The Gateway, Glen G. Thater

The Gateway by Glenn G. Thater

This was one of those weeks in which I only had time to read one book and what a book! Thater starts out running and the action doesn't stop.

In ‘The Gateway’, indie author Glenn G. Thater has created a mythology and a world that feels as real as that of Tolkien’s Middle Earth.  It begins with a Foreword that uses the intriguing plot device of purporting to be the culmination of years of research into the existence and mythology of a ‘legendary’ figure, Lord Angle Theta.  That foreword hooked me immediately, history and mythology geek that I am.

At the outset, Brother Clarendon Eotrus attempts to discover what happened to his father, Lord Aradon, who has mysteriously vanished along with his rangers into a strange fog. They had gone to investigate in the daylight hours why horrible and mysterious noises emanate from the Vermion Forest at night, driving the residents mad. Those who live in Dor Eotrus must stop up their ears with wax in order to sleep. 

Joining Clarendon are Gabriel Garn, the wizard of Dor Eotrus and several other amazingly fleshed out characters; including a wonderfully cranky Gnome named Ob, who is one of my favorite characters in this tale.   Lord Angle Theta and his servant, Dolan Silk also join the quest. Theta is mysterious and enigmatic; appearing out of nowhere for the sole purpose of joining the quest, having been'led' there. It turns out that he is a reknowned knight and is old friends with Gabriel Garn. He is a man with arcane knowlege, who knows that the barriers are breaking down between the Worlds of Chaos and the human world of Midgaard.  He has come to stop it.

The plot moves along at a good pace, with the back-story presented in such a way that it does not interfere with the action; and there is a great deal of action.  The battles are bloody and messy; and one thing leads to another with vengeance. The quest to find the missing Lord of Dor becomes the desperate need to stem an otherworldly invasion which will plunge the world into darkness should evil prevail.

There are characters whose passing in battle made me shed a tear.  Thater had made them so real to me that I felt real sadness at their fate.

The line between good and evil is at times blurred, as motives among the questers are revealed.  It is a gritty and often violent tale, one that will not appeal to the squeamish.  The descriptions of both action and place are detailed and graphic, and if at times the dialog is somewhat confused as to whether it is old English or modern English, it is nonetheless a gripping tale.

This is a short tale by most standards, and speed-reader that I am, I read it in one evening. It will appeal to all of those who love adventure and mythology, especially Norse Mythology.  All in all I found this to be a good story, and well worth reading. I love a good epic quest tale and I loved ‘The Gateway’ by Glenn G. Thater. I will definitely be buying the next installment in the series.

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