Sentinel [Hardcover]

Jeffrey konvitz (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 315 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (October 15, 1974)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671218344
• ISBN-13: 978-0671218348
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #828,525 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A horror classic., July 9, 2002

By 

Jim Lay (Knoxville, TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Sentinel (Mass Market Paperback)

New York City, 1974: Allison Parker has had a difficult life, but things are really looking up for her. After presiding over her father's funeral, she returns to her life in the big apple to start anew. She has a handsome boyfriend who is a succesful lawyer, a growing career as a model, and she has just moved in to the perfect apartment in an old brownstone. But Allison soon finds that her life is being controlled by unseen forces. The brownstone seems to reside between two worlds; one of light and one of darkness. And an old blind priest who lives in the apartment above her holds a secret that will shatter her world and could unleash the forces of hell on to all of humanity... This is a classic horror novel. It was made into an exceptional movie years ago and it's been on my reading list for ages. I wasn't sure if it would stand the test of time, but I was pleasantly surprised. It is genuinely creepy and has real fear in it. Highly recommended for horror fans.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable but adds little to the film., November 5, 2005

By 

Thomas M. Sipos (Santa Monica, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Sentinel (Mass Market Paperback)

ROSEMARY'S BABY sparked a cycle of supernatural/Satanic movies & books into the 1970s, a cycle that gained second wind with THE EXORCIST.

THE SENTINEL was one of the better such films. The story of a New York model who moves into a brownstone apartment -- that turns out to be THE portal to Hell! The sentinel is the one who guards that portal, keeping the demons inside Hell and out of Earth. Unknown to the model, she is destined to be the next sentinel.

THE SENITINEL movie was released in 1976, written & produced by Jeffrey Konvitz. It was based on Konvitz's book, released in 1974.

Because Konvitz wrote the book, then the script (which he produced), it's to be expected that the movie follows the book closely. Even so, I was surprised at HOW CLOSELY the movie follows the book.

I've seen the film a half dozen or more times over the past 25 plus years. I only now read the book, expecting to gain deeper insight into the chracters and events, as can usually be found in books that precede the film. No such luck. 95% of the book is in the film. No great depth or insight is gained by reading the book. It's a good book, but with only a few extra scenes not in the film. And a few extended conversations.

But the main reason I read THE SENTINEL was because I only recently discovered that Konvitz wrote a sequel that was never filmed, THE GUARDIAN. So I thought reading the first book would prepare me for the second. I haven't read the second, so I don't know yet. I'll see.

If you loved the film and want to read the sequel, it may be worth your effort to read this first book. It's enjoyable, although lacking the depth of THE EXORCIST (a far better book than its film version).

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Creepiest Book I've ever Read, February 12, 2001

By 

Magan Morrison (Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sentinel (Hardcover)

I first read this book when I was a teenager, and now years later, I still find myself haunted by it. It sucks you in, and the end, is just wonderful...a very fitting ending to such a creepy book. I will never forget this book as long as I live.