February 2, 2009

Review: The Terror by Dan Simmons


Courtesy of Hachette Audio


The Terror is the fictitious telling of the real of expedition of Sir John Franklin’s attempt to find the Northwest Passage. Franklin in the HMS Erebus along with Captain Francis Crozier in the HMS Terror set out on their fateful journey 1845. When Sir Franklin loses his life, Captain Crozier takes charge and has many difficult choices to make.

Their expedition was halted due to wintry conditions, spoiled food, illnesses including scurvy and a mysterious monster on the ice. They were hunkered in for the long winter but when days turned into months, then years the crewman began to turn on Captain Crozier and he had no choice but to attempt the long journey home… and no one was ever heard from again.

This was an awesome book!! My review is based on the abridged audio book read by Simon Vance. When I first heard the narrator’s English accent I thought it would drive me insane but by the first track I was already mesmerized.

The beginning of the story featuring the mysterious monster reminded me of the first season of Lost. You think it’s a polar bear but that’s not quite what it turns out to be.

Simmons imagines a story that’s both horrifying and exciting at the same time. I usually only listen to my audio books in the car to and from work and this one made me what to sit in my garage all night. The settings are so clearly described that I felt like I was there on the ships and on ice with the crew. Captain Crozier, Lieutenant Irving, Lady Silence and Dr. Goodsir became beloved characters and I could easily dislike Hickey and Manson. I highly recommend this book for all suspense and thriller lovers. Check back later this week to enter to win your own copy of this audio book.

4 comments :

bermudaonion said...

I can't wait to read this one. I'm almost through with Drood and it's fantastic.

Anonymous said...

This sounds like a sure read for me. I like suspenseful stories! I can't wait to read this one!

Jennifer said...

I have this one on my tbr pile and your review makes me want to move it up.

Anonymous said...

Having spent some in the High Arctic Canada in winter, I found this book childish. Simmons has not been in that cold terrain, and it shows up. The inaccuracies in the description of the effects of cold were so prominent that they distracted me from enjoying the story, and the book fell to the level of a fairy tale. For those who have no experience of the extreme polar conditions, this surely goes down fine. Simmons is at his best when working on purely scifi/fantasy -elements. Hyperion saga and Ilium/Olympos are great reading.