Skip to main content

Nazis, Jews, and Vampires... Oh My!!


Book Review:  "The Keep" by F. Scott Wilson

Just when you thought this would be just another blog about miniatures and wargaming!  Well, I've made it one of my personal goals for 2012 to read more books and "The Keep" was the first one I crossed off my list.

This book was also my first purchase on my new Amazon Kindle  And I must say, if you enjoy reading, then you should really consider getting a Kindle. I was hesitant to embrace the technology, but now I'm converted.  I no longer have to scour through a bookstore or a library to find that one special book I was searching for.  Nope, I just browse the website from my device and download!  And no more shelf space issues!

On with the review.  The Amazon description reads as follows,
"The keep had stood empty in the Transylvanian Alps for 500 years. No one knew who built it, or why. But on the eve of WWII, German soldiers move in and awaken something - something hungry... "
If that doesn't wake the 16-year-old nerd king in you, then I don't know what will!  I never watched the 1982 Michael Mann movie.  From what I have heard, that's a good thing.  The author, F. Paul Wilson, described the movie as "visually striking but otherwise incomprehensible".   I expect most of you would be much more satisfied with the book.

The story takes place in the hinterlands of Romania during the early stages of WWII when the German army was conquering the majority of Europe with relative ease.  Concurrently, the SS was starting it's campaign to oppress the Jews and any other peoples that were deemed as 'unclean'.  This included gypsies, Romanians, Poles, Serbs, Slavs and many others.  A company of wehrmacht soldiers are assigned to capture a remote mountain pass which is protected by an enigmatic fortress simply called, 'The Keep'.  When they arrive, they meet only the caretakers of the fortress, who insist the Germans leave and soon. After a few nights, the commander sends a desperate message back to Germany explaining that "Something is killing my men."  The alleged anagonist can only be described as (bleh, bleh, bleh!) a vampire!  Thus, the high command responds by a dispatching a company of SS einsatzkommandos.

A cast of boilerplate characters assemble at 'The Keep' in an attempt to solve the mystery before they are all killed. Without spoiling too much of the story, I can safely say it doesn't end the way you would expect it.

There is something intrinsically satisfying about a story of SS troopers getting royally whupped by a prince of the undead. The beginning of the story drags because the author needs to set the stage but he keeps the story moving.  Be warned!  This is a horror story at it's base and I was hiding under the covers for a few chapters.  Nevertheless, I made it to the end of the book.  I recommend this book.  It as a quality example of the sci-fi/historical fiction/horror/fantasy/occult/whatever-you-wanna-call-it genre.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Blog is going on a Permanent Vacation

Ok, I haven't had any comments on this blog on an post for many, many months. The only post that seems to get any traffic is my 2015 post about Star Fleet Battles.  I don't fully understand why that post has generated so much interest, while the rest of my content has been mostly ignored.  Clearly, this has not been an successful blog. I get much more traffic with my Facebook content and the YouTube channel is showing promise. Perhaps the subjects of my posts have been too random. I may need to focus on a specific game or subject. Maybe I didn't generate enough posts to keep the audience connected. Whatever the case, I am ending this blog with this final post.  I'm calling it a 'permanent vacation' because the blog and posts will still be here, though I will not be adding any new content. I might continue to comment on the SFB post since that is still generating traffic 3 years after it was published. To anyone who might still be reading, I say 'Thank...
2 comments
Read more

Gulf Strike - Final Turns 26,27,28,29, and 30

The "Soviet-Persian War" continues using the Gulf Strike rules. We have reached the final turns of the scenario. Turn 30 is the last turn, when we will count the number of cities captured by the Soviets and determine the margin of victory. The Soviets currently have 10 cities captured. The US is building a supply network in southern Iran. Can they reach the Iranian cities in time to help defend? Most of the air missions and ground assaults have been reduced due to decreasing supply for both sides. Turn 26 - US/Iran still have the initiative On Land: The last few Iranian infantry brigades move toward Esfahan. The Soviets assault the city of Kashan and capture it. This is the 11th city for the Soviets. This qualifies them for a 'marginal victory'. At Sea: The US LHA carrier with a compliment of AV-8 Harrier aircraft, moves northwest to the Iranian port city of Abadan. In the Air: Harriers launch air strikes against Soviet targets approaching Ahraz, but are ineffecti...
Post a Comment
Read more

Glider Rifle Company

I've started my new 15mm WW2 army for Flames of War . Even though some of the local players have decided to stop playing FoW, I still believe there is a lot of life left in this game. Even if they are correct, I seriously doubt that WW2 games in 15mm will go away any time soon. Case in point; my friend Dale has decided to purchase the rulebook for the excellent game I Ain't Been Shot Mum . He asked me if I'd be willing to learn the game with him and I agreed. I've played the game before and discussed it in this earlier post. This game provides a bit more realism than Flames of War and there are times when I really enjoy the gritty details of a serious wargame. So, we've setup a goal for each of us to paint up an army. I will build a US Glider Rifle Company and Dale will do a German PanzerGrenadier Company. I've purchased a box of the plastic US Infantry from The Plastic Soldier Company. They are great sculpts for the price. The only trick will be to figure o...
6 comments
Read more