The Doorkeepers

Title: The Doorkeepers

Author: Graham Masterton

Published in: 2012

Date read: 12th April 2017

Score: 4/5

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"The Doorkeepers" by Graham Masterton, published in 2021, is a supernatural thriller that delves into the terrifying concept of portals to other, horrific dimensions and the unsung, brutal battle fought to keep them closed.

The story introduces Nathaniel and Rachel Caine, a married couple. Nathaniel works for a secretive and ancient organization known as the Doorkeepers. Their mission, passed down through generations, is to guard against incursions from horrifying entities that exist in realms beyond human comprehension, using specific locations on Earth as gateways. These entities, when they cross over, bring with them unimaginable terror, madness, and destruction.

Rachel, initially unaware of the full extent of her husband's family legacy, begins to experience unsettling phenomena. Their seemingly ordinary lives are shattered when the veil between worlds thins, and the Caines find themselves directly in the path of a new, exceptionally dangerous incursion.

The particular threat in this novel revolves around a series of inexplicable and gruesome events that defy rational explanation. People are disappearing, being horribly mutilated, or exhibiting signs of extreme psychological torment. These incidents are tied to specific "doors" – places where the barrier between dimensions is weakest.

Nathaniel, as a Doorkeeper, is forced to reveal the terrifying truth to Rachel. They must work together to understand the nature of the current incursion and, more importantly, to find a way to close the door that is allowing these horrors to seep into their world. Their fight is not against human enemies, but against monstrous entities that operate with alien logic and possess immense, reality-bending power.

The novel features Masterton's signature blend of visceral horror, psychological dread, and unsettling supernatural concepts. It explores themes of hereditary duty, the fragile boundary of reality, and the immense courage required to face an existential threat that most of humanity remains blissfully ignorant of. The Caines must confront the full, terrifying might of what lies beyond the threshold, leading to a desperate and often bloody struggle to protect humanity from forces it cannot even begin to comprehend. "The Doorkeepers" is a chilling exploration of cosmic horror and the hidden protectors who stand guard against it.

Comments:
Apart from remembering that I read the book and having recorded a score, I cannot remember anything about it that is not covered in the plot summary.

Books that we've read by Graham Masterton (9):
Charnel House (1978), Walkers (1989), Prey (1992), Fortnight of Fear (1994), Tooth And Claw (Jim Rook, #2) (1997), Snowman (Jim Rook, #4) (1999), The Devil in Gray (2004), The Doorkeepers (2012), Forest Ghost (2014)