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carlosperezcasas's review against another edition
5.0
El Terror puede serlo todo
Hoy toca hacer una reseña de El Terror, de Dan Simmons. Este autor es conocido por los Cantos de Hyperion, pero mientras los elimino de mi lista de pendientes os voy a dejar con una falsa reseña de El Terror. ¿Por qué falsa? Porque mientras pensaba qué escribir que hiciera un buen homenaje a esta novela (que va directa a mis favoritas) he encontrado una reseña de Brad, usuario de Goodreads, que es sencillamente perfecta.
¿De qué trata la novela de El Terror?
El Terror cuenta una versión (no tan) alternativa de la fallida expedición ártica de Sir John Franklin para buscar el Paso del Noroeste. Esta ruta de navegación por las heladas aguas árticas del norte de Canadá hacia Asia desde Gran Bretaña buscaba ahorrar a los buques mercantes el largo rodeo a través de América del Sur, o de África, para llegar a China y Japón. Sir John Franklin, queriendo alcanzar la gloria, reunió dos tripulaciones en el HMS Erebus y el HMS Terror para encontrar la legendaria ruta. Son muchas las expediciones que fracasaron antes que ellos, y muchos los que fracasarían después, pero ninguna de ellas resultó tan siniestra como esta. No es exactamente un SPOILER lo que voy a decir porque es información de dominio público pero nadie regresó con vida. Dan Simmons ha querido convertir una novela histórica en una de horror, algo aparentemente sencillo gracias a los ingredientes. Y ha hecho un trabajo magnífico. No queda nada más que decir por mi parte, os dejo con la reseña de Bran.
La reseña de Bran en Goodreads (traducida por mí)
¿Es el Terror una bestia mítica del Ártico? ¿El Tuunbaq?
¿Es el Terror el buque británico del mismo nombre?
¿Es el Terror noches que nunca terminan?
¿Es el Terror un asesino estilo El Destripador y su inclinación hacia la mutilación?
¿Es el Terror sabiduría?
¿Es el Terror sodomía?
¿Es el Terror una silenciosa esquimal?
¿Es el Terror escorbuto?
¿Es el Terror implacables icebergs?
¿Es el Terror creencia?
¿Es el Terror recuerdos?
¿Es el Terror sueños?
¿Es el Terror el pasado?
¿Es el Terror canibalismo?
¿Es el Terror duda?
¿Es el Terror esperanza?
¿Es el Terror ignorancia?
¿Es el Terror magia?
¿Es el Terror incomprensión?
¿Es el Terror fuego?
¿Es el Terror ciclos interminables?
¿Es el Terror arrogancia?
¿Es el Terror capitalismo?
¿Es el Terror civilización?
¿Es el Terror lo desconocido?
¿Es el Terror fracaso?
¿Es el Terror deber?
¿Es el Terror ego?
¿Es el Terror alcohol?
¿Es el Terror visiones y alucinaciones?
¿Es el Terror muerte?
¿Es el Terror sufrimiento?
¿Es el Terror hambruna?
¿Es el Terror hielo?
¿Es el Terror moralidad?
¿Es el Terror vergüenza?
¿Es el Terror estupidez?
¿Es el Terror autoengaño?
¿Es el Terror amor?
¿Es el Terror la vida?
¿Es el Terror la soledad?
Este repertorio de preguntas es todo lo que debe decirse sobre la novela sin revelar nada de la trama. Tomarlas como referencia para que os intrigue leer esta magnífica obra y disfrutad (y sufrid) con cada capítulo y cada personaje. Todos ellos están muy diferenciados y es fácil conectar con ellos.
Hoy toca hacer una reseña de El Terror, de Dan Simmons. Este autor es conocido por los Cantos de Hyperion, pero mientras los elimino de mi lista de pendientes os voy a dejar con una falsa reseña de El Terror. ¿Por qué falsa? Porque mientras pensaba qué escribir que hiciera un buen homenaje a esta novela (que va directa a mis favoritas) he encontrado una reseña de Brad, usuario de Goodreads, que es sencillamente perfecta.
¿De qué trata la novela de El Terror?
El Terror cuenta una versión (no tan) alternativa de la fallida expedición ártica de Sir John Franklin para buscar el Paso del Noroeste. Esta ruta de navegación por las heladas aguas árticas del norte de Canadá hacia Asia desde Gran Bretaña buscaba ahorrar a los buques mercantes el largo rodeo a través de América del Sur, o de África, para llegar a China y Japón. Sir John Franklin, queriendo alcanzar la gloria, reunió dos tripulaciones en el HMS Erebus y el HMS Terror para encontrar la legendaria ruta. Son muchas las expediciones que fracasaron antes que ellos, y muchos los que fracasarían después, pero ninguna de ellas resultó tan siniestra como esta. No es exactamente un SPOILER lo que voy a decir porque es información de dominio público pero nadie regresó con vida. Dan Simmons ha querido convertir una novela histórica en una de horror, algo aparentemente sencillo gracias a los ingredientes. Y ha hecho un trabajo magnífico. No queda nada más que decir por mi parte, os dejo con la reseña de Bran.
La reseña de Bran en Goodreads (traducida por mí)
¿Es el Terror una bestia mítica del Ártico? ¿El Tuunbaq?
¿Es el Terror el buque británico del mismo nombre?
¿Es el Terror noches que nunca terminan?
¿Es el Terror un asesino estilo El Destripador y su inclinación hacia la mutilación?
¿Es el Terror sabiduría?
¿Es el Terror sodomía?
¿Es el Terror una silenciosa esquimal?
¿Es el Terror escorbuto?
¿Es el Terror implacables icebergs?
¿Es el Terror creencia?
¿Es el Terror recuerdos?
¿Es el Terror sueños?
¿Es el Terror el pasado?
¿Es el Terror canibalismo?
¿Es el Terror duda?
¿Es el Terror esperanza?
¿Es el Terror ignorancia?
¿Es el Terror magia?
¿Es el Terror incomprensión?
¿Es el Terror fuego?
¿Es el Terror ciclos interminables?
¿Es el Terror arrogancia?
¿Es el Terror capitalismo?
¿Es el Terror civilización?
¿Es el Terror lo desconocido?
¿Es el Terror fracaso?
¿Es el Terror deber?
¿Es el Terror ego?
¿Es el Terror alcohol?
¿Es el Terror visiones y alucinaciones?
¿Es el Terror muerte?
¿Es el Terror sufrimiento?
¿Es el Terror hambruna?
¿Es el Terror hielo?
¿Es el Terror moralidad?
¿Es el Terror vergüenza?
¿Es el Terror estupidez?
¿Es el Terror autoengaño?
¿Es el Terror amor?
¿Es el Terror la vida?
¿Es el Terror la soledad?
Este repertorio de preguntas es todo lo que debe decirse sobre la novela sin revelar nada de la trama. Tomarlas como referencia para que os intrigue leer esta magnífica obra y disfrutad (y sufrid) con cada capítulo y cada personaje. Todos ellos están muy diferenciados y es fácil conectar con ellos.
andreacpowers's review against another edition
5.0
Loved for the writing more than the story.
I fav'd other reviews that summarize the book better than I could.
I fav'd other reviews that summarize the book better than I could.
aoodiobooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
4.25
amelia_horseman's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Omg I got through it. lol.
First off. As a historical fiction, this was pretty great. As a survival thriller? Absolutely excellent. A supernatural horror? Come on. Failed completely.
The actual terrors of knowing you’re dying in the frozen arctic and all the throws of attempting to subvert that fate are absolutely enough for tension, fear, body horror, and psychological thriller. And this book could have been pretty solid left just like that.
But then the author wants to add in native folklore and a “monster”. And that was so poorly done that I almost think it was so the author could write about boobies and have tits flying in a book that really makes no sense to have a naked woman floating around in the first place.
Flashing tits aside, the whole preternatural monster thing was barely a footnote for pretty much the entire book. So if you’re going into this book for the horror / monster aspect, bail. It’s not there. If you like harrowing suspense and survival thrillers, this book has got it in spades.
There’s some flashbacks for character building in the early chapters, and honestly most of that could be cut out bc it didn’t really add anything useful.
Overall tho, this book was well written and fully engaging. Goes a bit off the rails at the end to close the circle on the “monster” and all that bs, but whatever.
First off. As a historical fiction, this was pretty great. As a survival thriller? Absolutely excellent. A supernatural horror? Come on. Failed completely.
The actual terrors of knowing you’re dying in the frozen arctic and all the throws of attempting to subvert that fate are absolutely enough for tension, fear, body horror, and psychological thriller. And this book could have been pretty solid left just like that.
But then the author wants to add in native folklore and a “monster”. And that was so poorly done that I almost think it was so the author could write about boobies and have tits flying in a book that really makes no sense to have a naked woman floating around in the first place.
Flashing tits aside, the whole preternatural monster thing was barely a footnote for pretty much the entire book. So if you’re going into this book for the horror / monster aspect, bail. It’s not there. If you like harrowing suspense and survival thrillers, this book has got it in spades.
There’s some flashbacks for character building in the early chapters, and honestly most of that could be cut out bc it didn’t really add anything useful.
Overall tho, this book was well written and fully engaging. Goes a bit off the rails at the end to close the circle on the “monster” and all that bs, but whatever.
dodobees's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
janey's review against another edition
5.0
So this was kind of crazy. I picked it up pretty much sight unseen because of a recommendation from a trusted source but to say I had no idea what I was getting into is an understatement. It's meticulously researched and it's also fantasy and I've never read anything quite like this before. Packs quite a wallop.
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
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia
penguin_emperor_of_the_north's review against another edition
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.. 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.
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 jarringelle_g's review against another edition
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
bbrassfield's review against another edition
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.
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.