Sue and her brother, Eddie, are visiting London when they run into a little problem. They can't find their tour group. No way their tour guide would just leave them in a gloomy old prison tower, after dark, with those eerie sounds, and a strange dark figure who wants them...dead.
Robert Lawrence Stine known as R. L. Stine and Jovial Bob Stine, is an American novelist and writer, well known for targeting younger audiences. Stine, who is often called the Stephen King of children's literature, is the author of dozens of popular horror fiction novellas, including the books in the Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, The Nightmare Room and Fear Street series.
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
This one felt a bit mild for me. I liked the first part where Sue and Eddie have a terrifying encounter in London, and then start forgetting simple things. After that, it felt more like drama. I will say, the ending was surprising.
Sue and Eddie are spending their first day in London. They do all the touristy things - Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square... but then their tour concludes with a trip to Terror Tower, a place where people were imprisoned and tortured. It is here that the siblings first spot the sinister, mysterious man who lurks in the shadows:
Glancing up, my eye caught a dark figure standing on the other side of the Rack. He was very tall and very broad. Dressed in a long black cape, he had pulled a wide-brimmed hat down over his forehead, hiding most of his face in shadow. His eyes glowed darkly out from the shadow.
Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows! LOL But seriously, I could not picture this guy as anyone but Lamont Cranston .
The tower and it's passageways also seem eerily familiar to Sue.
And as I climbed, I suddenly had the strangest feeling - that I had been here before. That I had followed the twisting stairs. That I had climbed to the top of this ancient tower before. Of course, that was impossible. Eddie and I had never been to England before in our lives.
When Eddie and Sue get separated from the group, the man approaches them and demands they come with him. He is very threatening.
He raised a hand. A huge hand, covered in a black glove. He pointed up at us. "You will come with me now," he growled. I just stared at him. I didn't understand. "You will come now," he repeated. "I do not want to hurt you. But if you try to escape, I will have no choice."
Despite the children's insistence that they don't know who he is or what this is about, the huge man will not be dissuaded. He pulls three stones from his cloak and starts to say something. When the kids make a run for it, the stranger pursues them. Can they escape from him and from Terror Tower? ...
I like the title and the cover art for this book. As for the plot, well... we've got our strengths and weaknesses here.
I like the basic premise. Two siblings, lost in an medieval tower, being pursued by a frightening man dressed all in black. I also like how intriguing it gets when Sue and Eddie
I thought the whole plot was good and I liked the twists.
But there were quite a few things I didn't like.
First of all, I solved the whole "mystery" (or at least had a good idea what was going on) by page 19. Of course, it's fair to comment that I am an adult woman reading a children's horror book. However, Stine has stumped me and surprised me before - so I still think he could've done better on this one. I was not surprised by his 'twists' this time!
Secondly, the adults in this book are horrid. The children, who obviously are in desperate need of help, find none with the cowardly and disgusting grown-ups.
It's not often children's books lead me to cursing out characters, but I was surprised to find myself swearing profusely while reading the last third of this novel.
...
All in all, an enjoyable romp - and (as always) I want to thank R.L. Stine for his great service to the universe in making the horror genre known and available to younger children. Scary, but not too scary, and tons of fun, I know Goosebumps was the gateway drug for many children who later grew up to read King and watch Romero. :)
gag of the century kinda, i’m doing a vlog where i read the goosebumps books to my fav episodes and it’s been a while since ive seen goosebumps (never read them before) so even tho i know the plot twist i was still gagged as to the reason 😭
#27 "It's gonna be a L-O-N-G night!" Sue and her brother Eddie are touring London and sightseeing in Terror Tower. But when they get separated from their tour guide group they end up getting locked in the tower overnight. Torture chambers in jail cells are abound in the tower. Something may be lurking in the darkness... but everyone in there is dead and gone right?
A Night in Terror Tower has a surprising amount of depth to it considering the reader level. The characterisation is pretty good and the plotting is well paced and not without a nice twist or two. A real gem in the Goosebumps series.
This is my 50th book of the year! I personally found A Night in Terror Tower to be a pretty run-of-the-mill Goosebumps book. In my opinion this one is actually overrated, as many fans of the series have this in their top ten. It probably won't end up in mine, though it is admittedly better than many Goosebumps books, which are largely recycled trash.
The young protagonists in this one were definitely missing a few brain cells, as it took them until I think page 100 or so to figure out they had travelled back in time. They kept seeing things like people dressed in ancient robes and they'd say things like "Ooh, it must be a costume party!" They didn't even figure it out when the door they had travelled through literally disappeared from behind them and they found themselves in an old stone abbey instead of a modern hotel. Lol. So they were pretty oblivious, and it was very obvious to the reader what had happened, so it was a bit cringey to have to read through that for so many pages.
Overall though, I enjoyed some aspects of the time travel in this book, the sorcerer was interesting, and the story is more cohesive than many Goosebumps books, many of which have enormous and glaring plot holes. This one, not so much. So it wasn't bad. It did feel mostly like filler, though, so I can't give it any higher than three stars for that reason. It's a pretty "meh" book.
Not my favorite of the original 62, but there's still a lot to enjoy here, such as the descriptions of London, the characters, a killer cover by Tim Jacobus, and the very 90's ending...
Admittedly, I did see the twist coming from miles away, but that could be the fact I've grown up a bit since I first started reading these.
Nonetheless, recommended.
While I'm here, I wanted to add that this was the only Goosebumps episode on VHS that I had back in the day.
This isn’t one of my top favourite Goosebumps stories but it’s still pretty damn great! I like the idea behind this particular story but I just found the execution lacked the usual sparkle these books have. It was missing that little something extra to truly creep me out and earn its full five star potential. I don’t think I could ever hate a Goosebumps book and even though this one isn’t my fave I do still love it because what I’m really looking for while reading these again as an adult is the nostalgia and the feeling of being a kid again. And this story still serves that in spades despite my little issues with it!
Obwohl ich das Buch schonmal gelesen hatte und sogar auf Kassette angehört habe, hab ich alles schon wieder vergessen, es ist aber auch schon sehr lange her. Dementsprechend war ich erneut überrascht bei dem Plot Twist, insbesondere da dieser NICHT (wie eigentlich sonst bei der Gänsehaut Serie) auf der allerletzten Seite geschah. Zum Teil konnte man den Wendepunkt hervorsehen aber da ich so daran gewöhnt war das immer das Ende der Wendepunkt war dachte ich tatsächlich, dass es etwas anderes sein wird.
Anfangs mochte ich dieses ganze Verfolgen nicht insbesondere als ich merkte, dass es sich wahrscheinlich bis zum Schluss hinauszieht aber irgendwie zum Ende hin war es dann doch spannend. Wahrscheinlich wegen dem wer dieser Mann tatsächlich war, was irgendwie schon cool war.
Genauso wie die Kassette bewerte ich dieses Buch 4 Sterne. Ich mochte es sehr und bin froh es erneut gelesen zu haben. Die ganzen Mittelalter vibes beim lesen waren auch echt cool und ich hätte mir auch gewünscht, dass der Mann der die beiden verfolgte, als Buchcover zu haben anstatt das was es Original ist.
I was actually thinking the twist would be something else that I figured out rather early on in the book, but turns out I was wrong, which made me enjoy this more because of that unexpected twist. This is certainly a newer concept that Stine hasn't taken before for one of his books, so another plus there.
The only complaint I have of this book is the horrid excuses for adults around these kids, and the lack of communication. The kids asking what's going on, what do you want, etc etc and the adults not even explaining themselves to them. What ever happened to the tried and true villainous monologue to explain themselves? I'd like that better than the 'you know what I want' repeatedly in response to the kid's panic. That got annoying.
A Night in Terror Tower is the 27th book in the Goosebumps series. It is a little fun, a tad creepy, with a little mystery and action. Loved it.
I am re-reading this series for nostalgic reasons.
The Goosebumps series was a staple in our house. My kids absolutely loved them, and to say I read these books with them once is an understatement. We read them many times as each of my three kids became old enough to read them. They still have them and are getting to read them with their kids.
Recently I was given an original print of this by the publisher of my book (releasing soon), who was clearing out some of the older stuff from the library he runs. For that reason, I wanted to love this, but unfortunately this suffered from having too many cool moments early on but having a totally whack ending. The story follows sibling duo Sue and Eddie who visit the legendary Terror Tower in London, and as always (with everything I read), creepy things occur. There were some typical R.L. Stine-esque fakeout scares, and then were some actual things that were super dark for a book intended for young readers. However, this one was pretty disappointing as it went on, and for that reason, a 3/5 makes the most sense. Recommended for Goosebumps fans, but this isn't R.L. Stine's best work by any means.
I’ve always had a soft spot for this one, a Goosebumps book set in England was so exciting!
Eddie and Sue are visiting all the tourist locations on their first day in London, the tour takes them to Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey and eventually Terror Tower (The Tower of London). As they progress through the tower, Sue notices a strange man in a black coak watching both her and brother Eddie...
I loved how the story completely changes track at this point, there’s a really high concept idea for a book aimed at younger readers. The story deals with torture and beheadings which are quite adult themes for this series in general.
I’ve read these books so many times as a kid, the plots are firmly fixed in my mind. But this one more so, I practically love the ending.
I spent a month re-reading all 62 original Goosebumps books to see if they still hold up today, you can check out my 3.5 hour vlog here: https://youtu.be/2C73xc1FS5o
You can also check out my entire ranking of the original Goosebumps books from worst to best here: https://youtu.be/lBfaxCOwAnA
This was my 4th and final Goosebumps book for October, and I’m so glad I saved it for last. I’ve been an Anglophile since I was very young, so I found the London setting incredibly enjoyable. There’s an element of time-travel here, which is always fun, and the pacing is a pretty perfect speed for the intended age group; it’s fast, but easy to follow. The entire tone of the book was madcap and a little wacky, reminding me strongly of an episode of Scooby-Doo. While there were times I was annoyed with our main character siblings for not catching onto what was happening or making decisions I felt were the wrong ones, I found them more likable than some other Goosebumps protagonists. All in all, this was just fun. I really enjoyed my time with it.
Primer librito que leo de R.L. Stine! Hacía mucho tiempo que quería adentrarme en el mundo de "Escalofríos", recordando aquellas épocas nostálgicas donde me sentaba a merendar viendo la serie cuando era chico!
El libro nos cuenta la historia de Sue y Eddie, dos jóvenes hermanos que se encuentran en la ciudad de Londres realizando un viaje turístico, dentro del tour, visitan la llamada "Torre de Terror" una antigua edificación que data de la edad media, que fué utilizada como prisión. Allí nuestros protagonistas conocerán una perturbadora historia, dentro de la torre, dos hermanos, hijos del rey, habían sido encarcelados y asesinados en el cuarto que ellos estaban visitando ahí mismo. Pero el horror comienza cuando en su paseo, un misterioso hombre, vestido de negro, con una capa y un sombrero de ala, los comienza a acechar, queriendo raptarlos y llevárselos con él. Sue y Eddie, intentaran escapar y salvar sus vidas, pero esto los llevará a toparse con un sinfín de sucesos extraños a través del tiempo.
*** Una novelita super entretenida! no había leído nada de Stine y ahora me culpo mucho por eso! la verdad es que la forma de narrar del autor es fantástica, teniendo en cuenta que son libros juveniles damos por hecho que su prosa no sera muy compleja, eso lo hace ideal para hacer un "corte" si venimos de alguna lectura pesada o un libro largo. Son de esas historias que pueden leerse de una sentada, ágiles, entretenidas y que enganchan de principio a fin, ideal para leer en una noche tormentosa a la luz de las velas, con una taza de chocolate caliente. Lo disfruté muchísimo y ya quiero leer mi próximo libro de Goosebumps!
Le agradezco al amor de mi vida, que me regaló mi primer libro de R.L. Stine y me hizo conocer al autor, te amo mucho mi amor, espero que algún día leamos juntos :)
Due ragazzini americani in trasferta a Londra si trovano catapultati nel passato tra maghi e boia che li vogliono morti... Divertente come sempre, soprattutto per il meccanismo - sempre curioso anche nell'estrema semplicità dei Piccoli brividi - dei loop temporali.
This book still inspires legitimate fear in me. I don't know which sensitive kid won't clutch their pearls and easily let go of their mother's hands. 10 out of 5 medieval amnesia and abandonment issues. You'll see what I mean when you read it in your past.
◘ These goosebumps audiobooks are magical. TOP TIER CONTENT **
◘ "but I'm 12 and a lot less wimpy than he is...." LOL
◘ It honestly is really scary imagining these medieval torture chambers/castles 😭
◘ GOD this sound effect music track is MANIACLE 😱
◘ Literally feel the unease in my gut.
◘ **Okay I figured it out it's the versions that were published on cassette tapes, not the newer versions which lack the vibes. These original narrations are TOP TEIR.
Το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο είναι από τα αγαπημένα μου, όχι επειδή είναι απαραίτητα ένα από τα πιο ενδιαφέροντα της σειράς, αλλά επειδή "παίζει" με τις δικές μου, προσωπικές παιδικές φοβίες και άγχη. Ένα κλειστοφοβικό, δαιδαλώδες σκηνικό που προσφέρεται για το "χτίσιμο" μιας αγωνιώδους περιπέτειας γεμάτη σασπένς, και η οποία σε κρατάει σε εγρήγορση από την πρώτη μέχρι και την τελευταία πράξη του δράματος, όπου μπορείς πλέον να πάρεις ανάσα ελεύθερα.
For starters, that executioner on the cover is not in the book. The kids are chased by a man with a wide-brim hat that I imagine looks like one of the Three Musketeers. This killed any potential horror. Unless you're afraid of rats, this one isn't gonna give you goosebumps.
My guess is that Stine had recently taken a trip to London, toured the Tower of London, and decided to work it into a book, with info from the tour being his only reference point for England.
The story is frustrating. The kids are chased and begin to realize that they have lost their memories. The entire story is written around this big twist ending that isn't all that interesting.
If you do not want spoilers, I will end this by saying that despite how short this one is, it drags, and the ending is disappointing and poorly thought out.
Now for some spoilers! I have to talk about that ending so scroll down for a spoiler filled rant.
SPOILERS! So, if the kids are from ye ole England, why do they think they are from America, and why do they speak with American accents? If anything, they should have old English accents. The kids could have been tourists from another part of England. I grew up in England and visited London and did all the touristy stuff during a school trip. I have also visited with my family. It's not much different than Americans visiting the Grand Canyon or Disneyland, so again, why are they American?
And why are they in such a hurry to time travel to the distant future. I understand that they are going to be executed, but if they are from another time, this leap to the future seems extreme and scary. Even if the kids think this is their only option, I would think there would be more fear and hesitation.
It's possible their understanding of the world changed with the spell, but they remember their parents at the end, so they know who they are. They also send Mongred to the future with them, but Mongred does not have a job or a residence. Where are these kids going to live? I'm not even sure that Mongred can get a job. What are his skills? Magic? Yeah, that's not gonna work.
And what about the people they left behind? Their murderous uncle is now ruling. These kids are the rightful heirs to the throne. They should use magic and maybe some tricks they picked up from the future to defeat their uncle, avenge their parents, and save their people. I imagine their people suffered under their cruel uncle's rule. The story is essentially The Lion King if it ended with Simba finding a new home with Timon and Pumba in the jungle and leaving his people at the mercy of Scar.
Ohhh my gosh NOW I remember why I liked this story so much! It was so much fun to read and because I had forgotten how it ended, I was really glued into the storyline because I wanted to see what would happen and how things would work out.
Definitely one I would recommend if you are a Goosebumps fan.
**Warning: this text may contain spoilers** They're baa-aack! Make way for the bestselling children's series of all time. W/ a fresh new look, Goosebumps is set to scare a new generation of readers. Reader beware -- you're in for a scare!
All locked up and no place to go!
Sue and her brother, Eddie, are visiting London when they run into a little problem. They can't find their tour group. Still, there's no reason to panic. No way their tour guide would just leave them. All alone. In a gloomy old prison tower.
No way they'd get locked inside. After dark. With those eerie sounds. And a strange dark figure who wants them . . . dead.
I listened to the abridged full cast audio recording of this from the 90s so it did seem like it moved a bit more quickly than I'm used to with these but it was still a fun read and I actually really liked the twist at the end of this one. It's more than a bit cheesy but for some reason I felt like it actually worked.
Sue and her brother, Eddi, are visiting the london. While their parents are doing business, they are put onto a tour group. They're gonna go to the Terror Tower. Her brother was easily scared so she told her about executions and killing people in the terror tower. When they arrived at the terror tower, the tour went into the building. The building was dark and old. While the tour guide was explaing about the tower, Sue saw a man with black coak watching them. She said to her brother, is that man in our tour group but her brother doesn't remember. Then they went up to the prince and princess's execution room. The room was big and there is a small window at the middle of the room. The tour guide said the prince and the princess were not executed. They disappeared on the night of their execution. Sue and Eddie stay inside the room for a while but when they go down, they can't find their tour group. They were worried if the tour group had left them. Then the man with black coat chased them. They managed to get out of the tower and take a taxi to their hotel. The taxi driver asked for cash but Sue only find coins in her pocket. The driver gets angry but Sue said they're gonna ask their parents so they went up to their room but their parents were gone. They thought that the meeting isn't finished so they went downstairs and they was hungry so they went into the restaurant but they saw the taxi driver coming to them so they made a run to the back door. After they go outside from the back door, their saw the man with black coat. Then they fainted. When Sue woke up, her brother is not with her. She went into a house and asked the woman if she could help her, the woman said no but when Sue show her the coins, the woman take it and hide her. The man with black coat come into the house that Sue was hiding. Sue finally got caughted by the man because the woman tell her hiding place. She gets angry but the woman said the man was the Executioner. Then she faint. When she woke up, she and her brother is in a cage. While they're wondering, a man came in. They go back at the back of the cage but the man said he is friendly. His name is Morgan and he is a socerer. He said they're the prince and princess of York. They don't believe at first but when Morgan put his hand on both of their foreheads, they both got their memories back. They were the prince and princess of York. They asked Morgan if he could help them but Morgan told them that he can't help them. If he have three white stones, he can help them but the executioner have them so he can't help them. Then Eddie suddenly smiled. He pull of three white stones that he stole from the executioner. Morgan quickly took them and said three spells but he suddenly put them in his pocket. He said sorry and he hugged both of them and went outside from the room.
Will they get out of the cage or they will be execute?
This book was so much better than I remember. This one reads different than the previous books. There’s more story and not so many chapter cliffhangers. I loved it!