Nigel isn’t finding his work particularly fulfilling these days. Being a Gatekeeper to the dead and living on a specially commissioned narrow boat on a specially built canal annex to Gloucester Docks sounded fun at first but the years of service to the recently re-branded after-life have left him isolated and bored of life. Only ever getting to meet dead people, demons and Grim Reapers doesn’t give him much opportunity to make friends and have a social life. At least his job is recession proof. Increasingly losing faith in the competency of his superiors on the other side and rapidly developing a case of boat envy to the other boats in the docks, Nigel is getting more and more desperate for some sort of a normal life. Nigel gets his chance to befriend and interact with real, living, human beings when he has a chance meeting with Charlie, a familiar face from his past. Although Charlie and her friends aren’t especially grounded in reality either, they do seem to welcome Nigel into their small group. Nigel’s little corner of the Mortal world is in for a bit of a shock though. A political storm from beyond the grave is threatening to spill over into Nigel’s world. Nigel’s bosses are locked in a bitter power struggle and conspiring to take over the after-life, which could lead to big changes to the rules that govern death and the spiritual world. Can Nigel lead the normal life he so craves and keep his job as a Gatekeeper to the Dead? Can he keep his friends from finding out the truth of what he does? Just why does Charlie have such a vendetta against Ringo Starr? Are demons really all evil? The Gatekeeper on the Docks is a comedy fantasy about music, apathy, conspiracy and death.
The Gatekeeper on the Docks (The Gatekeepers)
and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more
| |||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more. |
Book Description
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
About the Author
I was raised in Gloucester in the English West Country where I spent my youth talking inane rubbish with my friends, going out to gigs and writing silly stories. I went to Portsmouth University to study Palaeobiology and Evolution, after coming to terms with the fact that I wasn’t going to find a career I was interested in with that, I moved to London. After several frustrating years pretending to care about my attempts to break into IT, I decided to go ahead a do what I really wanted to and write. I mostly write sci-fi and fantasy comedies. I currently live and work in London.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Fiona
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Enjoyed this book. The characters are engaging and real, the situation fantastical and the denouement satisfying.
The main character will appeal to everyone who has felt themselves an outcast. His friends are sympathetic characters - I like the cook best.
Loved it and will look out for more.
The main character will appeal to everyone who has felt themselves an outcast. His friends are sympathetic characters - I like the cook best.
Loved it and will look out for more.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By M. Kitcatt
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Enjoyed reading this book very much. Any explanation could spoil the story, so, this is all I can say.
Good story, good characters, with a twisted logic that works.
Kit
Good story, good characters, with a twisted logic that works.
Kit
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By RobinC
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I didn't really know what to expect from this book (it being a debut novel and all).
We're introduced to a shabby character in a sleepy English town who has found himself trapped for years in a very unusual job. Taking a chance opportunity to make some friends and push back against his mysterious employers initially seems harmless but soon puts him on a collision course with... forces. beyond. his. control. (Read that in Redd Pepper's voice.)
The characters are believable (and flawed) and the fantasy elements are bent to action and comedy as often as they're used to drive the plot. There are some neat self-contained comedic scenes as well as some dramatic socks to the guts.
The mix of the fantastic and the mundane inevitably invites comparisons to Terry Pratchett's young adult novels, but Gatekeeper is less straitlaced and more fun.
For two measly quid it's definitely worth a look.
We're introduced to a shabby character in a sleepy English town who has found himself trapped for years in a very unusual job. Taking a chance opportunity to make some friends and push back against his mysterious employers initially seems harmless but soon puts him on a collision course with... forces. beyond. his. control. (Read that in Redd Pepper's voice.)
The characters are believable (and flawed) and the fantasy elements are bent to action and comedy as often as they're used to drive the plot. There are some neat self-contained comedic scenes as well as some dramatic socks to the guts.
The mix of the fantastic and the mundane inevitably invites comparisons to Terry Pratchett's young adult novels, but Gatekeeper is less straitlaced and more fun.
For two measly quid it's definitely worth a look.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see the review
5.0 out of 5 stars
Was this review helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
More, More, More...............
What can I say about this book.
Well I can say that it was marvelous, fantastic, superb and brilliant. Unfortunately these words do not do this story justice. Read more
Well I can say that it was marvelous, fantastic, superb and brilliant. Unfortunately these words do not do this story justice. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Daydreamer
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Gatekeeper on the Docks
I purchased this book as a summer holiday read. The best compliment I can pay it is that it kept me from world-class snorkelling. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Richard
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great first book from a promising young author
I didn't know what to expect of this when I first started but I was gripped very early on by the fantastic story that Tess Stenson has created. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Jim
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Fantasy > Contemporary
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
