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The Entrance
Сritically acclaimed Gothic horror story.
Unknown Binding
Published January 1, 1981
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About the author
Gerald Durrell
229 books1,718 followersGerald "Gerry" Malcolm Durrell was born in India in 1925. His elder siblings are Lawrence Durrell, Leslie Durrell, and Margaret Durrell. His family settled on Corfu when Gerald was a boy and he spent his time studying its wildlife. He relates these experiences in the trilogy beginning with My Family And Other Animals, and continuing with Birds, Beasts, And Relatives and The Garden Of The Gods. In his books he writes with wry humour and great perception about both the humans and the animals he meets.
On leaving Corfu he returned to England to work on the staff of Whipsnade Park as a student keeper. His adventures there are told with characteristic energy in Beasts In My Belfry. A few years later, Gerald began organising his own animal-collecting expeditions. The first, to the Cameroons, was followed by expeditions to Paraguay, Argentina and Sierra Leone. He recounts these experiences in a number of books, including The Drunken Forest. Gerald also visited many countries while shooting various television series, including An Amateur Naturalist. In 1958 Gerald Durrell realised a lifelong dream when he set up the Jersey Zoological Park, followed a few years later by the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust.
Gerald was married twice; Jacquie Durrell (1951-1979), Lee Durrell (1979-1995).
Gerald Durrell's style is exuberant, passionate and acutely observed. He died in 1995.
On leaving Corfu he returned to England to work on the staff of Whipsnade Park as a student keeper. His adventures there are told with characteristic energy in Beasts In My Belfry. A few years later, Gerald began organising his own animal-collecting expeditions. The first, to the Cameroons, was followed by expeditions to Paraguay, Argentina and Sierra Leone. He recounts these experiences in a number of books, including The Drunken Forest. Gerald also visited many countries while shooting various television series, including An Amateur Naturalist. In 1958 Gerald Durrell realised a lifelong dream when he set up the Jersey Zoological Park, followed a few years later by the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust.
Gerald was married twice; Jacquie Durrell (1951-1979), Lee Durrell (1979-1995).
Gerald Durrell's style is exuberant, passionate and acutely observed. He died in 1995.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
November 25, 2017
I really love Gerald Durrell. I'd read most of his books several times over by the time I was thirteen. Imagine my delight when I find a collection of his short stories that I'd never read before. I curled up happily in bed with it...
...and, of course, the very last story in it, the one I read late at night when the rest of the house was fast asleep, was "The Entrance."
It remains one of the scariest stories I've ever read - even more so since it was so totally unexpected. Though I imagine for most people it was totally unexpected, given that they almost certainly read it because they were fans of his other work. (For those who don't know, literally everything else he ever wrote was charming and hilarious nonfiction (occasionally, fiction) about the strange and funny ways of animals and humans.)
Many years later, I terrorized everyone at a summer camp by recounting it from memory.
...and, of course, the very last story in it, the one I read late at night when the rest of the house was fast asleep, was "The Entrance."
It remains one of the scariest stories I've ever read - even more so since it was so totally unexpected. Though I imagine for most people it was totally unexpected, given that they almost certainly read it because they were fans of his other work. (For those who don't know, literally everything else he ever wrote was charming and hilarious nonfiction (occasionally, fiction) about the strange and funny ways of animals and humans.)
Many years later, I terrorized everyone at a summer camp by recounting it from memory.
November 27, 2020
First off, this read, right at the end, was the absolute most frightful and unexpected thing to end a book with. Here I was just expecting some short easy read just before bed and boom out comes Durrell with this. I will have actual nightmares thinking about mirrors after this and guaranteed I won’t sleep well tonight.
However, saying that and recoiling from the initial shock, I am left with many questions which google has not been able to answer. I mean, what did I just read and what actually happened?! I like a bit of logic to my reads and the blur between whether Gideon was real or came out from the mirror reflection, what was his intention behind taking such a long route to luring the main protagonist to his home, what was Gideon’s relationship with his uncle? Why were the animals in real life actually killed? Was our protagonist psychotic? Why bother feeding the mirror creature? Why did our protagonist choose to die by mirror? Does it mean he survived in the mirror?
My confusion begins perhaps with Gideons uncle. Early on Gideon refuses to “be devoured so his uncle shall live”. what does that tell us? Maybe that his uncle was trying to feed Gideon to the mirror beast which was somehow linked to his survival? Was Gideon’s uncle the beast already but outside of the mirror? Once fed to the mirror you lose your reflection, but then what happens to the shell you in “real life”?
Also we hear from Gideon how his uncle died in front of a mirror in a locked room, so it presents itself like the mirror is an escape after death of the “initial ” body.
The beast also tries to break out after eating our main protagonist later and was able to, and was also shown to be none other than Gideon... so he must have survived?
Many thoughts still on my mind but I revisit this review to make more sense of it once I’ve processed it a bit more.
However, saying that and recoiling from the initial shock, I am left with many questions which google has not been able to answer. I mean, what did I just read and what actually happened?! I like a bit of logic to my reads and the blur between whether Gideon was real or came out from the mirror reflection, what was his intention behind taking such a long route to luring the main protagonist to his home, what was Gideon’s relationship with his uncle? Why were the animals in real life actually killed? Was our protagonist psychotic? Why bother feeding the mirror creature? Why did our protagonist choose to die by mirror? Does it mean he survived in the mirror?
My confusion begins perhaps with Gideons uncle. Early on Gideon refuses to “be devoured so his uncle shall live”. what does that tell us? Maybe that his uncle was trying to feed Gideon to the mirror beast which was somehow linked to his survival? Was Gideon’s uncle the beast already but outside of the mirror? Once fed to the mirror you lose your reflection, but then what happens to the shell you in “real life”?
Also we hear from Gideon how his uncle died in front of a mirror in a locked room, so it presents itself like the mirror is an escape after death of the “initial ” body.
The beast also tries to break out after eating our main protagonist later and was able to, and was also shown to be none other than Gideon... so he must have survived?
Many thoughts still on my mind but I revisit this review to make more sense of it once I’ve processed it a bit more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 16, 2021
A couple of genuinely spine-tingling moments in this short story. Unfortunately, as I find with most horror, once things escalate with explicit descriptions I find they lose their power. For me the tension of the mystery is what works best. Still, it is a great creepy idea well realised.
May 17, 2020
I never expected to find a scary story written by Gerald Durrell at the end of one of his books about animals.
I read it about 20 years ago.... But I still get shivers thinking of it. Such a well written horror story.
I read it about 20 years ago.... But I still get shivers thinking of it. Such a well written horror story.
October 26, 2022
I like Gothic horror stories and this one did not disappoint me. I need to read more by this author.
August 5, 2023
This was one of the creepiest things I’ve read in a long time. I’ll never be the same around doors, mirrors, and my pets again.
September 20, 2024
This is nice atmospheric horror story let down by a slightly naff ending. I think Durrell is a bit underrated as a writer. He has a very deft comic touch but his ear for dialogue is really good as are his his descriptions of nature. Well, not much comedy in this one but as the tale reaches it's climax with the trap sprung and the mirror monster feeding on reflections before making a bid to break through any number of mirrors in the country house where the book antiquarian is living (he is cataloguing a collection on his own with only the owner's pets for company).
Just to say - slight spoiler alert here - that for my taste the ending does not do enough to explain the rules of the mirror rule, what has happened to the absent host previously (presumably he has been possessed somehow by an evil old uncle's ghost), and whether the victim becomes a mirror monster himself (I suppose so). The frame (a personal trip to the South of France) also closes rather. Anyway - it's a good enough way to while away a Winter's night.
Just to say - slight spoiler alert here - that for my taste the ending does not do enough to explain the rules of the mirror rule, what has happened to the absent host previously (presumably he has been possessed somehow by an evil old uncle's ghost), and whether the victim becomes a mirror monster himself (I suppose so). The frame (a personal trip to the South of France) also closes rather. Anyway - it's a good enough way to while away a Winter's night.
August 30, 2022
5 for the writing but 2 for the story.
Tony Walker, as always, gives a fantastic delivery of this spooky tale as part of Tony's Classic Ghost Stories podcast. It's a tough story to review without giving away salient points. Suffice it to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the first half but, sadly, found the latter to be far too gonzo and Addams Family.
Who remains in a house that has that sort of weirdness occurring?
Tony Walker, as always, gives a fantastic delivery of this spooky tale as part of Tony's Classic Ghost Stories podcast. It's a tough story to review without giving away salient points. Suffice it to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the first half but, sadly, found the latter to be far too gonzo and Addams Family.
Who remains in a house that has that sort of weirdness occurring?
September 5, 2024
Spooky tale that smacks of Poe, Stoker, Ashton Smith and M.R. James. Who knew that humorous animal-lover Gerald Durrell had a gothic banger like this in him? Delectable nightmare atmosphere.
May 7, 2025
4.25 stars
December 16, 2025
Takes a little too long to get going, but the payoff is well worth it.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews