Reviews

The Terror by Dan Simmons

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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.

Content Warnings

penguin_emperor_of_the_north's review against another edition

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3.0

The story about surviving while ice locked in the Arctic was very good. The story about being stalked by a unknown monster lurking in the dark was good too but they didn't mesh together very well.

The survival story started slow because of how long they stayed on the ships (makes sense in context) but once they started their trek to civilization the story certainly became engrossing. The constant struggle to survive in a bleak, frozen, desolate land was very engaging and the contrast between the struggling Englishman and the apparently thriving Inuit was interesting. Also, the increasing tensions within the group made for an interesting sideplot with brutal consequences. I was very invested in that whole story.

The plot with the monster on the ice was well written, there's one scene at the mid winter Carnivale that might be the best written part of the book and it lent additional stress to the story. But the whole monster on the ice thing felt odd in conjunction with the rest of the book. Like the crew is freezing, starving, it's constantly dark . . . and there's a monster. It should've worked better, it's what I was expecting based on the blurb but in this case I think having the monster subplot distracted from the stranded in the Arctic subplot. Like you've got all these real world problems and there's a monster too! Just felt weird but that's likely very subjective.

Then there's the ending. Bittersweet, heavy on the bitter. And with what happened, the sweet part was nice considering this is based on a historical event with no survivors but it definitely felt tacked on.

Spoiler

Crozier is the sole survivor, is rescued by Lady Silence and eventually integrates into Inuit society which was jarring

. Then there was the fact that the book just stopped to info dump about Inuit mythology which was interesting in itself but awkwardly placed and hurt the pacing. I wish that would've been introduced more organically but that would've introduced its own plot issues. Though this way lead to the monster subplot feeling even more tacked on.

elle_g's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

bbrassfield's review against another edition

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5.0

One of my favorite Dan Simmons novels and the first of his that I read with a true historical context. The second would be Drood, but that review is for another day. I've been thinking about the Terror again, now ten years on, with the arrival of the new AMC television series based on the novel. I was living in upstate NY at the time the novel came out and living through winters that commonly feature snow between October and early May, I felt a semblance of simpatico with the doomed crews of the Erebus and Terror. Before reading, I was largely unfamiliar with the historical Erebus and Terror as they set out to discover a new trade passage through the perilous polar ice regions. Simmons absolutely nails the sense of overwhelming cold and stillness as the ships become trapped in endless ice, so much so a palpable sense of fear and panic set into this reader several times. Looking back, I should have read this novel during the brief short months of summer!
What sets the Terror apart from mere historical drama, which would have been frightening enough, is Simmons brilliant creation of a giant ice bear/killing machine monster. What sets the Terror apart from run of the mill horror creation is the relationship the creature has with the natives of this frozen land and how the fate of Captain Frances eventually weaves into that relationship. I won't spoil it here but suffice it to say that the Terror is enormously satisfying.