Good day all,
I apologise for the delay between this post and the last but rest assured I have some nifty books coming your way. Not least of which is this gem, Dan Simmons The Terror, again I can't recommend the top 25 best stand alone fantasy book list enough. So if you have seen this page and want to find some more books The Terror is just one of many on this list which I'll be honest are full of gems.
Okay so what's this book about, well let me put it this way. This is an interesting fusion of horror, alternate history and fantastico/spiritual elements. This is story tells the tragic tale of the Franklin Polar expedition and how the two ships that were part of its expedition got trapped in the ice. So the tale turns into a struggle for survival, as much as the story is based on historical events Dan Simmons takes liberty with some of the details adding a monster that begins to terrorise the men on the ice. This is a thrilling, gory tale of survival, treachery and courage.
The first thing that will strike you as you begin reading The Terror is the detail. Now I have to take my hat off to Dan SImmons, I like to write myself, but I can't imagine researching as thoroughly the Franklin expedition as he did. Oh and for anyone who's read this, all the main characters in case you didn't know are real people (...maybe though I was the only dumb one...) Francis Crozier, John Franklin and Captain Fitzjames. I'm not sure about Goodsir Blanky, Irving, Shadow, Peglar and Hickey.
We get to appreciate the detail from a lot of angles i.e the ice master Blanky tells us all about the ice. We learn about the ships engines and as other reviewers have put it we become experts in polar exploration. I think what this book does really well is it raises the stakes and it really helps us sympathise with the main characters. While Franklin is a bit of an imbecile the second in command Crozier is portrayed from the beginning as a man with a bad rung of luck and a true underdog. He's had his share of heart break...a nice flashback scene that I have to admit I could relate to and made his arc all the more tragic.
The book ends up exploring a lot of different view points throughout and I'd say its quite an achievement that for the most part Simmons kept me hooked. I only have one issue with this book, but I'll deal with that later and for once...there may be some minor spoilers if you read on.
The fate of the crews of The Terror and the Erebrus the two ships stuck in the ice, get worse and worse. The food is poisoned, there's the constant fear of the men, the harsh cold and the constant threat of mutiny. I have to hand it to Simmons the first chapter starts midway into the story and then it goes back to the beginning from there, but the way he introduces the creature. Crozier leads a group of men down a ladder into the hold. One of his crewmen Manson doesn't want to get a bag of coal from the hold, because he can hear strange rattling noises from a room down below housing the bodies of the already dead. The noises Crozier says are rats, but the second he says it Simmons very clearly states that not for a moment does Crozier believe its rats at all. They enter the hold and they see the monster has somehow tunnelled into the hold.
I had to tell it because it really hooked me. Still it's funny the most terrifying scenes to me didn't necessarily involve the bear at all as always its real human evil that has a more profound effect on me, but for once I would say that this is a book that will give you the creeps if you read it at night and reflecting back on the scenes he paints and the brutality of what happens to so many of your favourite characters this book can be unrelenting and things get to such a low point...all I'll say is that it's a page turner and I don't have a problem with the length.
Okay now the spoiler part. The one thing I didn't really like all that much and had a little trouble following is when we discover what the beast is. I won't give away much else save that the book becomes somewhat mystical and the beast is described as this mythical creature from an eskimo legend. I'd be lying if I thought the last section gelled with the rest of the book, it works...I think I was just waiting for a final face off that never occurred, but really that's my only gripe although I admit it's a long slog to get to a bit of a dissapointing ending.
Still I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys fantasy or anyone who enjoys alternate history. I think this is a nice genre bridging book. Next time I'll be talking about Perido Street Station another fascinating fantasy book, which I am pleased to say is probably like nothing I've ever read. Anyway till next time happy reading.
J
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