Reviews tagging 'Colonisation'

The Terror by Dan Simmons

23 reviews

msiebz's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, Medical content, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

casparquarius's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Stalking, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

chungledown_bim's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

Watched the miniseries, gushed about it to a work colleague who said to try the book because it was even better. I didn't believe them but I'm glad I picked The Terror up anyway- what a book! The unstoppable force of colonial/capitalistic hubris vs the immovable object of the primordial inevitability of nature. 

Feel like the author did well to describe the racism, homophobia, classism, toxic masculinity, sexism, & general fuckery of the time without participating in it. Usually you'd see the descriptor 'historical' & assume this means whoever wrote it is excited to drop the N word. Not so much here but all these concepts are as present as the arctic cold.

...I say that but Silence does seem to

'<a href="https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/breasted-boobily">'breast boobily'</a> at times & end up as a trophy

.

It's long, but I was engaged the entire time, despite this not at all being the sort of thing I'm into. I really enjoyed falling into a rabbit hole by searching up the Franklin expedition & Inuit mythology afterward.

The ending

was a little disappointing. I mean, I loved reading about the process of Crozier surrendering but I wanted something to chew his face off. Get bent, British Empire, you don't belong there

.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Misogyny, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Colonisation, and Classism

anjalirenee's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gore, Homophobia, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Vomit, Grief, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, and Colonisation

Minor: Pedophilia and Pregnancy

perfectcupoftea's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Cannibalism, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Homophobia

marina_michelle's review

The descriptions of every woman’s breasts and pubic hair was already a red flag. Platypus Pond was just too much…

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

meminger's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

is the ending bullshit? yes. am i compelled by these scurvy-ridden bastards and their doomed arctic voyage? unfortunately also yes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Cannibalism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

sarahgruenewald's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

This book may have been one of the most violent and depressing books I've ever read ... And written so well it stands above as a new favorite. Five stars. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Terminal illness, Cannibalism, and Alcohol

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Gore, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Torture, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Antisemitism, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and Classism

breilly13's review against another edition

adventurous dark slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

sarah984's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

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

2.5

There are some great scares here, and some really well done character moments. Overall though, this book is too long (so many things are repeated unnecessarily), every woman is written really badly (but hey, at least

the author makes it clear that Big Tits survived!

) and the ending was terrible. I don't regret reading it but it's hard to recommend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Classism

Minor: Incest, Excrement, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Abandonment