Three Skeleton Key

by George G. Toudouze

The plot involves three men tending a lighthouse on an island off the coast of French Guiana. An abandoned ship, overrun by thousands of ferocious rats, makes landfall. A life-and-death struggle ensues as the men seek to save themselves from the hungry horde.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Classics, Read For School

Audiobook

About the author

Born: Paris 22/06/1877
Dead: Paris 4/01/1974
Édouard-Henri-Georges Toudouze est un romancier, auteur dramatique, historien et journaliste français.

Il écrivit sous le pseudonyme Georges-Gustave Toudouze ou Georges-G. Toudouze, sans doute en hommage à son père, le romancier Gustave Toudouze (1847-1904).

Georges-Gustave Toudouze était pensionnaire de l'Académie de France à Rome, membre de l'Académie de Marine, membre de l'École française archéologique d'Athènes, professeur d'histoire, du théâtre et du costume au Conservatoire national de Paris.

Il est le créateur de la série "Cinq jeunes filles", première série française de l'après-guerre.

En 1923, il publie Le Petit Roi d'Ys, un ouvrage couronné par l'Académie française.

Reviews

[Kobalt · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Give a man a fish, and he eats for a day. Give a man a rat, and you satisfy his rat desire."

- Jordan Peterson probably

[Caitlin]

Another one of those "why did we read this in school"

[Joseph Brink · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to Vincent Price's narration of this story on Old Time Radio. Superb narration, terrifying story. Not for the faint of heart.

[Bee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read:

Three Skeleton Key - 3/5

[old account · Rating 1 out of 5]

my teacher made us read this, watch the short, and listen to the audiobook. it’s like she’s trying to give me a phobia of rats and lighthouses. also maybe i missed it but this was so pointless??

[cant bug · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lukewarm survival story that had the potential to be far more exciting, but was missing that kick in the teeth in the end. The ending involves the protagonist who, having somehow survived with his wits in tact from the bloodthirsty army of rats, decides to come back to his old post. In spite of all the bad omens attached to the place….strange bloke.

I do enjoy a good survival story, and this story got my attention when the army of rats arrive aboard a ship, having purged the old crew of their flesh and their life. They then proceed to attack the lighthouse, and eventually get in after about a week of trying, but crew mates are able to stave them off, they then turn off the lighthouse as a signal for help, and eventually they’re rescued.

It would make a decent idea for a movie. As a story it wasn’t bad but wasn’t super either. You know what would have been better? If the protagonist was a rat whisperer. If he’d actually had a psychic control over the rats and was getting them to kill for his own sock amusement.

[Laurence · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lonely, rock based lighthouse is assaulted by countless rats when their derelict ship is driven into the rocks.
A mite simple, but the scene is vivid.

[Steven Godin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I don't really have a problem with rats this decent short story still creeped me out.
The plot is straightforward - a lighthouse, a Ghost ship, three men and a horde of rats.
For something that was only about ten minutes reading it did a good job of creating a suspenseful and foreboding atmosphere. It's probably available online, and worth a read for anyone who likes this sort of thing. It's not really a genre I particularly like, but every now and then it's good to read something different from what I'm used to.

A passage below -

"Their teeth grated as they pressed against the glass of the lantern room, where they could plainly see us, though they could not reach us. A few millimeters of glass, luckily very strong, separated our faces from their gleaming, beady eyes, their sharp claws and teeth. Their odor filled the
tower, poisoned our lungs, and rasped our nostrils with a pestilential, nauseating smell. And there we were, sealed alive in our own light, prisoners of a horde of starving rats."

[Kaleigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been looking for this for ages... we read it in sixth grade as an assignment and it absolutely terrified me. I've been afraid of lighthouses ever since.... it's really not all that compelling now as an adult. Kind of a silly story and gross to think about but not much more than that besides the nostalgia for me.

[Jonathan Dunne · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75*
Maritime horror of the psychological kind.
If you like ghost ships, claustrophobic lighthouses, rats…chubby rats...plump rats...gnawing squeaking fat rats, then this cute little story is for you, ( Sicko ;)

[Lannie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was serviceable, maybe a 2.5/5. Then I listened to the Vincent Price radio play, and it feels like that is the real form in which the story should be enjoyed. That experience brought it up for me, even though it was very different lol.

[Emma Gates · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book in class, we popcorn read it, and while we did that I couldn’t really understand what was happening so I didn’t really like the book but when I listened to it by myself I liked the book but it wasn’t one of my favorites.

[Celia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was interesting, but I am not really into scary books and stories so it was not my favorite.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book alot, because it was very interesting and a little spooky.

[Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

IT was good

[Clarice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it was a good read, and I recommend it to anyone who wants a short and exiting story.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was really good. I liked all of the suspense in the book. It was a lot different from other books but it was really good.

[Theresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Creepy, scary and made my skin crawl. If you like creepy, this is a story to try. Not for me.

[Forked Radish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ratatouille won't seem so cute after you read this.

[Kate Kitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Vincent Price narration of this story is amazing. I listen to it every fall.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this as part of the Classic Tales of Horror - 500+ Stories. It was very enjoyable 2023

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This woke me up. I had to turn on the lights again and cover my feet with a blanket. Rats everywhere *shudder*

[Özge Günaydın · Rating 3 out of 5]

Türkçesini okudum

[Somaia]

Was it a 6th or 7th grade story i don’t remember ..
But i do remember the thrill i had while reading it and the odd looks on my classmates faces when the teacher finished the reading
I don’t even remember the ending but i remember it was horrible and heart breaking
It was the same year as the rikki tikki tavi story and right after it too so we were not at all prepared for that shit