Although The Terror is a hefty 700+ page novel, it is an extremely well-written, well-researched novel that I would heartily recommend to anyone. It is equal parts historical fiction, thriller and medical drama, with bits of romance and Eskimo lore thrown in for good measure. The Terror by Dan Simmons is about the ill-fated expedition of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, two naval discovery ships out to find the Northwest passage across the arctic sea to China. This part of the story is true and based on actual events; Mr. Simmons adeptly weaves in a fictional story about what might have happened to the sailors but he also adds in a supernatural spin, as the men on the ice find out fairly quickly that they are not alone. This book has been on my to be read list for some time but I just now got around to reading it. I figured winter would be a good time to read it, as you cant go more than a page or so without the author mentioning the misery of the ice and snow and cold. Some parts of this book dragged a bit, especially in the first half of the book as the characters seemed to be dealing with the same problems and in the same situation, but it does pick up around the halfway mark or so and becomes the book that you dont want to put down. Each chapter is told from the point of view of a different character, perhaps 10 in all, although it isnt confusing. I really loved this book and cant say enough good things about it. For a time, I thought that the ending was going to be a predictably sad one, but thats not the case; if I said anymore about the end it would be a spoiler, so I wont. Suffice it to say that its not a predictable ending and that the story nicely resolves all of the loose ends and is somewhat circular in structure. Read this book!
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