnson novels so much damn fun.
The Creeps is the third book in the series, following The Gates and The Infernals that are geared toward the young adult market; but like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy before them, will be enjoyed by all ages. Only pick up The Gates and The Infernals first before starting the Creeps. If not be prepared to be duly scolded throughout the reading of The Creeps by Connolly for having to explained situations to you that had you read the prior novels, you would know all about!
"...But if Wreckit & Sons sold a lot of things that people might want, it also tried to sell a lot of things that nobody could possibly want. As he grew older, Mr. Wreckit became more and more eccentric. He began calling it Wreckit & Sons for starters, which annoyed his daughters greatly, as he didn't have any sons..."
Samuel Johnson, in this third installment is home in the small town of Biddlecombe, with his mom, his faithful dog Boswell and two slightly reformed hell spawn demons; Nurd and Wormwood. There are also two other demons; Shan and Gath, who hang around because they just love the beer. Shan and Gath have decided that they would rather brew beer than go around and be demons. You would know this of course, Connolly points out if you had bothered to read the prior two books. He will eventually have enough of you and accuse you of stealing this current book and probably not having the ability to read at all!
Yes, every so often or so the bottom of the page will have reference points in which Connolly will explain to the reader what is going on or what a particular word or name is in reference to. Connolly takes this moment to carry on a conversation with the reader as they enjoy this book. He even named one chapter; "In Which We Travel to a Galaxy Far, Far Away, but Since It's Not a Long Time Ago the Star Wars People Can't Sue Us".
But back to Samuel, our teenage hero. Samuel has saved the world, gone to hell and back, fought the devil and rescued demons, but now has a problem that has plagued all teenage boys from time beginning. What at first seemed a blessing has become a greater challenge that all the hordes of hell. Samuel has a girlfriend.
So he is to be forgiven for not noticing that there are changes about. Oh did I mentioned the ice cream man and his band of thieving dwarves? And the two policemen? No well they are here too. And of course Mrs. Abernathy. Who is Mrs. Abernathy? She is only the second in charge in hell! The demon once known as Baal who took the form of Mrs. Abernathy and well, decided he liked having a woman's body and now wants to look like and be referred to as Mrs. Abernathy. Something that you would know if you had read the first two books. To get at Samuel Johnson now, Mrs. Abernathy has released an army of evil creatures and toys!
...Farther along the way, they saw a giant ferocious reindeer with sharp horns and black eyes standing before a herd of local deer as it tried to incite them to rebellion.
"Rise up!" cried the demon reindeer. "Rise up against the puny humans who know you only as Bambi, the oppressors who think you're cute but occasionally eat you in stews, or with parsnips and a reduction of juniper berries."...
The cast of characters that weave and out of this tale are too numerous to mention but you have seen almost all of them before. But its not the same old demon doing the same old joke. Each book is different from the last. Each one grows.
..."And you say you work for a being called the 'Great Malevolence'?"
"That's right," said Crudford, "the most evil being that the Multiverse has ever known. It is the source of all badness, the well from which the darkest thoughts and deeds spring. No single entity has ever contained so much sheer nastiness as the Great Malevolence. On the other hand, I work regular hours, get weekends off, and the cafeteria's not bad."
Through it all goes Samuel Johnson. Trying to understand his girlfriend who doesn't approve of any of his friends, his dog and pretty much him. Trying to keep his demon friends safe and above all else, just save the world. Again. Just like he did in the first two books. The ones you're suppose to read first.
The Creeps is the third book in the series, following The Gates and The Infernals that are geared toward the young adult market; but like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy before them, will be enjoyed by all ages. Only pick up The Gates and The Infernals first before starting the Creeps. If not be prepared to be duly scolded throughout the reading of The Creeps by Connolly for having to explained situations to you that had you read the prior novels, you would know all about!
"...But if Wreckit & Sons sold a lot of things that people might want, it also tried to sell a lot of things that nobody could possibly want. As he grew older, Mr. Wreckit became more and more eccentric. He began calling it Wreckit & Sons for starters, which annoyed his daughters greatly, as he didn't have any sons..."
Samuel Johnson, in this third installment is home in the small town of Biddlecombe, with his mom, his faithful dog Boswell and two slightly reformed hell spawn demons; Nurd and Wormwood. There are also two other demons; Shan and Gath, who hang around because they just love the beer. Shan and Gath have decided that they would rather brew beer than go around and be demons. You would know this of course, Connolly points out if you had bothered to read the prior two books. He will eventually have enough of you and accuse you of stealing this current book and probably not having the ability to read at all!
Yes, every so often or so the bottom of the page will have reference points in which Connolly will explain to the reader what is going on or what a particular word or name is in reference to. Connolly takes this moment to carry on a conversation with the reader as they enjoy this book. He even named one chapter; "In Which We Travel to a Galaxy Far, Far Away, but Since It's Not a Long Time Ago the Star Wars People Can't Sue Us".
But back to Samuel, our teenage hero. Samuel has saved the world, gone to hell and back, fought the devil and rescued demons, but now has a problem that has plagued all teenage boys from time beginning. What at first seemed a blessing has become a greater challenge that all the hordes of hell. Samuel has a girlfriend.
So he is to be forgiven for not noticing that there are changes about. Oh did I mentioned the ice cream man and his band of thieving dwarves? And the two policemen? No well they are here too. And of course Mrs. Abernathy. Who is Mrs. Abernathy? She is only the second in charge in hell! The demon once known as Baal who took the form of Mrs. Abernathy and well, decided he liked having a woman's body and now wants to look like and be referred to as Mrs. Abernathy. Something that you would know if you had read the first two books. To get at Samuel Johnson now, Mrs. Abernathy has released an army of evil creatures and toys!
...Farther along the way, they saw a giant ferocious reindeer with sharp horns and black eyes standing before a herd of local deer as it tried to incite them to rebellion.
"Rise up!" cried the demon reindeer. "Rise up against the puny humans who know you only as Bambi, the oppressors who think you're cute but occasionally eat you in stews, or with parsnips and a reduction of juniper berries."...
The cast of characters that weave and out of this tale are too numerous to mention but you have seen almost all of them before. But its not the same old demon doing the same old joke. Each book is different from the last. Each one grows.
..."And you say you work for a being called the 'Great Malevolence'?"
"That's right," said Crudford, "the most evil being that the Multiverse has ever known. It is the source of all badness, the well from which the darkest thoughts and deeds spring. No single entity has ever contained so much sheer nastiness as the Great Malevolence. On the other hand, I work regular hours, get weekends off, and the cafeteria's not bad."
Through it all goes Samuel Johnson. Trying to understand his girlfriend who doesn't approve of any of his friends, his dog and pretty much him. Trying to keep his demon friends safe and above all else, just save the world. Again. Just like he did in the first two books. The ones you're suppose to read first.
June 26, 2021
That last chapter 😢
November 20, 2020
Goodreads put out a list of best or scary horror this Halloween and grabbed a bunch from the list and have yet to be scared. Or that impressed. The writing is good, but I’ve experienced no horror. Now there were some funny passages, and the reader is chastised for reading the third book first. I might have enjoyed it more had I read the first two but really no horror is involved unless you find going to hell horrific really it was just funny.
October 7, 2013
THE CREEPS is a completely satisfying conclusion to Connolly's Samuel Johnson trilogy, with all the humor we've come to expect from this series, plus a few extra scares.
Samuel, his faithful dog Boswell, and his infernal friends seem to be living happily ever after in Biddlecombe... except that things aren't exactly right. For one thing, the girl of Samuel's dreams turns out to be a crashing bore; and Nurd, the Scourge of Five Deities, just can't fit into small-town English life; and the statue of Biddlecombe's founder keeps moving from one place to another, though no one seems to notice. But the grand reopening of a giant toy store in the middle of town is cause for celebration, especially because Samuel is invited as a Guest of Honor.
What Samuel doesn't know is that the invitation's come from someone who has unfinished business with him, all his friends, and the human race at large.
As usual, the chapter headings and footnotes add laughs, while the book is rooted in a solid, loving worldview that emphasizes family, friends, loyalty and courage.
Full disclosure: I'm John Connolly's paid minion, and read this book in manuscript. I'd have loved it even if he didn't pay me.
Samuel, his faithful dog Boswell, and his infernal friends seem to be living happily ever after in Biddlecombe... except that things aren't exactly right. For one thing, the girl of Samuel's dreams turns out to be a crashing bore; and Nurd, the Scourge of Five Deities, just can't fit into small-town English life; and the statue of Biddlecombe's founder keeps moving from one place to another, though no one seems to notice. But the grand reopening of a giant toy store in the middle of town is cause for celebration, especially because Samuel is invited as a Guest of Honor.
What Samuel doesn't know is that the invitation's come from someone who has unfinished business with him, all his friends, and the human race at large.
As usual, the chapter headings and footnotes add laughs, while the book is rooted in a solid, loving worldview that emphasizes family, friends, loyalty and courage.
Full disclosure: I'm John Connolly's paid minion, and read this book in manuscript. I'd have loved it even if he didn't pay me.
February 11, 2015
This is the third outing for Samuel Johnson, a young boy with a faithful little dog named Boswell. In his first adventure, recounted in The Gates, the Large Hadron Collider opened a portal to Hell and lots of weird bad things happened and Samuel averted a catastrophe. Now he's got two ineffectual demons living at his house, Nurd and Wormwood. And the craziness returns. Also returning for the craziness is an ex-ice cream truck vendor who represents four larcenous dwarves named Jolly, Dozy, Angry, and Mumbles. The story isn't as coherent as The Gates, and Samuel often takes a backseat to the dwarves. But that's mostly okay as the dwarves are hilarious. I can't tell you how often I was chuckling at the absurd goings-on and bizarre dialog. But it was fun. If you're at all interested, you have to check out The Gates. As in the previous two books, this one is chock full of funny footnotes as well.
January 8, 2014
I love this series and was eagerly anticipating the finale but I am a little disappointed, this felt quite rushed and relies too much on slapstick to keep things moving. Samuel barely gets a look in yet there are chapters and chapters devoted to the dwarfs - three quarters of the book is just jokes. Don't get me wrong, I love the humour in this series, it's one of the things I like best in fact but in this book I felt like there was more humour than story. The conclusion is cliched and hurried as are a few other key plot points. This isn't all bad, I enjoyed it but the first two books were immensely better and it's a disappointing ending.
October 15, 2013
I'm so in love with the Samuel Johnson Tales! They're funny, quirky and sweet. I cried at the end of this one, such a great ending! I'm glad that I still haven't read the first one yet, because I have it to look forward too. It's left off sort of ambiguous whether there will be more Samuel Johnson tales coming - although I sincerely hope so! Or at least tales of Nurd and Wormwood.
If you liked The Infernals (and I'm pretty sure The Gates will be just as good) I'm sure you'll love this one too.
My full review will be posted on My Shelf Confessions on Tuesday, October 15, 2013. :)
If you liked The Infernals (and I'm pretty sure The Gates will be just as good) I'm sure you'll love this one too.
My full review will be posted on My Shelf Confessions on Tuesday, October 15, 2013. :)
November 8, 2013
Criminy that was fantastic! I really loved it, the story, the characters, the tone. SO funny and so very very FUN! I still wish I'd started at the beginning of the trilogy, but once I started this book I couldn't (wouldn't) stop.
I must needs seek out other (all) books by John Connolly. I love his style. I feel a need to immerse.
I giggled throughout the entire Hilary Mould chapter, just cackled with glee.
This isn't a review, is it? Oh, screw it. If you like fantasy and humor and, say, Christopher Moore, Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, etc., you'll likely love this book.
I did. :)
I must needs seek out other (all) books by John Connolly. I love his style. I feel a need to immerse.
I giggled throughout the entire Hilary Mould chapter, just cackled with glee.
This isn't a review, is it? Oh, screw it. If you like fantasy and humor and, say, Christopher Moore, Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, etc., you'll likely love this book.
I did. :)
November 14, 2022
Well, this one didn’t age well. I doubt Connolly was purposefully trying to be transphobic but it sure came across that way. The rest of the story is great, I just really wish he’d handled things differently. This book was published in 2013, so there’s been room for growth. Hopefully his newer books are not as insensitive.
February 9, 2018
After seeing all of the positive review for The Creeps, I have to ask myself just what am I missing. I didn’t get this novel at all. I didn’t find any aspect of remotely funny at all. Perhaps I’m not the target audience. The only horror humorist that I enjoy reading is Jeff Strand and John Connolly pales in comparison.
The novel is set in a town in England that serves as a portal to every possible demon and supernatural creature in the multiverse. The town contains thieving dwarves, demons who for some unknown reason can exist among people without anyone noticing, bumbling idiot cops, bumbling idiot scientists, and a boy Samuel Johnson, who seems completely dull and ordinary, and is one of the least interesting protagonists that I’ve read in a while. Samuel Johnson previously thwarted a demonic invasion, and apparently must do it again, except he doesn’t really do much at all.
The bottom line is that this novel just didn’t do anything for me at all. I didn’t find any appeal to it in the plot, the characters, the writing. There was never even a point where I cracked a smile, let alone chuckle. I would strongly recommend not reading it, but hey, you just might be the target audience for this novel.
Carl Alves - author of Battle of the Soul
The novel is set in a town in England that serves as a portal to every possible demon and supernatural creature in the multiverse. The town contains thieving dwarves, demons who for some unknown reason can exist among people without anyone noticing, bumbling idiot cops, bumbling idiot scientists, and a boy Samuel Johnson, who seems completely dull and ordinary, and is one of the least interesting protagonists that I’ve read in a while. Samuel Johnson previously thwarted a demonic invasion, and apparently must do it again, except he doesn’t really do much at all.
The bottom line is that this novel just didn’t do anything for me at all. I didn’t find any appeal to it in the plot, the characters, the writing. There was never even a point where I cracked a smile, let alone chuckle. I would strongly recommend not reading it, but hey, you just might be the target audience for this novel.
Carl Alves - author of Battle of the Soul
October 8, 2019
It’s more funny than scary. Be sure to read the many footnotes…they are almost as good as the book and I loved the titles of the chapters. Not to take anything away from the book…it does something that horror, supernatural genre seldom, if ever does. It gives an almost lovable persona to the demons and other creatures of Connolly’s vivid mind. Imagine… if you can… a billion plus year old demon having a birthday party complete with hats and balloons that they set on fire when they try to blow them up. One candle for every billion years since it has been alive since the creation of the universe and besides a billion candles wouldn’t fit on the cake anyway. This is the final book in this trilogy. While I hate to see this bunch of strange creatures resigned to the archives…John Connolly does a nice job of tying up the loose ends, and wraps up some questions about the first and second book. Overall… it's a great ending to a great little series. The entire trilogy was not just riotously funny or effectively creepy… but both.
September 26, 2020
Possibly the best of the series concerning Samuel Johnson and his battle with the forces of Hell. The tentacles, blood, creepiness, and masses of evil beings continues. We find out the reasons behind the long time strangeness of the town of Biddlecombe which has a peripatetic statue and a street that must be avoided if you don't want to end up where you started. There are a number of buildings, all designed by the same man and all of them empty now, which seem to have something haunting them. The date is now December and we are looking for a Santa grotto and a set of "elves" to staff it.
Everything just goes left from there. It's funny and scary and satisfying all at the same time.
Everything just goes left from there. It's funny and scary and satisfying all at the same time.
February 7, 2018
Hahaha.
Lucu.
Absurd.
Akhir yang pas.
Lucu.
Absurd.
Akhir yang pas.
February 18, 2018
Almost....... I almost cried at the end.
; )
; )
June 8, 2018
What a perfect ending to a great trilogy.
March 23, 2019
3.5 stars. Such entertaining writing! I giggled out loud multiple times.
Read
August 21, 2017Nice ending to the series
September 21, 2023
4,5 stars
An exciting and brilliantly funny adventure.
An exciting and brilliantly funny adventure.
November 5, 2022
:(
Update: finally have landed on what disappointed me about this book—so much of its implicit & explicit politics and plot development creates a work where heteronormativity ultimately triumphs over any type of queerness. Which is generally a pretty shit message to send, but especially when it comes to a kid’s book. It’s so heartbreaking because I loved the first couple books in this series and there’s so much about these books I still enjoy, but it’s hard to get terribly on board with a series that ultimately understands you and people like you as deviant, hysterical, and unworthy of respect.
Update: finally have landed on what disappointed me about this book—so much of its implicit & explicit politics and plot development creates a work where heteronormativity ultimately triumphs over any type of queerness. Which is generally a pretty shit message to send, but especially when it comes to a kid’s book. It’s so heartbreaking because I loved the first couple books in this series and there’s so much about these books I still enjoy, but it’s hard to get terribly on board with a series that ultimately understands you and people like you as deviant, hysterical, and unworthy of respect.
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