Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - The Terror

Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

The Terror by Dan Simmons

38 reviews

vikhasread's review against another edition

Not for me, even in audiobook format. I must admit I am biased as I prefer non-fiction, but the portrayal of the characters is rather one dimensional overall, and the book lingers on graphic details about women's bodies more than I would like (no problem with this type of content per se, just not what I am looking for in this type of book). The audiobook version has a lot of artistic choices (such as the many accents by the same narrator) that may be beloved by many, but didn't work for me. Worth checking out overall, just not my thing.

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msiebz's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

What a weird book… and not because of the horror parts. The horror parts were expected.

I understand it’s set in the Victorian era and there’s rampant racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. but this is like mark twain levels of racial expletives. Also you’re telling me that on these two ships stranded with hundreds of men, the author still manages to put in some very explicit straight sex scenes and not a single explicit gay sex scene. There are some gay moments but they’re are all implied and left to the imagination… and of course he made the main antagonist a gay person. It feels homophobic in a way that isn’t because of the Victorian setting but because the author is lazy and a coward.

I appreciate that the novel has more information about the characters’ backgrounds and motivations -as that’s usually the case with a novel vs a tv series- but I also appreciate the changes the showrunners made to make this story less… clunky? awkward? I don’t know. Some parts are enjoyable and some very much are not.

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zgreads's review against another edition

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The sexism, racism, and homophobia added nothing to the story and eventually got too sickening and distracting.

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casparquarius's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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spinebreakr's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The Terror was a beautiful and Grim book.
The writing is elegant and evocative, but somehow brutish and unflinching.

I felt completely immersed in the tortured minds of the crew. If it wasn't the beast on the ice, danger lurked in the land itself, in the Food, in the wind, in the fog, even in the breast of their fellow mates. Where one obstacle was overcome, another rose in it's place.

The pure unrelenting desolation feels like it will never end. Simmons had me feeling like I was a member of the crew, which is the highest compliment. But it is not easy to be a sailor aboard HMS Terror or Erebus.

I highly reccommend this book to horror lovers. Read at your own risk 😁

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bugaboobear's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

This book was a delightful descent into desperation and death for 95% of the way.

And then chapter 62 happened and the author decided he was bored with that and changed the tone and subject entirely.

This was maybe a 4.5 star read for me up until then, but then the ending was largely out of the blue and unsatisfying in my opinion.

Also a few things to keep in mind:
1. There are practically no women in the story (for obvious reasons). The women who are in the story are pretty one dimensional.

2. There is a surprising amount of religious ideology (both Christian and Inuit). Also readings from the Bible.

3. There is a heavy amount of racism in the beginning and less as the book goes on. It is all era appropriate and makes sense for the characters but can be uncomfortable to read.

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anjalirenee's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

slow paced is an understatement please heed my warning. the pace picks up mmmmm around page 350 (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). pretty good although TONS of unnecessary detail about the minutae of ice formations, ship layouts, and wayfinding.

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