The Terror

By: Dan Simmons

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

The men on board HMS Terror have every expectation of triumph. As part of the 1845 Franklin Expedition, the first steam-powered vessels ever to search for the legendary Northwest Passage, they are as scientifically supported an enterprise as has ever set forth. As they enter a second summer in the Arctic Circle without a thaw, though, they are stranded in a nightmarish landscape of encroaching ice and darkness.

Endlessly cold, with diminishing rations, 126 men fight to survive with poisonous food, a dwindling supply of coal, and ships buckling in the grip of crushing ice. But their real enemy is far more terrifying. There is something out there in the frigid darkness: an unseen predator stalking their ship, a monstrous terror constantly clawing to get in. When the expedition's leader, Sir John Franklin, meets a terrible death, Captain Francis Crozier takes command and leads his surviving crewmen on a last, desperate attempt to flee south across the ice. With them travels an Inuit woman who cannot speak and who may be the key to survival, or the harbinger of their deaths.

But as another winter approaches, as scurvy and starvation grow more terrible, and as the terror on the ice stalks them southward, Crozier and his men begin to fear that there is no escape. The Terror swells with the heart-stopping suspense and heroic adventure that have won Dan Simmons praise as "a writer who not only makes big promises but keeps them" (Seattle Post-Intelligencer). With a haunting and constantly surprising story based on actual historical events, The Terror is a novel that will chill you to your core.

©2007 Dan Simmons (P)2007 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Outstanding." (Booklist)
"Beautifully written." (Publishers Weekly)

A thrilling read, but not horror

I was skeptical if a horror novel can really work in audible form. Turns out I need not be concerned because it was not scary. Exciting sure, but not scary. Lost did the mysterious polar bear better, and Monty Python did the cannibalism bit better. Still a great read for nautical fans.

Terror is Terrible

This book was utterly ridiculous. There is a demon (is it real or symbolic?) that haunts a ship of adventurers. Haven't we already seen two versions of the Thing ? I gave up after struggling to stay with this loser. Really, really bad.

A Very Long Read

I really thought this story had some legs to it when I bought it. I hoped it would be terrifying and scary but set in the mid 1800's wasn't very terrible. You don't find out what's t rule going on until you get to the final 49 mins of the 6-7 hrs story. Could have been more phenomenal than it was.

Devastated by abridged butchery

Any additional comments?

Don't buy this abridged piece of garbage. Dan Simmons wrote a 700+ page book for a reason. I urge you to pick up the novel and read it in its entirety.

Not for me....did not finish.

What would have made The Terror better?

I read many historical/adventure/mystery books but this story was too fantastic and repulsive for my tastes. I was surprised that I did not to like it based on my usual preferences.

Would you ever listen to anything by Dan Simmons again?

I won't go out of my way.

What does Simon Vance bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Simon Vance is one of my favorite narrators. I probably wouldn't have read very many pages in a print copy of this book, but held out for a few chapters due to Vance's interpretation.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Terror?

The scenes involving The Terror and Lady Silent are disturbing and repellent.