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Title: The Keep by F. Paul Wilson ISBN: 0-8125-7925-9 Publisher: Tor Books Pub. Date: 01 May, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.09 (53 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Basic horror made better
Comment: "The Keep" is really, in its basic form, a pulp horror novel and it covers some familiar territory: slimy, evil things in the dark that no one believes is there till their dead, characters getting mad at each other rather than at whatever is killing them. But "The Keep" is better than one might expect, and it is raised far above its humble horror premise. First of all, the setting elevates it: Set during world war II when the greatest horror in history was playing out, in an isolated keep that is brought into the modern world beautifully but given a hint of gothicism. Yet the "typical" scenes of horror here are elevated because of Wilson's genuine talent for giving the reader chills. The way he describes the darkness "enveloping" people is truly frightening, and there are many further scenes that induce terror, two dead men standing over a sleeping man's bed and etc. Then the characters - here is where Wilson truly excels. One might think that you can feel nothing for these characters, since they are Nazis. But throughout a large part of the book, the main character is German Captain Klaus Woermann, who despises Nazism and would really rather not be at the keep, he feels sorry for the suffering caused. He is a truly likeable character for the most part, but more importantly, he feels REAL, all the characters do. Even small characters who are only in the book for a few pages are given in an introduction, a brief history that truly makes you feel for them and for their situation. The finale gets a little to fantasy-ish for my personal tastes, as well as the final explanation behind the killing force in the keep, but thats a minor thing. There are so many scenes of spine-chilling horror in this book that it truly is a rarity of its type.
Rating: 5
Summary: BEST BOOK I'VE READ THIS YEAR!
Comment: I bought this book...ooh, I don't know...maybe two years ago, in some used bookstore, simply because the front cover said "A Novel Of Deep Horror". For two years (I guess) the book just sat there in my room, doing nothing. Then, on August 1 (a date that I will not soon forget), I began reading this (don't ask me how I came to do it--maybe fate?), and I was immediately hooked! The first couple of chapters of this masterpiece were horrifying, terrifying, and with just enough gore to please the standard horror audiences (me included), but not gross-out. The book takes place in 1941, in a place in the Transylvanian Alps called the Dinu Pass. In Dinu Pass is a small castle, or Keep, and it is here that the story occurs. The book starts off in the present, where Major Sturmbanfurer Kaempffer recieves a message from the Keep, saying, quite simply, "SOMETHING IS MURDERING MY MEN." Then the book takes a sort of flashback, where Captain Klaus Woermann of the German Army is assigned with a small league of his soldiers there to watch for any possible invasion by the Russians. Woermann has this sort of dread feeling the minute he crosses the threshold of the Keep and into its courtyard, but he cannot think why. And the whole book just goes on and on, and never lets up until the end. I recall one particular sentence in one of the first couple of chapters that is a real haunter: The horror has begun. These four words are what truely captivated me more than anything else. I will not begin to tell what this "horror" is, but I will only say, READ THIS BOOK. F. Paul Wilson is a uniquely talented writer, and he writes very clearly, with well-developed characters, great visual settings, and quite some scary scenes (let me tell you!). What is really unique about this book is the setting: 1941 in Romania, one of the few countries not totally taken over during this mighty war. As a matter of fact, there is not a single American in the book; in addition, I only recall seeing the word "America" in the last 40 or so pages, only once or twice. There is also something else unique: for a long time, the main character of the book is Klaus Woermann, and he his of the German Army--one of what once were the "bad guys." In this book, the reader learns of his internal hatred of Nazism, as well as how he only joined the war for the honor of prideful battles of justice. I rooted for him, believe it or not, and future readers might do so, too. F. Paul Wilson's character development was excruciatingly *real*. When minor characters died off in the book, they had a small introduction before this. This is much like the usual writing style of another author (James Herbert--nearly *all* his characters are like this), but this is a good thing--if there is no introduction or background to a character, their being killed off is as sad a moment as seeing those cardboard cutout characters from those old B-horror movies. We *need* some intro, and this is it. There are so many other things I would want to talk about from this book, but unless everyone in the entire world read--and enjoyed--this book, I cannot share them. This review was written not only to show my feelings for the book, but to interest other people in reading it. Therefore, I will leave all the wonderful--and horrible--surprises for newcomers to discover. This book will one day be a classic, along with other such terrors as The Shining, I Am Legend, and so many more. I have yet to see the movie, but many people hated it, and from what I've heard, it is more influenced by this book than based upon it. Whatever the movie is like, read this book first, if not instead. I guarantee readers of all sorts--horror, romance, science fiction, fantasy, the works--will enjoy it. Purchase and enjoy this book, people, and don't get too scared...
Rating: 4
Summary: Excellent Horror
Comment: The Keep is an outstanding and satisfying horror yarn. I highly recommend it to fans of the genre. Also to the reader from New Hamshire The Keep was made into a movie. Check out the film. It has a great cast.
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