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christophehermans's review against another edition
4.0
Loved the book to a point where I am now very interested in learning more about arctic expeditions. Very awesome.
I would have given five stars were it not for two reasons.
The first being that the book is long, and it's JUST not long enough for it to get annoying. But it would easily have been possible to trim off 200 to 300 pages out of the 900 total, and the novel would have likely been better as a result.
The second reason is that there is a weird internal struggle at all times between historical fiction and supernatural horror. For some parts of the book they blend really well, and those will be what I'll remember most fondly.
For most of the novel however the horror takes a backseat to the historical fiction. Thankfully the historical fiction is great and you can tell that Dan Simmons did a lot of research. But then the ending comes along, where suddenly the historical fiction takes a backseat for the supernatural to shine, and it all just feels a bit unhinged. Like a mashup of two great novels, and what I have just read is their lesser child.
All this being said, it's far easier to point out the few flaws than the many beacons of excellence here. I would heartily recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading horror or historical fiction.
It is however not a light read. Around 900 pages, the story does not become linear until about halfway through, being interspersed with flashbacks before that point, and there are many characters for the reader to remember.
If you can deal with that, then I recommend this book.
I would have given five stars were it not for two reasons.
The first being that the book is long, and it's JUST not long enough for it to get annoying. But it would easily have been possible to trim off 200 to 300 pages out of the 900 total, and the novel would have likely been better as a result.
The second reason is that there is a weird internal struggle at all times between historical fiction and supernatural horror. For some parts of the book they blend really well, and those will be what I'll remember most fondly.
For most of the novel however the horror takes a backseat to the historical fiction. Thankfully the historical fiction is great and you can tell that Dan Simmons did a lot of research. But then the ending comes along, where suddenly the historical fiction takes a backseat for the supernatural to shine, and it all just feels a bit unhinged. Like a mashup of two great novels, and what I have just read is their lesser child.
All this being said, it's far easier to point out the few flaws than the many beacons of excellence here. I would heartily recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading horror or historical fiction.
It is however not a light read. Around 900 pages, the story does not become linear until about halfway through, being interspersed with flashbacks before that point, and there are many characters for the reader to remember.
If you can deal with that, then I recommend this book.
maxam67's review against another edition
It was too long, and I was lost. I had no idea what was happening.
anjalirenee's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
slow paced is an understatement please heed my warning. the pace picks up mmmmm around page 350 (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). pretty good although TONS of unnecessary detail about the minutae of ice formations, ship layouts, and wayfinding.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Blood, Death, Kidnapping, Medical content, Racism, Suicide, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Animal death
Moderate: Cannibalism, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Sexism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Homophobia, and Sexual content
Minor: Pedophilia and Pregnancy
mbpartlow's review against another edition
5.0
This is not one of those rapid-paced, blink-and-you-missed-it horror novels. It builds and builds and builds until you think you'll lose your mind. I loved this book, and the writing is so superb that I was physically cold while reading it. And the ending doesn't disappoint. I hate modern horror where you either don't see the monster or it turns out to be a manifestation of the narrator's own mind, somehow.
perfectcupoftea's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Cannibalism, Gore, Murder, Alcohol, Classism, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Animal death, Blood, Ableism, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Confinement, Racial slurs, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Homophobia
luisams's review against another edition
It’s just not the right time to be reading this. But I’ll try again sometime
trin's review against another edition
2.0
This novel takes a historical event I am already very interested in—the doomed Franklin Expedition to find the Northwest Passage—and turns it into a horror story. A lot of what Simmons does is interesting: the character arcs of two of the main players, Captain Francis Crozier and Dr. Goodsir, are very well done, and there are some excellent set pieces—in particular a staging of [a: Edgar Allen Poe|4624490|Edgar Allan Poe|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1454522972p2/4624490.jpg]'s "Masque of the Red Death" amid the snow drifts and the polar ice. However, this was one of those books that I finished and immediately went, "Man! There is absolutely NO REASON for this thing to have been 800 pages long!"
Seriously. None. I got that the conditions were cold and nasty the first thousand times, and the atmosphere, while good, was nowhere near excellent enough to merit sustaining an 800-page narrative. At one point while reading and encountering an especially long action sequence, I joked to a friend, "Clearly, this is a MAN book." By which I meant: size, apparently, does matter, and very much.
So while there were aspects of this book I enjoyed, it never really moved, or even gripped, me. It was mostly just long, and kind of unpleasant.
Seriously. None. I got that the conditions were cold and nasty the first thousand times, and the atmosphere, while good, was nowhere near excellent enough to merit sustaining an 800-page narrative. At one point while reading and encountering an especially long action sequence, I joked to a friend, "Clearly, this is a MAN book." By which I meant: size, apparently, does matter, and very much.
So while there were aspects of this book I enjoyed, it never really moved, or even gripped, me. It was mostly just long, and kind of unpleasant.
jessamined's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.5