The Terror

eBook

English language

Published 2007 by Little, Brown and Company.

ISBN:
978-0-316-00386-5
Copied ISBN!

View on OpenLibrary

4 stars (11 reviews)

"Dan Simmons writes with the salty grace and precision of Patrick O'Brian. But in piling supernatural nightmare upon historical nightmare, layering mystery upon mystery, he has produced a turbocharged vision of popular doom." -Men's JournalGreeted with excited critical praise, this extraordinary novel-inspired by the true story of two ice ships that disappeared in the Arctic Circle during an 1845 expedition-swells with the heart-stopping suspense and heroic adventure that have won Dan Simmons praise as "a writer who not only makes big promises but keeps them" (Seattle Post-Intelligencer). THE TERROR chills readers to the core."Brutal, relentless, yet oddly uplifting, THE TERROR is a masterfully chilling work." -Entertainment Weekly"In the hands of a lesser writer than Dan Simmons, THE TERROR might well have dissolved into a series of frigid days and three-dog nights. But Simmons is too good a writer to ignore the real gold in his story-its beleaguered cast." -Bookpage"Guaranteed to …

22 editions

Review of 'The Terror' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

The last 10% of this harrowing novel feels nothing at all like the rest. Nothing. My first reaction was disappointment, as I'd been comfortable with the rise and flow of the words, and this last bit felt like it was written by a different author -- tacked to the end of an Arctic journey it didn't match like some belated MadLibs.

It wasn't until I started writing this review that the ending finally clicked for me: the ending is so vastly different than the rest of the book because it represents a massive perspective change for the narrator. Whether this works for a reader, I suppose, would depend on how consistent you like the tone of your narrative. I found the transition jarring, but I can now appreciate narratively why that was done.

Review of 'The Terror' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

The HMS Terror may well have been the most aptly named ship in all of history, first for its opponents in the Second American War (of 1812), then for its inhabitants when England turned its attention back to the Northwest Passage. I can't imagine that even the two prior expeditions were anything less than terrifying for the crew to overwinter in, but the final, Franklin's voyage... that was something special.

Dan Simmons created a very slow burn, here, with an enormous amount of description to help you understand everything there is to know about ship life in the era, woven in with memories of England and expeditions that don't pan out. The writing begins so prosaic but becomes more lyrical and surreal as the chapters go on. When a mythical thing starts killing people, a few at a time, and then a lot at a time, the horror just keeps …