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Author (Platform): Iain Rob Wright (Kindle)
Publisher (Release): Ulcerated Press (2015)
Length: 309 pages
Genres: Adult; Horror; Fantasy; Sci-Fi; Apocalyptic
❗️Disclaimers❗️:
vibrant descriptions of violence and gore
explorations of religious beliefs and racism
this review contains low-level spoilers
recommendation: must read
👍 Pros 👍
Surprisingly effective apocalyptic horror
Seamless switch between characters around the globe, each with their own engaging stories
Doesn’t wear its genre out, opting instead to merge horror with fantasy to keep things fresh
👎 Cons 👎
The anticlimactic finale makes the story feel incomplete
Unremarkable and vague villains
👀 Synopsis 👀
Mankind’s extinction is about to begin…
When bizarre, immovable black stones appear across the globe, the world’s best scientists are baffled. Where did they come from? What is their purpose? Are they dangerous?
When the stones begin to ‘wake up,’ the answers are worse than anyone ever imagined.
As global anarchy erupts, US Coast Guard Guy Granger sets off on a desperate journey across the Atlantic to find his children. Elsewhere, Mina Magar is a journalist forced to photograph horrors she can barely believe, while fading pop star Rick Bastion is forced to fight for his survival despite wishing he was dead. When the enemy finally reveals itself, all seems lost.
🛎️ Introduction 🛎️
The Gates is a surprising little fantasy horror that opens with a bloody visceral bang. Its pacing is unbelievably smooth and its exploration of various vivid cast members is perfectly balanced. I cannot understate just how much of a masterclass author Iain Rob Wright is when it comes to crafting a global, apocalyptic tale with multiple branching narratives.
🧩 Plots 🧩
Right from the get-go we’re riveted. A compelling mystery deceives the reader, piquing their curiosity while sneaking up behind them with cutting and graphic horror. It’s a story unafraid to push the boundaries of visceral imagination and dive deep into what makes people tick. Deftly incorporating themes of mental illness and racism, Wright shows the extremes of what people are capable of in times of crisis, from impossible heroics to unbelievable savagery.
Story beats are well scattered, keeping the flow fluid and moving, and while the body gore continues right until the end, The Gates becomes more of an apocalyptic fantasy rather than a horror. Personally, I appreciated it, horror is difficult to maintain once the reader settles, so switching it up and giving us a more layered world is a smart choice.
What does the end of the world look like?
The ending is a little abrupt. Reading on Kindle, I was only at 75% with things just feeling like they were getting going to a finale when I got hit with an excerpt from book 2. Double checking, I had indeed reached the end, the excerpt is just a lengthy one, which doesn’t do the book favours despite being generous.
It also emphasises the anticlimax of a plot that’s been unrelenting right up until that brick wall. It might be a series, but The Gates feels like a 1/4 of it is missing.
…a story unafraid to push the boundaries…
🎭 Characters 🎭
Wright takes us on multiple action-packed adventures, soaking the reader in a third-person, past-tense narrative full of blood and adrenaline. The cast is fleshed and engaging, with their own personal traumas, traits, and terrible timing. They’re bolstered by the author’s impeccable talent to switch organically between them, regardless of where they are in the world, bolstering the novel’s feeling of being connected.
No one is safe is an understatement. When most say that I’ve never really experienced it to be true, even in the most cutthroat of stories, instead, there are usually a few that the consumer knows will make it. The Gates messes with the reader, and keeps them on their toes nice and tense as it kills whoever the story demands…and it demands.
Who will survive?
Character development is fitting and well-tailored to each viewpoint, but, villain-wise, things are a bit mundane and cheesy. Given the scale of what takes place, nothing really stood out as the thing in the way. The most we see comes down to talking cannon fodder to help push the story along, and I kept waiting for a big bad to take shape and give the opposition a little more personality.
No one is safe is an understatement.
🧠 Final Thoughts 🧠
The Gates is a hard-hitting horror that keeps itself fresh with rich fantasy. It’s apocalyptic, unforgiving, and visually striking with brutal, bloody violence. It embraces the chaos that humanity can cause when it descends into fear, but also the hope that can spring from those dark depths. Populated with a cast that feels alive, no one is safe in this addictive fight through the end of the world.
The Phoenix Project 
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