MADreads

The Terror, the Terror

February 6th, 2007 Gregg - Sequoya

I’ve written about Dan Simmons before and was very excited about his new book, and I’m here to tell you that The Terror was incredible. 

The Terror is historical fiction, based on the Sir John Franklin expedition to find the Northwest Passage. Two ships (named the Terror and Erebus) and 129 men set out from London  in 1845 and vanished somewhere in the arctic. What happened to them no one knows, but Simmons fills in the blanks in this book. 

The crews have to endure a lot: the extreme cold, disease, and…something…something supernatural that is stalking the crew. Not a fan of horror fiction? Don’t let the supernatural element put you off -you can gloss over the ghostly bits, and read this as a survival story, it is no less compelling. 

If you prefer non-fiction, or would like to get more historical background on the expedition, check out Ice blink : the Tragic Fate of Sir John Franklin’s Lost Polar Expedition by Scott Cookman. Cookman’s work helps to answer some of the questions that come up while reading the novel, such as why was Franklin, who in the novel is somewhat of a buffoon, in charge of the expedition in the first place? 

Most importantly, reading either one of these books will make you think that 15 degrees below zero is a heatwave!

Entry Filed under: Historical Fiction, Nonfiction