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The Terror (Abridged): A Novel Audiobook
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(4.00) - 17 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
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.
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"One of the most terrifying (no pun intended) books I've ever read. Not only is it historical fiction, depicting the slow starvation of Sir John Franklin's expedition in search of the Northwest Passage, but Simmons also adds a touch of the supernatural. "
— Mindy (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“A brilliant, massive combination of history and supernatural horror.”
— Stephen King, #1 New York Times bestselling author -
“Brutal, relentless, yet oddly uplifting, The Terror is a masterfully chilling work.”
— Entertainment Weekly -
“Simmons’ writing is so vivid that narrator Simon Vance need only deliver the material with a clear and firm reading to capture the interest of listeners. Vance does this so well that the presentation sounds like a recorded journal entry and captivates listeners from start to finish as he plays his role with the utmost respect for Simmons’ work. The result is a moving listening experience—perfectly executed—which transports listeners to the galley of the HMS Terror during its expedition through the Arctic Circle. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile -
“Dan Simmons does not need comparison with anybody else. He is very much his own man, and now with this chilling—in every way—thriller, he is set to break big.”
— New York Daily News -
“Simmons, an accomplished writer of horror and sci fi, is predictably adroit in his deployment of terror, but the greatest pleasure of the novel lies in the sharp and sympathetic portrayals of Captain Francis Crozier, who assumes command of the expedition after Franklin’s death, and Dr. Harry Goodsir, the mild yet determined ship’s physician.”
— New Yorker -
“The best and most unusual historical novel I have read in years.”
— Boston Globe -
“The Terror makes some keen observations about man and nature, civilization and savagery.”
— San Francisco Chronicle -
“First-rate historical fiction.”
— Oregonian -
“The Terror is the sort of rich, character- and plot-driven novel that provides thrills while fulfilling the desire for a substantial, intellectually satisfying read.”
— Milwaukee Journal Sentinel -
THE TERROR is both dazzling history and a sparkling chiller.
— Caroline Leavitt, People -
The best and most unusual historical novel I have read in years.
— Katherine A. Powers, Boston Globe
Awards
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A 2008British Fantasy Award Nominee
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A 2007Bram Stoker Award Nominee
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A 2008Audie Award Finalist
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Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
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Winner of the 2008International Horror Guild Award
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An Off the Shelf Pick of Best Supernatural Thrillers
The Terror Listener Reviews
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" I thought this story, mixing historical events with a wonderful story was very, very good. The story flowed nicely and did not get lost in sidebars that only seem to lengthen some of the more recent novels for no apparent reason. Highly recommend. "
— Larry , 8/14/2016 -
" A really interesting alternative story of what happened to the Franklin expedition. A little too "out there" to be called historical fiction but a nice historical tie-in nonetheless. "
— Markt5660, 6/14/2011 -
" Excellent nautical historical fiction with a supernatural twist. Brrrrrr....I never want to be cold again. "
— Carter, 6/4/2011 -
" One of the best books I have EVER read!! "
— Sandiigirl, 5/27/2011 -
" So far, this is (for me) a near-perfect escape. Plenty of historic detail, decent prose and a building sense of foreboding. "
— Bill, 5/22/2011 -
" Slow start. I had to restart it once because he lost my attention. However, after some 180 pages I was well land truly hooked. This is perhaps the best Simmons I've read besides The Hyperion Cantos. Very, very good. "
— Lars, 5/16/2011 -
" Dan Simmons again shows he's one of the best with this book. Science fiction, crime or mainstream I have yet to read a novel by him that wasn't a real page turner. This was extremely good "
— J.P., 4/27/2011 -
" Again and again and again.....in the beginning much tension, but after the 3. attack of the MONSTER it seemed slightly ridiculous to me...and the problems of surviving in the arctic have been describes a thousand times before. so.....a good read but with length after half of the book. "
— Thomas, 4/26/2011
About Dan Simmons
Dan Simmons, the author of critically acclaimed suspense and science fiction novels, is a recipient of numerous major international awards, including the Hugo Award, World Fantasy Award, Bram Stoker Award, and the Shirley Jackson Award, among others.
About Dan Simmons
Simon Vance (a.k.a. Robert Whitfield) is an award-winning actor and narrator. He has earned more than fifty Earphones Awards and won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration thirteen times. He was named Booklist’s very first Voice of Choice in 2008 and has been named an AudioFile Golden Voice as well as an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009. He has narrated more than eight hundred audiobooks over almost thirty years, beginning when he was a radio newsreader for the BBC in London. He is also an actor who has appeared on both stage and television.