Gatemoodle: Book One of The Gates Of Inland

by John Rosegrant

Overview

Life is complicated enough for seventeen-year-old Dan with his embarrassing old friends and confusing new crush. But when his childhood stuffed beaver starts popping up where he doesn't belong and messing with Dan's head, things take a turn for the totally bizarre. And that's before a little old man suddenly appears in his bedroom to play computer games. Has Dan totally lost his grip on reality-or is the strange visitor for real when he says he needs help to keep the passage open to some magical world called Inland? Gatemoodle is the debut fantasy novel by John Rosegrant that stirs up a mind-stretching brew of brilliant magic, wisecracking humor, and even one or two clues to the meaning of life. The book introduces a new breed of adventurers who explore supernatural enchantments while still grappling with good old teenage life. Dan was already stressed about his future and his friends. His best friend Josh wants to hunt Sasquatch. And Dan has a massive crush on Maggie, but she seems more drawn to the Goth kid called the Green Goblin. Not only that, but Dan still has to get his head around the weird little man in his room, who calls himself a Gatekeeper and who looks curiously like the guy Dan saw at the office of his new therapist, Dr. Green. As Dan tries to open a magical gate and get to know Maggie, he also must open up to feelings about her gay friends, drug use, and troubled past. The Gatekeeper and Dr. Green are there to help him make some sense of it all, which is definitely a good thing considering creatures are trying to kill him. Can Dan escape to a magical world, or is there too much to do in his own, very real world? Find out in Gatemoodle, the wildly inventive tale that mashes up reality with fantasy in astonishing new ways. You're sure to eagerly follow Dan's foray into uncharted realms as he faces odd and terrifying dangers, gathers strange allies, and draws on resources he never knew he had.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781489584687
Publisher:	CreateSpace Publishing
Publication date:	11/06/2013
Series:	The Gates of Inland , #1
Pages:	324
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.73(d)

About the Author

John Rosegrant's delight in fantasy stories began with an encounter with The Hobbit when he was six years old. To keep gates open between cities and nature, John has lived in places as diverse as Michigan, Chicago, New York City, and Tucson, his current home with his wife and son.

Editorial Reviews

2014-01-22
A 17-year-old must save a magical world in a novel that blends reality and fantasy. At the beginning of Rosegrant's YA debut, Dan Hillman is bored. He has plenty on his mind—his new crush and his upcoming college applications, class trip, prom and high school graduation—but he can't seem to get excited about anything. That changes when he wakes up one night to find his favorite childhood stuffed animal playing "World of Warcraft." Dan learns that his beaver has been possessed by a creature calling himself Billy Portman, a "gatekeeper" from the world of Inland, which exists alongside the real world. Billy's world needs help from Dan, who will have to find it before he can learn his purpose there. Divided into three sections, the novel involves Dan's attempts to find his way to Inland, his journey in that magical realm and his return to his own world to act as instructed. Dan sets out on his trip with Maggie, the goth girl he has a crush on, and they encounter a river enchantress, witches, goblins and other supernatural creatures. Maggie feels at home in Inland and is entranced by one of the witches. What is Maggie's connection to Inland, and what does Inland need from Dan? Gatemoodle is the first book of the Gates of Inland series, which will answer some questions in future installments. As it is, some characters in this action-packed novel aren't developed much past archetypes, and its young hero seems to accept his new role a bit easily. Dan is a funny and likable protagonist, however, and Rosegrant links his regular and fantasy lives well. It's also interesting to have a protagonist in a fantasy novel who likes fantasy, including games such as "World of Warcraft," himself. His interests allow him to make fun connections in Inland that the more typical reluctant hero of fantasy might have missed. The novel also gives well-known fairy-story tropes a modern twist through Dan's point of view. A fantasy journey with an engaging teenage main character.

Kirkus Reviews