The Terror by Dan Simmons

Submitted by idrinkkombucha t3_zidg58 in books

Just finished reading ‘The Terror’ by Dan Simmons, a lengthy novel about the Franklin expedition to the Arctic.

Curious about other people’s thoughts on this book.

I enjoyed it, but I also understand the criticisms I have heard about the book being too long, slow, and wordy. I think some of these criticisms stem from expectations of a horror story, which is usually - but not always - fast-paced, accessible, and packed with thrills.

‘The Terror’ leans more to literary than genre, and it certainly has a slow build that never really seems to pay off, aside from the character arc.

The first two hundred pages take some commitment as the reader must digest page after page of technical writing about the ship, and then, even when the monster appears, the story remains more literary.

I was very impressed with the author’s research and knowledge about the time period, the ship, and all the small details that make this story feel authentically told. At the same time, the amount of detail sometimes makes the book feel bloated and slow-paced.

Some things I didn’t really grasp: why the novel shifts between present tense and past tense. Seems random and almost like an amateurish mistake, but I imagine there might be an artistic reason for this?

Another thing I didn’t understand was why Goodsir’s diary had Random capitalizations all throughout His writing just like I am Doing now. Was Pretty Annoying!

One last thing I really didn’t like, and I would’ve suggested cutting as an editor, was that section near the end explaining the Real People history. I skimmed it and could not appreciate any part of it - felt like the author wanted to reach a certain word count.

Overall, I enjoyed the book more than I disliked it, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a character-based literary novel with chilling elements rather than a horror story.

What’s your opinion? Did I miss anything

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artsanchezg t1_izqw5ew wrote

I enjoyed it but it certainly was a little too long. The fantastic parts were my least favourite. The cold, the hunger, the men... were scarier than the monster. Probably i would have liked it better as a purely historical book.

There is a really excellent TV series based on the book by the way.

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jessicas213 t1_izr59ps wrote

Agree, the horror part could have been dropped entirely and it wouldn't have hurt it. I love the expedition gone wrong story the most. It actually started me reading a bunch of non fiction about early exploration and the absolute crazy conditions people dealt with as just normal.

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ATLL2112 t1_izrnucd wrote

Check out Endurance by Alfred Lansing about Ernest Shackleton's failed expedition to the South Pole.

Incredible that every single member of the crew survived.

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Badroadrash101 t1_izs1f6o wrote

Great book. Agree on the recommendation. I would also add The Last Place on Earth by Huntford. Race to the South Pole between Scott and Amundsen.

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MS3FGX t1_izramfo wrote

If I'm honest, I actually liked the show more than the book, specifically because they decided to drop a lot of the more fantastical elements.

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idrinkkombucha OP t1_izr6ox7 wrote

Yes, the monster was the least scary part of the book to me. Murder and starvation was much scarier!

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sigmaninus t1_izsyby4 wrote

Oh I agree entirely on the focus of the horror (ive only watched the show not read the book) the lead poisoning vs. starvation I found the most real and therefore the most harrowing

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hippydipster t1_iztob7d wrote

But we would have missed the part where the monster's bouncing around the sails and rigging trying to catch the dude! Absurdity like that shouldn't be missed.

Also, Mardi Gras on ice was great.

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Quakespeare t1_izs0dim wrote

This is actually a case of the series being better than the book, in my opinion!

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docsyzygy t1_izuo7at wrote

Yes, the series with Ciarán Hinds was...chilling!

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05110909 t1_j21vcwc wrote

For me, I just hope I never read the phrase "pressure ridge" ever again in my life.

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memmers225 t1_izqu5vm wrote

I've read it several times. I like to take it out in the winter when I'm already cold. The different tenses are because he was literally writing two parts of the story at one; past tense was the story of how they came to be stuck in the I've, and the present was "we are really really screwed". Goodsir's diary had random capital letters because that's how Victorians wrote. Authenticity. I agree with you about the legends near the end. I skimmed.

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arkadyharris t1_izr8vi6 wrote

There's another one of his novels that I read in the winter. It's called "A Winter Haunting" and it's probably my favorite novel. It's a sequel to one of his other books, but works perfectly fine as a standalone novel. I've read it several times, always in the winter, and appreciate it more each time. It's better paced and shorter than "The Terror" or any of his more recent writings like "Black Hills," which is good but overwritten, or "The Abominable," which I gave up on about a quarter of the way through because he made mountain climbing boring. I'd recommend anyone who hasn't already read it to check it out.

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zincdeclercq t1_izsf7bu wrote

I just finished Abominable and thought the mountain climbing scenes were thrilling and anxiety-inducing. They’re not even at Everest a quarter of the way through.

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Zealousideal_Role189 t1_izux663 wrote

I JUST finished Abominable. The observations OP is making really apply to Abominable as well IMO.

Without spoilers, it really seemed like the book couldn’t pick a lane towards the end. There was some Scooby-Doo nonsense that I just wasn’t onboard for. There was one threat, then it was clear that the threat was actually a different thing, then at the end maybe it was the first thing too!!

I like ambiguity in books, but this felt like indecision.

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notniceicehot t1_izqzxht wrote

regarding the capitalization, historically capitalizing a word was to place emphasis on it. less messy than underlining with an inked nib, more distinctive than bolding or italicizing.

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doingworkforyuda t1_izqr93c wrote

Enjoyed it thoroughly, he's one of the best authors out there. Try Hyperion.

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IntrinSicks t1_izrwn7a wrote

Illium, was another book I like of his it's interesting especially if your familiar with homers the illiad

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tipper_g0re t1_izr6gjp wrote

Would you recommend Hyperion to a non sci fi fan?

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Numetshell t1_izs6i4h wrote

Hyperion is one of my favourite books, but I'd be wary of recommending it to someone who doesn't have much experience of scifi.

If by non-scifi fan, you mean you've tried but not particularly enjoyed a few scifi books, I'd suggest giving Hyperion a go because it's brilliant.

But if you mean you've never really read any scifi before, Hyperion is probably a very intense introduction.

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ecmcn t1_izrgfcm wrote

I always forget the same person write both of those. Both incredible books.

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Skatneti t1_iztbyw5 wrote

Down to the last chapter of Hyperion. Half way through the book I ordered Fall of Hyperion. Defo a good read!

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addy-Bee t1_izr99md wrote

I am pretty interested in the Franlin Expedition--I found the book because of my obsession, not the other way around.

The book is insanely thoroughly researched, at least as far as we knew at the time of publishing. Basically every body ever found on King William Island is given a name and personality in the story, and we find out how they came to be where they were found in the coming years.

That said...I don't really feel like the tubaaq really worked for me. Especially not with the massive lore dump in the last chapter trying to unravel the mystery all at once. Basically everything about the last chapter bugged me, tbh, especially the main character's resolution.

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DarthDregan t1_iztma4i wrote

I always viewed the end as sort of Crozier's brain hallucinating until it shuts down and he dies by freezing to death. We go straight into his head and experience his death with him, as him.

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Fhaol t1_izqw5rb wrote

The tv series was awesome too!

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docsyzygy t1_izuoku0 wrote

Ciarán Hinds, old creaky ships, icy landscapes and handsome men in naval uniforms. Yum!

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wingthing666 t1_izr24j7 wrote

I assumed the present and past was because the book started in median res, then jumped around, but yeah, there were times when that didn't hold.

I was already quite the Franklin nerd before picking it up, and I was quite dubious about the whole supernatural element, but ended up really enjoying it because of slow burn build up.

Overall I loved it... except for the disturbing age gap between Crozier and You Know Who (actually, both of the love interests) and the general exoticism/fetishization of Indigenous women, which I gather is intended to be "historically accurate" attitude from British/Irish male POVs but still comes off damn tacky.

Barring the inaccurate Tuunbaq design, the AMC series improves on the book in every respect... and yet somehow manages to make the ending more depressing, which... damn, kudos for that. Most shows haven't the guts for that kind of bleakness. The show''s "sequel in name only" second season certainly didn't.

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bibliophile222 t1_izr2x0y wrote

I loved it!!! Favorite thing I read in 2021. I've always been into long books and historical fiction, and the mood was so vivid and encompassing that I don't think I would have enjoyed reading it in winter because I would have been cold! It also made me really, really happy I have access to vitamin C. 🤣

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IonlyusethrowawaysA t1_iztq4x2 wrote

Other people have already addressed the little details here.

My personal take is mixed (and dated, I haven't read it in 20 years), I find the book to be a lot better when I imagine the monster as a normal polar bear, twisted in image due to the men's decaying mental states. When there is no actual monster, it reads a lot scarier, and better.

One thing I definitely remember talking about a lot with a few friends at the time: the book is weirdly racist. Like, it's probably an accurate take from the perspective of British sailors, but, it never has a moment of clarity. Natives are either savages, or fetishized. Not sure how much of that was from my and my friends' perspectives, but it felt pervasive and really detracted from the read.

The setting and general feel of the book is amazing. It made me feel cold, isolated, and frightened even when I was reading the nth description of naval life.

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05110909 t1_j21w162 wrote

Damn dude, you got to read it five years before it was published!? That's dope.

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IonlyusethrowawaysA t1_j228vgm wrote

Holy shit, mind blown.

You think the math and memory is easy and all, but I promise you it does not remain simple as life goes on.

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05110909 t1_j22axkd wrote

Heard that. I constantly find myself saying "That was five years ago... No, ten... Wait what the fuck, 20!?"

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IonlyusethrowawaysA t1_j24knij wrote

Craziest part, my cousin that read it immediately after me also remembers being a teenager at the time. We're both having our Berenstain Bears moment here.

"Like, seriously? This was after uni?"

"It has to be, book was only published in '07."

"But that doesn't make any sense, we were on opposite sides of the country and read the same physical copy, I remember the conversation and the book being exchanged!"

"Yup, memory is weird."

Followed by the existential dread of being totally uncertain about our pasts.

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tipper_g0re t1_izr6ooz wrote

I really enjoyed the book. I don't think it was too long. I particularly liked the writing about the surroundings, the ice, cold, the ship etc.

I went and got Hyperion (another book by the author), but am struggling to get into it (it's a sci fi).

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idrinkkombucha OP t1_izrdwac wrote

Someone recommended me Hyperion, but I am hesitant - why would you say you’re struggling to get into it?

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degotoga t1_izsyrqj wrote

I haven’t read the Terror but from your description you could probably apply the same criticisms to Hyperion

Personally I thought that Hyperion as well as Ilium were both excellent, but his writing and narrative style is definitely unique and not everyone’s cup of tea

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PJsinBed149 t1_j00634i wrote

Hyperion is a pretty demanding book, imo. It has 7+ point of view characters, and it shifts back and forth in time as well. It involves time travel, which is always a bit mind-bending. It's also more literary than most sci-fi in that has lots of allusions to other literature - Greek mythology, the Canterbury Tales, and the poetry of John Keats, just to name the most obvious ones. Personally, I loved it, but it's no beach read!

ETA: Also, Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion are a single story split into two books (much like Lord of the Rings is one story split into three books). Hyperion just ends abruptly, and you really need to read Fall of Hyperion to get the climax and resolution of the story.

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johnsgrove t1_izrakkd wrote

Read ‘Endurance’ by Alfred Lansing. It’s wonderful

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Pork_Chop_Expresss t1_izr8phm wrote

I enjoy Dan Simmons. The pacing of this took me a long time to acclimate to. I ended up setting it aside for a bit and watched the series in the meantime. It got me interested in finishing the book which of course ends quite differently. In the end I enjoyed it but the slow pace was tough at first. I was not expecting based off other Simmons novels like Carrion Comfort

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idrinkkombucha OP t1_izrdy9y wrote

Are his other books, like the one you’ve mentioned, faster paced?

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Pork_Chop_Expresss t1_izsu7hc wrote

The ones I have read, yes. Carrion Comfort is Great, as is Summer of night. Song of Kali is highly regarded but there was one scene near the end that was extremely disturbing to me personally, so I would not recommend it myself but it is well written. The Terror was surprisingly slow for me compared to everything else I read by him.

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Icy_Figure_8776 t1_izsh0ez wrote

I absolutely loved The Terror, I thought the series came close, but the book was much better

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44035 t1_izqyptn wrote

I really enjoyed it.

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ecmcn t1_izrgnc1 wrote

I loved it. I like historical fiction and Stephen King and you get both with the Terror.

I was worried how he’d wrap the story up, knowing that nobody came back from the expedition yet having a clear protagonist to root for, and I thought he did a great job with the ending.

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Ramoncin t1_izs6dz0 wrote

I thought it was brilliant. A page turner with great prose. I've wanted to pick something else by the same author, but can't make my mind about which one.

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jankotanko t1_izs6e54 wrote

I loved this book. There's an absolutely fantastic version available on audible narrated by Tom Sellwood that I can't recommend highly enough. I found this particularly helped in some of the passages that were slogs to get through.

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AquaStarRedHeart t1_izsaajv wrote

It's one of my favorites. Check out his Hyperion series as well.

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nuclear-propulsion t1_iztblqp wrote

I enjoyed it though I agree with the common theme that 100 to 200 pages could of been carved off. I understood that the food was bad and it was cold the first 300 times you told me.

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Keffpie t1_iztfvs3 wrote

I personally think it's one of the best books I've ever read, and rate it even higher than Simmons' Hyperion Cantos. I really enjoyed the slow building dread as their situation worsened, mixed with the historical accuracy.

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salamanizer_er t1_iztgbd6 wrote

Coming from someone who absolutely loves Dan Simmons, this was my least favorite of his books that I’ve read. Carrion Comfort was his best horror book imo.

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Zaszar t1_izrpqbm wrote

Ohh please do … Hyperion (as well as the other 3 books) is fantastic. Not a horror book though in my opinion

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Owtih t1_izrxiog wrote

I remember randomly buying It on stand when a was a teenager. I have fond memories of It, even thought i vaguely recall the story.

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nealpolitan t1_izs6tpa wrote

25-30 years ago I would have probably said that Simmons was my favorite author. I read Carrion Comfort 3-4 times in high school/college and while the Hyperion series was coming out it was my favorite SciFi series - I waited for every book. As I moved into my 30s and beyond, I found that I grew out of Simmons' stuff. By the time the Ilium series came out, I couldn't finish them so I moved on from Simmons in general. 4-5 years ago, I picked up The Terror on a whim and ended up really enjoying it. It does feel like it is the work of an author who is at the point of his career where he doesn't really have an editor but still I enjoyed almost everything about it (I read it in the middle of a very brutal Wisconsin winter storm so that might have helped). While reading it, I discovered there was a TV series in production and when it came out, I was again pleasantly surprised - it's a great TV show. I too felt it was better than the book.

At some point during lockdown in 2020 or 2021, I dug out my old books and tried re-reading Carrion Comfort and the Hyperion books. I couldn't finish any of them. I also tried reading The Abominable and it was hands down one of the dumbest books I've ever finished. I guess sometimes a reader's mood and interests rise to meet an author's output and once that crests and falls away, both move on with their lives.

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malice666 t1_izsqzns wrote

I actually have a signed copy of this book, met the author when I worked at his publisher.

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wistfulmaiden t1_izsxafz wrote

I love the topics I need to read it!

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philly22 t1_izsyt00 wrote

One of the few books where I say the tv show or filmed version is better than the book

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Volcano_Tequila t1_izt5nb2 wrote

It's in my TBR pile. It looks pretty daunting. I am tempted to see the TV series instead, in all honesty.

Simmons is maybe the most idiosyncratic writer I read. He jumps genres so is hard to pin down, and can get wordy at times. He does not go for jolts, but mood. So if he is writing about winter, you can feel the cold creeping all over you. When he has a central protagonist, he will suddenly focus on a side character who does not seem to add anything to the action, but adds to the overall sense of dread. Simmons is gifted, for sure.

Will I read it? If Simmons were setting the scene, I would hear a noise, investigate, and find nothing, and forget about it. Then, days later, while cleaning up, I'd see The Terror had fallen from its bookcase perch, and realize that was the noise. Then I'd pick it up and suddenly start reading it.

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RictusErectus626 t1_iztlb3a wrote

I also just finished this after almost a year on my TBR list. I thought it was a chore to get through at times. If I never read another description of a serac or ice pack again it’ll be too soon.

But overall it was a good experience. It’s well researched and Simmons does a great job building the atmosphere. The setting and situation were scarier than the actual monster.

I’m going to try carrion comfort next. I hope the pace is a bit faster.

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DarthDregan t1_iztlsxl wrote

Love it. It's flawed but it's such an interesting vibe. Definitely one of Dan's best.

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hippydipster t1_izto0bx wrote

I gained something from reading along the lines of any decent historical fiction.

BUT, I didn't finish it. I skipped the final 50-100 pages, read a synopsis instead and do not regret doing so. I should have done so earlier. Waited and waited for a point. A payoff. Something, but in fact there is nothing.

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jwf239 t1_iztygae wrote

I love his Hyperion and illium series so much! Been meaning to check this one out.

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Viffer98 t1_izuqyu5 wrote

One of my favorites.

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nightwatchcrow t1_izuz3xf wrote

I’m definitely in the minority here, but I hated The Terror. The idea of a fantasy/horror historical fiction about the Franklin expedition is so cool, but it just didn’t work for me. I felt like the characters are all flat and barely seem afraid of the thing that’s stalking them, which diminishes the psychological horror that should be the book’s centerpiece, and there’s no suspense because the narrative constantly skips ahead, states the outcome of an event, and then tells about it through the character’s memory instead of letting the reader experience the action. I also thought the dialogue seemed kind of stilted and like the author just wanted to show off the research he’d done.

And I really hated the constant sexual descriptions of naked teenage girls, most of whom have no narrative reason to be nude (yet every time a girl appears, she at least takes off her shirt, even if it’s –100 degrees and they’re outside) and there are no narrative reasons for so many children to be having sex with 50 year old men.

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sawyersnizzard t1_j0upuvn wrote

I'm early on, within the first 200 pages amd im considering stopping and picking up something else.

There is something about it that appeals to me, but it does feel like a chore...

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nightwatchcrow t1_j0uu128 wrote

If you like the concept but aren’t enjoying the book itself, I’ve heard good things about the show! I only watched scenes here and there while my roommate was watching but it seemed to express the tension and horror a lot better.

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PeteyPablo23 t1_izv1wpr wrote

I've read several of his books, and this was alright. Carrion Comfort is by far his best book in my opinion.

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