The Terror - Dan Simmons

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== The Terror ==
=== Dan Simmons ===

I don't know about you but I do like reading fiction that combines a little bit of history in it.
So it is with this book 'The Terror' by Dan Simmons.

This novel is a fictional account of Sir John Franklin's expedition of discovery to the North Pacific in search of the elusive Northwest Passage. The HMS Terror and HMS Erebus had been to both poles ...
...home alive.
In the 19th century, this outcome was shocking and several attempts at rescues were attempted, and even to the present day expeditions are still being sent out to try to find the wrecks of the ships or any new clues to what happened.
The book is in part like a log or diary, part story - through the story Simmons gives a dramatic picture of a freezing, white land that is as dangerous and ruthless as it is beautiful At 784 ... more

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The Terror

Dan Simmons

I don't know about you but I do like reading fiction that combines a little bit of history in it.
So it is with this book 'The Terror' by Dan Simmons.

This novel is a fictional account of Sir John Franklin's expedition of discovery to the North Pacific in search of the elusive Northwest Passage. The HMS Terror and HMS Erebus had been to both poles in arduous missions where their reinforced hulls made them resistant to being crushed when trapped in winter sea ice. More interestingly, this story is about a real disaster. Not one member of that expedition came home alive.
In the 19th century, this outcome was shocking and several attempts at rescues were attempted, and even to the present day expeditions are still being sent out to try to find the wrecks of the ships or any new clues to what happened.
The book is in part like a log or diary, part story - through the story Simmons gives a dramatic picture of a freezing, white land that is as dangerous and ruthless as it is beautiful At 784 pages long, you could be forgiven for thinking that, as is often the case with such works, factual information may tend to weigh the novel down. I can assure you, though, that this is not the case. While the first few chapters are a little heavy going at first, due to the flashbacks. As you get into the book, it is obvious that while certainly Simmons did his homework with regard to his facts, they never seem to take anything away from the flow of his adaption, and theory of the story.

THE STORY

In 1845, the Franklin Expedition with 129 men aboard the two British ships, the HMS Terror and HMS Erebus, set sail for Canada's Arctic Circle in search of the Northwest Passage. The two ships had been fully stocked with plenty of canned goods, salt pork, and coal to keep them heated and warm and crewed with an experienced crew, many of the men having been on similar expeditions to Antarctica.
Sir John's life on the Erebus, was hardly difficult; he and his officers on dined of silver, china and crystal and there were more than a thousand books in the ship's library.
It was a different story for his crew, they had to endure tight sleeping quarters, unbearable cold, a diet of salted pork and weevil infested biscuits, fear of starvation, and winter darkness lasting 23 plus hours a day.

Franklin was confident that within two years he would have reached the Bering Sea and that he would be a national hero.
He was if anything, too confident, when things start to go wrong on the voyage -- such as an early advent of the pack ice -- he dismissed it as nothing. This conceit causes Sir John to continue on his journey long after sense, and some of his junior officers, command that they turn back before conditions get too bad.

Meanwhile, on the other ship, Terror, her captain, Francis Crozier, isn't so optimistic about it. Francis Crozier, an Irish nobody, at one time contemplated blowing his brains out when his stash of whiskey finally gave out.

But there is something worse than the cold and ice out there, something horrible is stalking the crew of the Franklin Expedition, tearing of men's limb and demolishing them in the perpetual night. Some of the crew think that it's the Devil himself, others that it is Lady Silence, a mystifying -- and mute -- Esquimaux woman that the crew have encountered, and some that it is a giant polar bear. Crozier knows better, he knows that there is little chance of survival for any of them.

Told mostly through the eyes of Captain Crozier, I found this to be a surprising and spine-tingling book. I had heard about the Franklin Expedition before, and knew what the outcome was going to be. Despite that, I found myself truly spellbound by the story, and wondering each character's fate was going to be.
In between the action and thrills of the story, there is lots of interesting information on ships of that time, stocked and crewed, British naval traditions, some history of the expeditions of both military and civilian men sent out to explore the world. It was obvious to me that Simmons had done a lot of research into the Franklin Expedition, sailing life and Inuit traditions. These facts, together with good writing and characterization, resulted in making me feel that I found myself suffering alongside the characters in the book. I felt their hunger pains as they slowly starve, and cringed with them as they suffered in the icy cold
The ending of the book is a mixture of fulfilment and inquisitiveness. A large piece of the puzzle fitted into place as a question I had wanted answering was answered; bringing the action toward a finish that is enjoyable for its change of direction. It also left me with an itch to find out more.
In conclusion I would say that The Terror takes time to develop and as a result the initial slowness and overall size of the book may not appeal to those who are looking for a quick read. On top of that, towards the end of the book Simmons seems to deviate into a description of native religion and mythology that caught me off guard. Also, the violence is very horrific, both out on the ice, and in the language used by the sailors. Combined with moments of raw sexuality, and homosexuality as well as explicit insinuations of cannibalism these facts may make it not suitable for some readers.
However, I found this book to be a completely enjoyable, thought provoking horror tale that was well worth the time it took me to read.
While the true fate of the Franklin Expedition will probably never be known, this book certainly makes you think!!

Summary: Fiction and Truth come together in a spine chilling book.

=== BOO!!!! ===
 

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