Book Review: The Gatepost by Tim Weed

 

The Gatepost by Tim Weed

264 pages, Paperback
Expected publication: May 26, 2026 by Podium Publishing

Very rare that an author comes out of nowhere for me. Tim Weed was an author I admit I never heard of before last year, when his novel the Afterlife Project, showed up in my mail. I was not prepared for the scope of it. Part Generation Ship story, this novel dealt with environmental issues by telling our story over centuries. I loved this novel and thought it was a wonderful surprise.

So when another Tim Weed novel was offered to me, I jumped on it. The Gatepost will interest many of my Dickian fans, but I have to admit it is a topic that is a bit of a turn-off for me. This novel might work better for others, and could be a classic case of “it’s not you novel, it’s me.”

The back cover compares says it is “Perfect for fans of Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi, Emily St John Mandel’s Sea of Tranquility, and Richard Powers’ Bewilderment.” Three books I admit I know nothing about. While it might sound hypocritical, Mesoamerica shaman mind expansion is just not a fictional topic that hooks me.  

In the second half, there is a serious exploration of reality, and Weed does this by jumping in timelines. Esme is our point of view character and she is on the hunt for her missing father. The narrative investigates the disappearance, through his journals and high doses of Psilocybin Mushrooms.

The novel also starts with a chapter that is “Told” and not shown. Show don’t tell to me is a fundamental of storytelling, and Weed’s Afterlife Project had a built-in excuse to violate this rule; The Gatepost didn’t. The opening sentence, “Esme Weatherhead kept catching herself talking to a ghost.” This is a fine opening for the novel, but imagine if we were experiencing the conversation? What if it felt like a normal father-daughter conversation, and we slowly realized he wasn’t exactly alive?

This missed opportunity within the first pages colored my experience. There are neat revalations and interesting ideas in the novel for sure. It didn’t work for me as well as the Afterlife Project, a novel I thought was great. Now that being said, your mileage will vary. I have a feeling this book will connect with some readers deeply, it just didn’t totally work for me. Weed is a talented writer and I will continue to read his work.