Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

The Terror by Dan Simmons

31 reviews

nickjonesreadsbooks's review

adventurous dark 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? No

4.5

Historical fiction with a paranormal element? Sign me up! This book was mysterious, richly developed, and vivid in its gore. I feel like I was on that expedition. However, I wasn't expecting a book on polar exploration to have 2-3 graphic s*x scenes. I had to deduct a half star for that. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Gore, Blood, Cannibalism, and Murder

Moderate: Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, and Alcohol

archaicrobin's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

First thing, this is a long one! I’ve had this on my shelf for years and when they made a tv adaptation I had to read it. I finally picked it up this winter and while I enjoyed it, this book was a commitment. 

I honestly feel, this was a little too long but understand why it was and appreciate the historical accuracy. This is an excellent read for those looking for historical fiction but with a touch of horror and the supernatural. 

A fictional twist on the arctic expedition of the Terror and Erebus! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

gvild's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? It's complicated

3.75

After watching the series on Netflix, I knew I had to read the book. I think this may have been the fastest I’ve ever read a 700+ book - I couldn’t put it down. The intensity of the impending doom with the added mystery of the thing on the ice made this novel gripping. Though a fair warning; Simmons is a stereotypical male author when it comes to writing about women.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Cannibalism, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

elle_g's review

dark mysterious sad slow-paced

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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Cannibalism

Minor: Torture

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

---

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

bookmunchr's review

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

4.5

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 😁

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Mental illness, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

jamielikestoread's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Racism, Terminal illness, Cannibalism, and Injury/Injury detail

bugaboobear's review against another edition

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. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

chungledown_bim's review

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

.

---

Content Warnings

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

nyxlikesbook's review

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, and Cannibalism

Moderate: Mental illness, Racial slurs, and Fire/Fire injury