Preview
  • The Keep

  • The Adversary Cycle, Book 1
  • By: F. Paul Wilson
  • Narrated by: Ralph Lister
  • Length: 15 hrs and 36 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (797 ratings)

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The Keep

By: F. Paul Wilson
Narrated by: Ralph Lister
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Publisher's summary

The Keep is the first book in the Adversary Cycle from best-selling author F. Paul Wilson

"Something is murdering my men."

Thus reads the message received from a Nazi commander stationed in a small castle high in the remote Transylvanian Alps. Invisible and silent, the enemy selects one victim per night, leaving the bloodless and mutilated corpses behind to terrify its future victims.

When an elite SS extermination squad is dispatched to solve the problem, the men find something that's both powerful and terrifying. Panicked, the Nazis bring in a local expert on folklore - who just happens to be Jewish - to shed some light on the mysterious happenings. And unbeknownst to anyone, there is another visitor on his way - a man who awoke from a nightmare and immediately set out to meet his destiny.

The battle has begun: On one side, the ultimate evil created by man, and on the other...the unthinkable, unstoppable, unknowing terror that man has inevitably awakened.

©1981 F. Paul Wilson (P)2020 Audible, Inc.
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What listeners say about The Keep

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Powerful, exciting and terrifying. A+

The Keep is a perfect blend of white-knuckle suspense, intense action and pulse-pounding horror. Wilson creates a truly satisfying mythology rooted in strong historical and metaphysical themes. The character development is outstanding. This version specifically is bolstered by Lister’s performance, which is truly outstanding in both its range and sincerity. I’m so very glad I took a chance on it and don’t doubt you will as well. Go for it!

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it

love it, awesome narrative easy tone to keep your attention and follow story line, thanks.love it,

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Introduction to the Otherness

A nice introduction and background for the series. Overall, the book is a fun read with a few unexpected twists. Not too deep in character development, classic horror plot, supernatural entities, it’s the perfect listen for the drive home after work.

The story is set in 1941 at the Dinu Pass in Romania. A Squad of Nazi soldiers are stationed at the keep when something begins to kill the men. The entity is killing one victim each night and leaving a mutilated corpse behind. The German soldiers desperately trying to unravel the mystery bring in an old professor and his daughter to help. The story does a great job blending vampire folklore with the evil entity known as “The Otherness” to create some very interesting twists. The plot is well thought out and brings all the pieces together for a solid ending.

I recommend sticking with this series. The next book, The Tomb, introduces Repairman Jack—a fixer of problems that fall outside of the law—who is pulled into this battle against the “Otherness,” and has his own series running parallel with the Adversary Cycle.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Classic Battle of Good and Evil

I listened to this book when it first came out on books on tape and this second listening was just as good. The Excellent narrator tells the creepy story of a nameless evil in a very strange old keep in the Carpathian Mountains. A really great audio book.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Good vs Evil

4.5 stars rounded up to 5. What a unique take on …. Vampires? It reminded me a little of the Highlander series. Very enjoyable. Lots of history mixed in. Bad guys that it was easy to dislike getting murdered? I’m in! Excellent job with creepy atmosphere and explanations that surprised me. The ending was fabulous!! Lots of tension throughout. Every reveal was a red herring until the absolute last quarter or so. What an evil entity that was so good at manipulating even the best of souls. Loved this!!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great Dark Story!

I saw Michael Mann's movie years ago. This is the first time I've experienced the original story. I think the original is much better. Just when you start to root for the monster ...

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story!

Why does every German soilder have to yell there words... my ears hurt after that one!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Solid Story

Very much into horror novels , particularly vampire ones and somehow I’d never heard of this author until recently when I listened to another book by him called Midnight Mass. I then heard this was very popular and I have to say the story was very solid and kept me listening pretty much non-stop throughout the whole weekend .

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic!

Great Story!
Good writer and great narrator.
Looking for something original. I would highly recommend this book.
thank you.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Narrator Mismatch!

I bought this book because the movie The Keep has long been a favorite of mine, and since I've always found books to be better than the movies made from them, I thought I would see how the book measured up against the movie. Story-wise, the book has followed the movie quite closely (I'm about half through it so far. Unfortunately, whoever decided to use Ralph Lister to narrate the book missed the mark badly. The narrator's heavy English accent doesn't work at all with the story, which is based in Romania, during WWII, and involving German officers and soldiers and Romanian citizens. The constant English accented dialogue throughout the entire book was annoying and distracting from an otherwise good story.

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1 person found this helpful