The Terror
Ratings114
Average rating4
15
Ratings114
Average rating4
"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 have readers pulling their covers up to their noses, THE TERROR will make for a blood-freezing, bedtime read this winter-and any season thereafter." -Pages
Reviews with the most likes.
The first 800 pages were fantastic, but the final 200 or so were a thing of beauty.
I doubt I've ever read (or listened to) a book this long, but I enjoyed the experience a lot. It kept my attention easily at every moment. I don't know if I really recommend it, though, because I did have some problems with it. I'll say 2 or 3 stars for the themes of the book and 5 for my enjoyment level.
I would like to write a longer review but I'm just not up for typing it on my phone. And it's not like this is some obscure book. It was odd for me to spend so much time with such a mainstream work. But I was reading it for the adventure, and on that front, it delivered exactly what I wanted.
My main problem, then, was with the book's human villain, Hickey. I don't know why he was so evil. He was also gay, and a sexual predator. It felt like his only motivation was just a general rejection of authority. I couldn't see things from his perspective, which I think is a major flaw in a story.
The plot with Crozier was very strange, and I don't really know how I feel about it. It was easy for me to identify with him, and I think he's a very well-drawn character. I'll have to put more thought into that.
I was afraid this book would be in omniscient third-person, which I dislike, but it isn't. It's limited third-person, like ASoIaF, and if you like those books, you'll probably like this. It's similar in that it's often brutally gory and just brutal in general, and it has a cast of fascinating characters. Unlike in those books, there is no on-page sexual violence. It also reminded me quite a bit of the show Lost, but The Terror actually tells a coherent story.
Overall, this got me excited to read more books set mostly on ships. I don't know if I'll read this author again, but it was a very entertaining book.
Captivating book. I had already seen the show, but the book was quite different in a few ways. I devoured it. TBH the ending was a little disappointing??? And this dude is really into describing what tits and balls are doing.
