The Terror (novel)
The Terror first edition cover.
|
|
| Author | Dan Simmons |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Thriller, Historical fiction |
| Publisher | Little, Brown and Company |
|
Publication date
|
January 8, 2007 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 784 pp (first edition) |
| ISBN | |
| OCLC | 68416756 |
| 813/.54 22 | |
| LC Class | PS3569.I47292 T47 2007 |
The Terror is a 2007 novel by American author Dan Simmons. It is a fictionalized account of Captain Sir John Franklin's lost expedition of HMS Erebus (1826) and HMS Terror (1813) to the Arctic, in 1845–1848, to force the Northwest Passage. In the novel, while Franklin and his crew are plagued by starvation and illness, and forced to contend with mutiny and cannibalism, they are stalked across the bleak Arctic landscape by a monster.
Most of the characters featured in The Terror are actual members of Franklin's crew, whose unexplained disappearance has warranted a great deal of speculation. The main characters in the novel include Sir John Franklin, commander of the expedition and captain of Erebus; Francis Crozier, captain of Terror; Dr Harry D. S. Goodsir; and Captain James Fitzjames.
The Terror was nominated for the British Fantasy Award in 2008.
The novel follows a non-linear narrative structure, beginning at a point approximately midway through the overall plot. The narrative switches among multiple viewpoint characters and uses both third- and first-person narrative (the latter in the form of Dr. Goodsir's diary entries).
The story begins in the winter of 1847. HMS Terror and the flagship HMS Erebus have been trapped in ice 28 miles north-northwest of King William Island, for more than a year. The weather has been much colder than normal, the ships' tinned provisions are dwindling and often putrid, and the sea ice and landmasses are mysteriously devoid of any wildlife that can be hunted. In addition to the natural dangers of the intense cold, disease, and impending starvation, the crews are being stalked and attacked by a monster on the ice, which resembles an immense polar bear. The men refer to this creature as the Terror.
In flashbacks set prior to the beginning of the story, the novel relates some of the backstory behind the expedition's current predicament. The Franklin expedition is the latest in a series of attempts to forge the Northwest Passage, all of which have ended in failure. Sir John Franklin, having been recalled in disgrace from a government posting in Van Diemen's Land, views the expedition as his last chance for glory and recognition. Captain Francis Crozier, embittered by romantic rejection at the hands of Franklin's niece, seeks to distract himself from his heartache by again venturing into the Arctic. The rest of the crew have signed on for glory and adventure. Although the expedition begins auspiciously enough, three men die of disease during their first winter in the ice, and soon afterward, Franklin makes the fateful decision to travel around the northeast coast of King William Island, which results in the ships' becoming trapped.
...
Wikipedia