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mrsadillon's review against another edition
4.0
Well...that was...um wow. Parts were hard to get into and then it was just chilling and O_O but the ending was just ok for me. 3.75 almost 4 stars for the chilling and the O_O .
mudder17's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up for a strong ending or at least an ending I really liked.
This was absolutely not the book I thought it would be, perhaps because we had a trilogy of his that my husband read (but I never got around to reading it) and it was pure fantasy, so that's exactly what I was expecting with this book. What I got was realistic survival and historical horror fiction with a dash of the supernatural thrown in. And as scary as the supernatural part of it is, it was human actions that left me with feelings of horror.
So did I like this? I think I did, and I especially liked the ending. But there were many places when I just felt like he was meandering and I was starting to get the various characters mixed up (yes, I had to backtrack a few times). I have become a huge fan of historical fiction and after starting this, I looked up the Franklin Expedition of 1845/46 and discovered that it actually existed and that yes, Franklin and several of the men died, and then Crozier continued on to try to save the survivals, but then they all disappeared. Dan Simmons does an amazing job of incorporating this real adventure into this story, but he throws in something supernatural that I think he honestly could have left out and it would have been fine. Still, I found the incorporation of this mysterious creature into the beliefs of the Inuit to be somewhat interesting, and Crozier's connection with his grandmother's second sight sort of made it all work. But at the same time, I would get completely sucked into this realistic historical fiction (and I honestly think that what he describes could be plausible) and then suddenly have this mysterious spirit creature (?) thrown in and have to adjust my thinking. But putting this part aside, I really did enjoy the rest of the story. I listened to this book narrated by John Lee, but I also read along with him for much of the story (which I felt worked very well). John Lee is not always my favorite narrator, but his voice does work for this book.
Overall, I think if this book had been pared down and he decided to focus on realistic historical fiction, I would have enjoyed it more. One other thing that I enjoyed was the strong philosophical conversations/descriptions that were woven throughout this book. Although the POV changes from chapter to chapter, it's clear that Crozier is really the main guy and I enjoyed seeing how he changed and developed throughout the book.
Would I recommend this book? I think so, but I would recommend that you approach the book with an open mind and not slot the book into any particular genre. Because it doesn't quite fit any single genre. Although barring the dash of the supernatural, this book is mostly historical fiction/horror/survival if that helps, lol!
This was absolutely not the book I thought it would be, perhaps because we had a trilogy of his that my husband read (but I never got around to reading it) and it was pure fantasy, so that's exactly what I was expecting with this book. What I got was realistic survival and historical horror fiction with a dash of the supernatural thrown in. And as scary as the supernatural part of it is, it was human actions that left me with feelings of horror.
So did I like this? I think I did, and I especially liked the ending. But there were many places when I just felt like he was meandering and I was starting to get the various characters mixed up (yes, I had to backtrack a few times). I have become a huge fan of historical fiction and after starting this, I looked up the Franklin Expedition of 1845/46 and discovered that it actually existed and that yes, Franklin and several of the men died, and then Crozier continued on to try to save the survivals, but then they all disappeared. Dan Simmons does an amazing job of incorporating this real adventure into this story, but he throws in something supernatural that I think he honestly could have left out and it would have been fine. Still, I found the incorporation of this mysterious creature into the beliefs of the Inuit to be somewhat interesting, and Crozier's connection with his grandmother's second sight sort of made it all work. But at the same time, I would get completely sucked into this realistic historical fiction (and I honestly think that what he describes could be plausible) and then suddenly have this mysterious spirit creature (?) thrown in and have to adjust my thinking. But putting this part aside, I really did enjoy the rest of the story. I listened to this book narrated by John Lee, but I also read along with him for much of the story (which I felt worked very well). John Lee is not always my favorite narrator, but his voice does work for this book.
Overall, I think if this book had been pared down and he decided to focus on realistic historical fiction, I would have enjoyed it more. One other thing that I enjoyed was the strong philosophical conversations/descriptions that were woven throughout this book. Although the POV changes from chapter to chapter, it's clear that Crozier is really the main guy and I enjoyed seeing how he changed and developed throughout the book.
Would I recommend this book? I think so, but I would recommend that you approach the book with an open mind and not slot the book into any particular genre. Because it doesn't quite fit any single genre. Although barring the dash of the supernatural, this book is mostly historical fiction/horror/survival if that helps, lol!
pfracassi's review against another edition
4.0
This odd and twisting and l-o-n-g narrative about an early failed expedition to the North Pole is pretty engaging. You've got iced-in ships, starving crew members, horrific elements of nature. The second half of the book is all about the Terror itself, a demonic over-sized Polar Bear that goes Cujo on the crews of the trapped ships.
That said, the book is too long and I think near the end old Dan Simmons kinda lost the thread of what he was up to. So the last hundred pages or so read a bit like falling leaves on a wet day, not a lot of fun to pick up, clean up or play with.
Still, I gave it Four Stars because it held up well through...oh...say 8/10 of the book. And parts of the story are really fun to sink into, and I was lost in the arctic on quite a few nights, and that's a fun accomplishment for Mr. Simmons and should be rewarded.
That said, the book is too long and I think near the end old Dan Simmons kinda lost the thread of what he was up to. So the last hundred pages or so read a bit like falling leaves on a wet day, not a lot of fun to pick up, clean up or play with.
Still, I gave it Four Stars because it held up well through...oh...say 8/10 of the book. And parts of the story are really fun to sink into, and I was lost in the arctic on quite a few nights, and that's a fun accomplishment for Mr. Simmons and should be rewarded.
snukes's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting and entertaining - a 3.5 star read. The Abominable was my first Dan Simmons book, and I had expected that book to deal in the supernatural. It did not, so when I read The Terror, I was expecting it to be of similar character - an apparently supernatural story with a plausible real-world explanation. It was not. So I guess this book was what I expected The Abominable to be, and vice-versa.
I liked The Abominable better.
But this book had a lot to recommend it. I loved the history, and I think Simmons is a lovely narrator. His characters were strong and interesting, his setting impeccably described, and (from what I read afterward) his historical research was solid. I liked learning about life on board 19th century exploration ships. I liked learning about the horrors of trying to survive in the arctic region. I even liked learning about the different kinds of ice that form up there. Perhaps 650 pages of this got a *little* lengthy, but never actually dull.
And then things go weird. It went like this for the first 650 pages: Action, exploring, backstory, action, adventure, backstory, action, action, death, doom, exploring, action, adventure, death, death, death! And then....
Exposition. Simmons takes a huge leap outside his established narrative, plunging the reader into thick, confusing exposition about Inuit folklore, pages and pages and pages of stories full of Inuit names and sometimes insensible mythology. My eyes went crossed and I had to skim a little bit, which is a pity because this is the section that was justifying the whole premise of the book. It felt like a cheap trick, and because of the way it was done (NO foreshadowing, completely different narrative style), it even felt like a hastily contrived way for the author to get himself out of a narrative pickle.
For all that I found this resolution disappointing, the way each set of characters' plot-lines were tied up was tidy and reasonably satisfying.
I like Simmons' style, and I will definitely be looking for some of his other books.
I liked The Abominable better.
But this book had a lot to recommend it. I loved the history, and I think Simmons is a lovely narrator. His characters were strong and interesting, his setting impeccably described, and (from what I read afterward) his historical research was solid. I liked learning about life on board 19th century exploration ships. I liked learning about the horrors of trying to survive in the arctic region. I even liked learning about the different kinds of ice that form up there. Perhaps 650 pages of this got a *little* lengthy, but never actually dull.
And then things go weird. It went like this for the first 650 pages: Action, exploring, backstory, action, adventure, backstory, action, action, death, doom, exploring, action, adventure, death, death, death! And then....
Exposition. Simmons takes a huge leap outside his established narrative, plunging the reader into thick, confusing exposition about Inuit folklore, pages and pages and pages of stories full of Inuit names and sometimes insensible mythology. My eyes went crossed and I had to skim a little bit, which is a pity because this is the section that was justifying the whole premise of the book. It felt like a cheap trick, and because of the way it was done (NO foreshadowing, completely different narrative style), it even felt like a hastily contrived way for the author to get himself out of a narrative pickle.
For all that I found this resolution disappointing, the way each set of characters' plot-lines were tied up was tidy and reasonably satisfying.
I like Simmons' style, and I will definitely be looking for some of his other books.
bornholm's review against another edition
4.0
Great little (well, "little" compared to the OED) novel about a small expedition stuck in the Arctic while trying to find the Northwest passage. As if being stuck, cold, wet, and running out of food weren't all bad enough, there seems to be a monster killing off crew members on each ship.
I like Dan Simmons' writing. My opinion hasn't changed after this read. A nice, long read.
I like Dan Simmons' writing. My opinion hasn't changed after this read. A nice, long read.
leventmolla's review against another edition
2.0
Dan Simmons is a well-known Science Fiction writer with the Hugo and Nebula Award winning book Hyperion among his most famous works. "The Terror" follows the real-life journey of a group of Arctic explorers between the years 1845 to 1848. The two ships "The Terror" and "Erebus" are stuck in the Arctic region when a sudden cold spell freezes most of the open water. The captains of the two ships do their best to try everything within their imagination to set their ships free and continue their voyage to discover the "Northwest Passage" in the polar regions close to Canada, however they also have to struggle with the raids of a mysterious "thing" that comes and snatches up people and kills them by crunching them alive. A mysterious Eskimo woman whose tongue has been bitten off by an unknown creature also adds some suspense to the story.
I found the book extremely slow-moving and the only interesting bit seemed to be the parts explaining the British Navy protocols of the 19th century. When the mystery is somewhat resolved at the end of the book, you have a feeling of dissatisfaction, after reading this hefty tome. I'll probably stick to Simmons' Science Fiction books in the future.
I found the book extremely slow-moving and the only interesting bit seemed to be the parts explaining the British Navy protocols of the 19th century. When the mystery is somewhat resolved at the end of the book, you have a feeling of dissatisfaction, after reading this hefty tome. I'll probably stick to Simmons' Science Fiction books in the future.
mirandareddekopp's review
dark
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
madeleinew's review
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
oysta's review against another edition
3.0
For all of its faults, I’ve ended up constantly returning to thoughts about this book during the subsequent weeks. Reading the actual known historical detail of the Franklin Expedition has cast Simmons’ work in a new light. I expect that readers who are already familiar with the material may react more positively than I initially did at the book’s conclusion. I'd award it 3.5 stars if I could.
stefanie76's review against another edition
3.0
Adventure on the seas, great white beast, well-written, and yet needlessly boring. So, it's kinda like Moby Dick ... except Moby Dick isn't nearly as long.
Based on the true story of a doomed Arctic expedition to find the Northwest Passage, it's got some interesting history. And, of course, it's got these really scary scenes with the monster that are fantastically intense and gory (spoiler?). But it's just got entire sections that I find myself skimming over and just thinking, "Please, just get to the good part!"
Perhaps history and horror is just a tricky combination. The author tries to honor both genres and maybe that's just too much for one book.
Based on the true story of a doomed Arctic expedition to find the Northwest Passage, it's got some interesting history. And, of course, it's got these really scary scenes with the monster that are fantastically intense and gory (spoiler?). But it's just got entire sections that I find myself skimming over and just thinking, "Please, just get to the good part!"
Perhaps history and horror is just a tricky combination. The author tries to honor both genres and maybe that's just too much for one book.