The Abominable

A Novel

By: Dan Simmons

Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins

Length: 29 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

A thrilling tale of high-altitude death and survival set on the snowy summits of Mount Everest, from the best-selling author of The Terror.

The year is 1924 and the race to summit the world's highest mountain has been brought to a terrified pause by the shocking disappearance of George Mallory and Sandy Irvine, high on the shoulder of Mt. Everest. By the following year, three climbers - a British poet and veteran of the Great War, a young French Chamonix guide, and an idealistic young American - find a way to take their shot at the top. They arrange funding from the grieving Lady Bromley, whose son also disappeared on Mt. Everest in 1924. Young Bromley must be dead, but his mother refuses to believe it and pays the trio to bring him home.

Deep in Tibet and high on Everest, the three climbers - joined by the missing boy's female cousin - find themselves being pursued through the night by someone…or something. This nightmare becomes a matter of life and death at 28,000 feet - but what is pursuing them? And what is the truth behind the 1924 disappearances on Everest? As they fight their way to the top of the world, the friends uncover a secret far more abominable than any mythical creature could ever be. A pulse-pounding story of adventure and suspense, The Abominable is Dan Simmons at his spine-chilling best.

©2013 Dan Simmons (P)2013 Hachette Audio

Wonderful story, way too much descriptive detail

Firstly, I am a huge fan of all things Dan Simmons. The Abominable is a great story with intriguing characters and lots of wonderful history. The bad part is there is so much detail about the logistics and technicalities of mountain climbing crammed into this book that you will find yourself zoning out during the descriptions of a 12-point crampon or what a rope is made of. I am a huge fan of all things Dan Simmons. If about 75% of the descriptive detail was taken out of this story, it would be a fantastic book. I normally give nothing less than a 4 or 5 star rating to all things Simmons, but this one's long, dragging technical descriptions pull it down to a 3 at Best. If you love mountaineering and climbing, you will love this book. If you are looking for a horror story about Bigfoot, Yeti or mythical creatures you will be a long way from it by the time you are neck deep in this one.

Way better than you expect

Loved it, highly recommend. So much more than climbing. Not like Dan Simmons normal books witch I love anyways.

One of Simmons' finest.

A sweeping epic adventure with larger than life heroes and dastardly villians. A must read for Dan Simmons fans.

Gripping

Occasionally a little inaccessible due to climbing jargon, it's nonetheless a masterful and terrifying tale!

Fizzles out

I came to this book from the Terror which I loved. I loved the slow burn and the descriptions but as the plot unfolded the story just felt kind off uninspired. I’m hoping to listen to more of Simmon’s work and that one mediocre story won’t spur my opinion of him as an author.

What a journey!

Dan Simmons' story telling pulls you in and doesn't let go until the final passage. Adventure, history, and characters that you are emotionally attached to before the first hour. The 29hrs length seemed daunting but once the adventure started I didn't want it to end. Narration by Mr. Collins is fantastic. 5 star listen for sure!

long long long!

I struggled to get through this book. the narrator is great just the story is boring repeats himself. unless you know about mountain climbing maybe avoid this one not scary barely any scare element involved.

Dan Simmons has the cajones to take on any story.

Bold writer. Odd premise but an incredible background. An enjoyable fictional story that sheds light on the history of Mt Everest.

Engrossing read

Not at all what I was expecting but I enjoyed it immensely. The details and vivid explanations allowed me to sink deep into this immersive story about climbing, friendship and enough action to keep me engaged. I’m fast becoming a huge fan of Mr. Simmons.

Amazing! Not a typical Dan Simmons Novel!

I was looking for a Dan Simmons horror book. Like 'The Terror,' which in its own right is a fantastic book, this novel follows an expedition to the top of Mt. Everest. The characters scream to be real and cared for. The adventure and its technical description is written in such a way that you will want to learn more about ice climbing. More than once, working on a hot day doing manual labor, I felt the cold chill of Simmon's wordimg and description physically. Don't expect the preternatural here though. Expect a story of friendship, hard decisions, gory descriptions, a well thought out reveal, and a history lesson that will send you straight to Google. Not what I was expecting, but a great listen performed perfectly by the reader! Highly recommended! Read 'The Terror' first if you can, it gives the beginning of the story some more depth and understanding. But, it is absolutely not necessary to read before starting. It just clarifies a chapter in the beggining.