Touch

I have no officially read the first three volumes of F. Paul Wilson's Adversary Cycle--The Keep, The Tomb, and now The Touch. The only thing is, without reading the final three books in the series--Reborn, Reprisal, and Nightworld--I don't have a clue how this one fits in with the others. From the book descriptions I know that Rasalom, from The Keep, is the main enemy of the series and that Repairman Jack shows up in the last book, but I don't have a clue as to how this one fits in.

Anyway, The Touch is about a doctor who gets a mysterious healing power. Unfortunately for him, that power comes with a terrible price. The story is mainly about how Dr. Bulmer, and those around him react to his strange power. He gets mobbed by sick people, his wife leaves him, and his colleagues all think that he's either insane or a quack. It isn't a particularly scary book, though it does get a bit gruesome near the end.

Still, this a good, gripping book. I read it in less than a day. Unfortunately, even though The Keep and The Tomb have been recently reprinted in inexpensive paperbacks, The Touch is out of print. Still, you can currently get a nice used hardcover copy from Amazon for about $10 (for some odd reason the used paperbacks are more expensive). I like this book, and you should try it if you can find it. I give The Touch four and a half yo-yos.

Keepin' It Real

Okay, so I read another F. Paul Wilson Book: The Keep. Wow, this is a great book.

The plot is about a bunch of WWII German soldiers who take over a place called the Keep to use as a fort. One of them accidentally releases an ancient evil and it begins killing them. They call for help and some SS goons show up. The Nazis drag in a Jewish scholar and his daughter to figure out what's going on.

I do seem to vaguely recall seeing the movie that was based on this book. I also remember that I didn't like it all that much, but I loved the book. It has a hell of a lot going for it.

The atmosphere in The Keep is genuinely creepy and menacing. Then there are the characters; they are presented very realistically. I actually cared what happened to the Jews. I hated the Nazis and the monster. I even had a grudging respect for Woermann, the leader of the soldiers (who was not actually a Nazi). The monster was genuinely scary. The writing is superb.

If you haven't read this book, do it now. You can get a copy for $4.99, which is a damn good price. I give The Keep a full Five yo-yos.