This book is viciously violent, but juggles that well with Harry and Carmotta’s personalities. You don’t get too bogged down in misery, rather the darker elements create an atmospheric fog for the narrative to be told within. DeVries, Kelly. (2003) Medieval Military Technology. Toronto, Canada: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-0-921149-74-3. Sir Harry Larksdale, bastard brother of the king, falls in love with a mysterious lad from the mountains, driving him into the world of intrigues that revolves around the Britland royal family. At the same time, Queen Carmotta is trying to secure her life and her unborn children, as a coup is being gestated among the courtesans, led by the Third Queen; without reliable allies, she will totally depend on her own ingenious and some forces she cannot trust. Provocative and decadent, crude and funny, and an altogether entertaining fantasy adventure.” — Edward Cox, author of The Relic Guild series Historic England (24 Oct 1950), "Rochester Castle (1336100)", National Heritage List for England , retrieved 11 August 2023

Pennyblade’ doesn’t so much reinvent well-worn fantasy tropes as stab them to death in a dark alley. Kyra Cal’Adra is a lethally alluring protagonist weaving an intricate tale rich in ferocious action and multifaceted intrigue, all topped off by a deliciously vicious twist.”–Anthony Ryan, author of “Blood Song”, “The Wolf’s Call” and more Writer Steven Rybin notes in his book Michael Mann: Crime Auteur that The Keep "does not construct a view of the world in which simple and unambiguous forces such as "good" and "evil" do battle. Mann clearly finds human evil in the failure of systems and not in individuals", citing the fact that the Nazi soldiers in the film pillage the metal crosses from the stone fortress for economic gain, unwittingly unleashing the evil spirit of Molasar. [9] Rybin also asserts that, despite the narrative's core thematic elements, Mann is more concerned with crafting a "visual and sonic fairytale". [10] Production [ edit ] Filming [ edit ] The Keep Within is excellent from start to finish. Great characters, rich intrigue, full of twists, turns and some delightfully dark moments. And it’s funny! I loved it.”—Peter Newman, award-winning author of The Vagrant and Deathless series The Keep Within tells the story of the Brintland royal family, focusing on several key individuals. The story revolves around the current King, Ean, his wives Carmotta and Emmabelle, and a couple of the King's bastard brothers, Osrin, and Harry Larksdale. Larksdale is one of our main protagonists for the book, and we follow the story from his point of view for a good portion of it. Harry has grown up with a love of the arts and story telling, and runs a well respected theatre in the city. He has plans to be more than just a theatre manager, however, and is aiming to have himself named the next Master of Arts and Revels by the King. To this end, he does his best to keep the King happy, providing him with any women he wants, and various intoxicants for the high court parties.The theme and incidental music for The Keep was composed by Tangerine Dream. [27] The band previously worked with Mann on his first theatrical film Thief (1981). [28] The score to The Keep is primarily made up of moody soundscapes, as opposed to straightforward music cues. Most notably, an ambient cover of Howard Blake's " Walking in the Air" was featured during the end sequence of the film. Additionally, Tangerine Dream's arrangement of the song "Gloria" from Mass for Four Voices by Thomas Tallis can also be heard in the film.

In this instance the book works so well because of all the great characters. The main protagonist is Larksdale, but the story is told from several perspectives including one of the Queens and a mysterious witch like character. We even get to see events through the eyes of the killer, Red Marie. There is magic and folklore weaved through the book, but also a grittiness. Worrad likes nothing better than to pop a character’s arrogance should it get too much. There are some great twists that the reader will not see coming. A violent, and wildly imaginative, riot of a book." – R. J. Barker, author of "Age of Assassins" and "The Bone Ships" Possibly this isn't Michael Mann's best - or even next to next to best - movie, but I make no apologies for liking it quite a lot. In fact, my chief complaint about this movie is that it has never been released on DVD so that the full texture and sense of this piece could be better experienced and appreciated. It is a travesty with all the tripe that leaps from the undergrossing screen to overblown DVD these days, that no studio has had the stones to release THE KEEP on DVD.

Success!

Châtelain, André. (1983) Châteaux Forts et Féodalité en Ile de France, du XIème au XIIIème siècle. Nonette: Créer. ISBN 978-2-902894-16-1. (in French) This book was so mesmerizing, I could barely stop reading it to go do real life things! Filled with magic, intrigue and brutality, this highly original successor to Pennyblade wasn't quite as moving -- it's less about the savagery of love, to begin with -- but it was wonderful in its insistence that everyone can try to do the right thing, no matter how powerless we feel. Good people can falter and squabble and agree to disagree, but kindness and patience and perhaps even forgiveness can go a long way towards making things right. Playing to our own strengths and refusing to give in to despair will win the day more assuredly than any blade or royal dictate.

Stubbs, John H. and Emily G. Makaš. (2011) Architectural Conservation in Europe and the Americas. Hoboken, US: John Wiley. ISBN 978-0-470-60385-7. That may be overstating things, but The Keep has a power that’s hard to shake, like a vivid dream that clings to you long after waking. Arguably part of this effect comes from the brutal re-edit; scenes come and go with little context, the hero and heroine fall in love after knowing each other for 20 seconds and the movie feels very fragmented. The book and screenplay fill in many blanks, so let’s see if we can clear the dry ice fog a little and make sense of it all. The heroThe book also goes into detail about the “crosses” that cover the keep. They’re actually in the shape of a talisman, which is the handle of Glaeken’s weapon. This is what binds the monster to the keep, and why he needs it removed so he can be free. The book gives a better understanding of the stakes too; if Molesar escapes he will spread darkness and chaos across the world. Toy, Sidney. (1985) Castles: Their Construction and History. New York: Dover Publications. ISBN 978-0-486-24898-1. As you can see a lot going on yet Worrad knows when to let one plot point breathe; move on and then I the latter half collide with gusto. The story is always moving – dramatic, violent and thoughtful. Its also quite refreshing how this story handles queerness as something people understand happens and accepts it (interestingly less so in the Keep but the wider town seems far more enlightened). This is a story where people have not just passion for power but want to be loved or sometimes just take pleasure for its own sake. It adds to that feeling of this being almost a version of some forgotten bawdy and bloody play set in this world. But by the end as the cast gets smaller, and all comes to light we see an interesting commentary on exactly why do people want power when they rarely do anything with it for anyone else? An usual but much more interesting idea we don’t get in too many novels even today. Having remotely sensed Molasar's presence, a mysterious stranger named Glaeken Trismegestus arrives from Axis-occupied Greece, seducing Eva and incurring Cuza's ire. The malign power of Molasar begins to affect the villagers, seemingly driving them mad. A group of soldiers fire on Glaeken and force him into a ravine, but he is shown to still be alive. Kaempffer and Woermann clash over the former's sadistic crimes; Woermann furiously denounces the Nazis, claiming that the monster hunting them is a reflection of their evil. When their conversation is suddenly interrupted by the sound of horrible screams and machine-gun fire coming from the keep's inner courtyard, Woermann is shot and killed by Kaempffer. Afterwards, Kaempffer goes to the now-silent courtyard, only to find that the entire garrison of the citadel has been slaughtered by Molasar, and that all the military vehicles parked inside have been disabled.

Last year author J.L. Worrad released the fantasy novel Pennyblade, which married together a world that didn't feel hugely far removed from our own history, and a world of magic, and feline elves. Whilst the first book set within this world focused on these beings, the Commrach, this time round Worrad is taking a much more human approach as we focus on the realm of Brintland, diving deep into the political conflicts and double dealings within the aristocracy. Siskel, Gene (21 December 1983). "Inaudible sound makes 'Keep' not worth saving". The Chicago Tribune. p.60 – via Newspapers.com. Wooden keeps could be quite extensive in size and, as Robert Higham and Philip Barker have noted, it was possible to build "...very tall and massive structures." [19] [nb 1] As an example of what these keeps may have comprised, the early 12th-century chronicler Lambert of Ardres described the wooden keep on top of the motte at the castle of Ardres, where the "...first storey was on the surface of the ground, where were cellars and granaries, and great boxes, tuns, casks, and other domestic utensils. In the storey above were the dwelling and common living-rooms of the residents in which were the larders, the rooms of the bakers and butlers, and the great chamber in which the lord and his wife slept...In the upper storey of the house were garret rooms...In this storey also the watchmen and the servants appointed to keep the house took their sleep." [21]A violent, and wildly imaginative, riot of a book.”–R. J. Barker, author of “Age of Assassins” and “The Bone Ships” In a weird, connect the dots fashion, I consider this film to be a critical milestone in Mann's directorial evolution. In and of itself, this makes the film entirely watchable, if not "important". The movie should be indispensable to Mann's devotees, and I find it surprising that it is not. As much as Manhunter (one of my all time favorites) and Heat (right up there with them) are ranked by most as very good films, THE KEEP, if for no other reason than its novelty should be accorded more respect than it gets.