by Dan Simmons

The Terror is an epic adventure, albeit a largely ice bound one. This from the pen of Dan Simmons who has, over the last twenty years or more brought us such fine books as the masterful Song of Kali (purportedly slated by the prime properties collector Darren Aronofsky as a future film project), the collection of short works Prayers to Broken Stones and the recommended Lovedeath composed of five novellas, among many other Horror, S.F., Fantasy and Crime Thriller books. Amongst his literary baggage Simmons also has a swag of awards packed away, sporting such familiar names as Stoker, Serling, Sturgeon.

Two of Her Majesty’s exploration ships Erebus and Terror set forth in 1845 on an Arctic expedition to break the enigma of the rumoured North-West Passage.

It is an ill fated venture and, largely due to the expedition leader’s hubris and stupidity, the ships become ice locked. The story spans the several years of this imprisonment.

Amongst and amidst the many hardships, dangers and perils of this situation for the one hundred plus men of the trapped expedition is an unknown life form. A huge beast that embodies frightening speed, monstrous power, and unearthly malice.

In his dedication Simmons basically thanks the cast and crew of the original The Thing From Another World. Therein lies a clear clue.

The writer gives us nicely detailed characterisation of a hefty list of characters. The historical details are incorporated with a minimum of fuss and almost no fanfare. The reality is gritty and true.

So, you’re in awe of Dan Simmons, Mister King? Well maybe you have reason to be. Here demonstrated most ably: when Simmons brings in a big book, He delivers.

This is worthy of shelf space with that classic tale of Polar terror, Poe’s only known novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket.

You’ll get your money’s worth here. The large format Bantam Press paperback is 763 pages of story with two pages of reference map. More importantly those 763 pages are entertaining and engrossing. You are in the hands of a sterling author and twenty plus book veteran.

Simmons turns a doomed ship into a haunted house; a ruined, ice perched pile, multi-levelled and subterraneous as any castle in Gothic Literature. The creaking domain of the dungeoned dead, of flesh feasting, frolicking rats, of hidden, icy chambers and dire deeds in darkness, a sooty darkness that can indeed be felt, be inhaled.

Like unto the Gothic, we even have the mystical wise woman residing isolated and secretive in such depths, in iron and timber oubliette.

Some of the major treats for me... A pursuit over and up the frozen spars of one ship and through a maze of ice. An Arctic variant of Poe’s "Masque" in the form of a bizarre carnivale. Beast attacks galore from the mysterious creature that plagues the men. A graphic description of the dehumanising effects of untreated scurvy and poisoning from contaminated food stocks, murder most foul, massacre, mutiny, survival rituals, mystic rituals. With a denouement that neatly avoids any of the expected clichés of monsterdom. The feet of the narrative slip only slightly towards the end, but Simmons never gets a wet tail. This is not the first time that the author has utilised historical facts for fictive speculations, though this is perhaps his largest canvas thus to date, one hopes that there will be more such ventures. The title of his next, not yet completed, book "Drood" would seem to indicate such.

I recommend you take this journey. Gear up for this trek, look to the Esquimaux, and beware the rearing snow—it’s not all ice and tundra out in that hell of white.