The Keep (Wilson novel)

Last updated
The Keep
FPWs The Keep 1st Edition.jpg
First Edition
Author F. Paul Wilson
Cover artistCheryl Asherman
LanguageEnglish
Series The Adversary Cycle
Genre Horror
Publisher William Morrow
Publication date
August 1981
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (Hardcover and Paperback)
Pages347
ISBN 0-688-00626-4
OCLC 7279273
813/.54 19
LC Class PS3573.I45695 K4
Followed by The Tomb  

The Keep is a 1981 horror novel by American writer F. Paul Wilson. It is also the first volume in a series of six novels known as The Adversary Cycle . [1] It appeared on the New York Times Best Seller list and has been adapted into a film by Michael Mann in 1983 and as a limited series of comics in 2006.

Contents

Plot

German soldiers and SS Einsatzkommandos are being slowly killed off in a mysterious castle (the "keep" of the title) high in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania in April 1941. Theodore Cuza, a Jewish history professor living in Bucharest, and his daughter Magda are brought to the keep by SS Sturmbannfuhrer Eric Kaempffer in a desperate attempt to determine what is murdering his men. Cuza is later tasked with defeating the unknown evil that is wreaking havoc. The professor translates a mysterious message written in blood on a wall that uses a forgotten dialect of Old Romanian or Old Slavonic.

The entity responsible for the deaths calls itself "Molasar", and it finds Professor Cuza useful. Molasar procures his services through deception and false promises, and even puts the scleroderma from which he suffers into remission so he could work for him. Molasar is later revealed to be Rasalom, an ancient sorcerer from the "First Age" of humans.

An immortal man calling himself Glenn, whose real name is Glaeken, is a reluctant champion of the ancient Forces of Light. He becomes aware of Rasalom's activity from across the world and travels to the keep. He built the keep as a prison for Rasalom, out of the reluctance to kill him outright. The two beings are mystically linked in a way that binds their destinies together, even though Rasalom's growing mystical powers are vastly greater than Glenn's own. To keep him from ever forgetting his mission, the Forces of Light had taken away his reflection.

Magda and Glenn meet and develop a romantic relationship. Professor Cuza manipulates the Germans into arresting Glenn and bringing him into the keep, where he will be vulnerable to Rasalom. Inside the keep, the German soldiers riddle Glenn's body with bullets. Magda brings Glenn his mystical sword, the source of his power, which enables him to heal his mortal wounds. Rasalom instructs Professor Cuza to remove the talisman that imprisons him and bury it outside the keep.

Magda leaves Glenn to recuperate, and tries to convince her misguided father not to cross the perimeter of the fortress. Glenn arrives and joins the talisman to his sword, enabling him to drive Rasalom back into the depths of the keep. Rasalom then uses his telekinetic abilities to launch an overwhelming assault against Glenn. Rasalom rashly launches himself bodily at his age-old enemy and is reduced to ashes by a single stroke from Glenn's sword. Glenn plummets onto the craggy rocks below. He awakens to discover that he is now mortal, having vanquished his long-time foe, and he and Magda reunite.

Adaptations

Comic book cover art FPWs The Keep graphic novel.jpg
Comic book cover art

The book was adapted into a film by Michael Mann for Paramount in 1983. [2] The film was a critical and financial disaster but retains a cult following, partly due to Tangerine Dream's work on the soundtrack, stories surrounding the film's troubled production, and significant studio interference that most notably reduced the film from an unreleased 210-minute cut to a theatrical 96-minute cut. Wilson has publicly expressed his disapproval of the film on several occasions. Wilson has described the film as "visually intriguing, but otherwise utterly incomprehensible." [3] Note: one critical change in the film, was Glaeken's sword to some sort of quarterstaff. Another notable difference in the film's conclusion is that Glaeken is pulled into the same illuminated portal as Molasar, implying the end of Glaeken.

A board game adaptation of the film by Mayfair Games, The Keep (board game), was released in 1983.

The film was also adapted into an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons compatible ("generic universal") module, The Keep, by Mayfair Games in 1984. (Note that it was not an official Advanced Dungeons & Dragons product.)

In 2006 the novel was adapted into comic book form by Wilson himself, with art by Matthew Smith. [4] In contrast to his feelings on the movie, Wilson has stated that he prefers this adaptation and considers it what the movie should have been, which is why he scripted the series for the comics. Comic Book Daily said: "Overall story, pacing, character development are all well done". [4] The comic was re-released in a new edition in 2021. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elric of Melniboné</span> Fictional character

Elric of Melniboné is a fictional character created by English writer Michael Moorcock and the protagonist of a series of sword and sorcery stories taking place on an alternative Earth. The proper name and title of the character are Elric VIII, 428th Emperor of Melniboné. Later stories by Moorcock marked Elric as a facet of the Eternal Champion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Shadow</span> Fictional character

The Shadow is a fictional character created by American magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator, and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by Gibson, The Shadow has been adapted into other forms of media, including American comic books, comic strips, serials, video games, and at least five feature films. The radio drama included episodes voiced by Orson Welles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hellboy</span> Comic book superhero

Hellboy is a superhero created by Mike Mignola and appearing in comic books published by Dark Horse Comics. The character first appeared in San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2, and has since appeared in various miniseries, one-shots, and intercompany crossovers. The character has been adapted into four live-action films: Hellboy (2004) and its sequel The Golden Army (2008), a 2019 reboot film, and The Crooked Man (2024). The character also appeared in two straight-to-DVD animated films and three video games – Dogs of the Night (2000), The Science of Evil (2004) and Web of Wyrd (2023).

<i>Sabrina the Teenage Witch</i> Comic book series

Sabrina the Teenage Witch is a comic book series published by Archie Comics about the adventures of a fictional American teenager named Sabrina Spellman. Sabrina was created by writer George Gladir and artist Dan DeCarlo, and first appeared in Archie's Madhouse #22. Storylines of the character at elementary-school-age also appear under the title "Sabrina -- That Cute Little Witch" in almost all of the Little Archie comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Wilson (short story)</span> Short story by Edgar Allan Poe

"William Wilson" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1839 in The Gift, with a setting inspired by Poe's formative years on the outskirts of London. The tale features a doppelgänger. It also appeared in the 1840 collection Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque, and has been adapted several times.

<i>Swordquest</i> Video game series

Swordquest is a series of video games originally produced by Atari, Inc. in the 1980s as part of a contest, consisting of three finished games, Earthworld, Fireworld and Waterworld, and a planned fourth game, Airworld.

<i>The Keep</i> (film) 1983 film by Michael Mann

The Keep is a 1983 supernatural horror film written and directed by Michael Mann and starring Scott Glenn, Gabriel Byrne, Jürgen Prochnow, Alberta Watson, and Ian McKellen. Set in Romania during World War II, it follows a group of Nazi soldiers who unleash a malevolent supernatural force after setting up camp in an ancient stone fortress in the Carpathian Mountains. It is an adaptation of the 1981 novel of the same title by American writer F. Paul Wilson. The musical score was composed by Tangerine Dream.

Repairman Jack is a fictional character in a series of novels by F. Paul Wilson. The novels are "realistic" in tone and thriller-like, while dealing with the supernatural. It is technically a spin-off branch of the larger, overarching supernatural horror series, The Adversary Cycle.

<i>Dungeon</i> (comics)

Dungeon is a series of comic fantasy comic books created by Joann Sfar and Lewis Trondheim, with contributions from numerous other artists. It is originally published in France since 1998 by Delcourt as a series of graphic albums; English editions of a large amount of stories have been released by NBM Publishing between 2002 and 2023 in translations by Joe Johnson, first in a black-and-white periodical version and then as several color graphic novels.

<i>Ronin</i> (DC Comics) Comic book limited series

Ronin is an American comic book limited series published by DC Comics between 1983 and 1984. The series was written and drawn by Frank Miller with artwork painted by Lynn Varley. It takes place in a dystopic near-future New York City in which a ronin is reincarnated. The six-issue work shows some of the strongest influences of manga and bande dessinée on Miller's style, both in the artwork and narrative style.

<i>The Hour of the Dragon</i> Fantasy novel by Robert E. Howard

The Hour of the Dragon, also known as Conan the Conqueror, is a fantasy novel by American writer Robert E. Howard featuring his sword and sorcery hero Conan the Cimmerian. It was one of the last Conan stories published before Howard's suicide, although not the last to be written. The novel was first published in serial form in the December 1935 through April 1936 issues of the pulp magazine Weird Tales. The first book edition was published by Gnome Press in hardcover in 1950. The Gnome Press edition retitled the story Conan the Conqueror, a title retained by all subsequent editions until 1977, when the original title was restored in an edition published by Berkley/Putnam. The Berkley edition also reverted the text to that of its original Weird Tales publication, discarding later edits. Later editions have generally followed Berkley and published under the original title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Corrigan</span> Comic book character

Jim Corrigan is the name of three fictional characters that have appeared in numerous comic books published by DC Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dracula (Marvel Comics)</span> Marvel Comics fictional character

Dracula is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is based on the vampire Count Dracula from the novel of the same name by author Bram Stoker. After the initial run of the series The Tomb of Dracula, the character has been depicted primarily as an antagonist to superheroes in the Marvel Universe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaman (comics)</span> Fictional character in Marvel Comics

Shaman is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as a member of Alpha Flight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eye of Agamotto</span> Marvel Comics magical object

The Eye of Agamotto is a fictional, mystical item appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The item appears in publications that feature Doctor Strange. The Eye of Agamotto and Agamotto in his caterpillar form also appeared in the Gold Key Dark Shadows comic book, Collinwood Possessed!. The Eye of Agamotto is the name commonly given to the amulet Strange wears on his chest, though the Eye resides within the amulet and is released from time to time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wong (Marvel Comics)</span> Fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics

Wong is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in Strange Tales #110. Wong was unnamed until Strange Tales #119. He is a supporting character of the superhero Doctor Strange. He stems from a family of monks living in Kamar-Taj.

<i>Pathfinder</i> (2007 film) 2007 American epic action film

Pathfinder is a 2007 American epic action film directed by Marcus Nispel and written by Laeta Kalogridis. Distributed by 20th Century Fox, it stars Karl Urban, Clancy Brown, Ralf Moeller, Moon Bloodgood, Russell Means, Jay Tavare, and Nathaniel Arcand.

<i>Red Sonja</i> (1985 film) 1985 American epic sword and sorcery film directed by Richard Fleischer

Red Sonja is a 1985 American epic sword-and-sorcery film directed by Richard Fleischer, and written by Clive Exton and George MacDonald Fraser. It is based on the character created by Robert E. Howard, Red Sonya of Rogatino, who also inspired the comic book character of the same name.

<i>Dungeons & Dragons</i> (IDW Publishing) Comic book series by IDW Publishing

Dungeons & Dragons is a series of comic books published by IDW Publishing, under the license from Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast, based on the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) fantasy role-playing game. From 2010 to 2024, IDW Publishing released two Dungeons & Dragons ongoing series, fifteen Dungeons & Dragons limited series, three crossover series, two annuals and a graphic novel.

The Keep is a board game published by Mayfair Games in 1983 that is based on the identically titled 1983 horror film.

References

  1. Kaye, Don (October 8, 2017). "These 18 Horror Writers Need to Be Adapted to Film and TV Now". Syfy Wire . Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  2. Rodriguez, Cain (September 24, 2014). "Watch: Vintage 22-Minute Featurette On 'The Keep,' Michael Mann Says He Wishes He Could Make It Again". IndieWire . Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  3. Selavy, Virginie (February 8, 2013). "The Keep". Electric Sheep. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
  4. 1 2 Vanderploeg, Scott (18 November 2011). "The Keep". Comic Book Daily. Archived from the original on 21 November 2011. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  5. "Heavy Metal Entertainment to Celebrate 40th Anniversary of 'The Keep' with New Graphic Novel Edition". Previews World. 28 May 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2024.