Ending 2022 on a high note I finished Dan Simmon’s The Terror. Taking inspiration from a real-life failed expedition, Simmons weaves an intricate tale of human experience in an extreme environment. The two ships HMS’ Erebus and Terror set off in 1845 to discover the North-West Passage (a safe route through the Arctic) and become frozen in for 3 years. Dwindling supplies, freezing temperatures, illness and lowering morale all bring the crews to the limits of survival adding to which a malevolent force is picking them all off, one-by-one. The Terror brilliantly blends real events, speculated events and outright horror to form a compelling novel of human desperation. Much in the way that Moby Dick spends a large portion of the book world-building, The Terror has brief moments of action sandwiched by many chapters of incremental change. This never became a chore to read, however, and only heightened the sheer horror of the terrible events when the crews do encounter them. Because of the pace of this weighty tome, I spent the better part of December reading it. But I managed to cram the last 300-odd pages into one day yesterday just so I could start the year with a new book! I thoroughly enjoyed this one and will be recommending it to everyone! Happy New Year folx! #bookstagram #books #theterror #dansimmons #dansimmonsterror https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm4bbHysbGi/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=