Terror

[JoondalupJ]

Watching a doco recently , about Sir John Franklin and the North west passage, HMS Erabus and HMS Terror.
It reminded me of a book called the Terror, this was a pretty historically correct novel , but it was also a monster novel, as well.
I thought it was brilliant , but I am a little baffled as to why the Author would introduce this supernatural creature .
Because the book without the Monster was intriguing anyway, and the Author must have done some heavy duty research about the Franklin expedition to find the North West Passage.

Any one have any ideas or comments on this book?

 

[Norwegian Blue]

Watching a doco recently , about Sir John Franklin and the North west passage, HMS Erabus and HMS Terror.
It reminded me of a book called the Terror, this was a pretty historically correct novel , but it was also a monster novel, as well.
I thought it was brilliant , but I am a little baffled as to why the Author would introduce this supernatural creature .
Because the book without the Monster was intriguing anyway, and the Author must have done some heavy duty research about the Franklin expedition to find the North West Passage.

Any one have any ideas or comments on this book?

Dan Simmons - The Terror. I loved it, it was part historical fiction, part fantasy and part horror. I felt cold just reading it!

The Monster was lifted straight out of Eskimo mythology, which was why it worked IMO.

 

[JoondalupJ]

Dan Simmons - The Terror. I loved it, it was part historical fiction, part fantasy and part horror. I felt cold just reading it!

The Monster was lifted straight out of Eskimo mythology, which was why it worked IMO.

Thankyou , I agree totally, it made me cold too. When they were walking between ships when iced in , I thought who is crazy enough to walk all that way in the snow ice and freezing temperatures. And that "whatever " is out there somewhere.
A really well written book. Eskimo mythology , perhaps could have been another way of showing off the sailors' extreme paranoia and terrible superstitious fears .
Although the thing killed a few so maybe imagination is not the point. , if I remember rightly.

Its been a long time since I read it.

 

[szhengd]

I assumed the monster was supposed to represent mother nature, and the franklin expedition's fight against the elements etc. Anyway, great book.

 

[Allan Shorty]

There's another good (fiction) book on this topic (Franklin) - discovery of slowness. Check it out. No monsters though.

 

[JoondalupJ]

There's another good (fiction) book on this topic (Franklin) - discovery of slowness. Check it out. No monsters though.

OK, thanks.

 

[JoondalupJ]

I assumed the monster was supposed to represent mother nature, and the franklin expedition's fight against the elements etc. Anyway, great book.

Just started watching the The Terror series on TV , it is brilliantly produced, and until I saw the "THING" killing them in episode 5 or 6 or 7 can't remember as I am watching it 2 or 3 episodes at a time, but , the chase up the mast on the ropes etc, then the monster and its face!!

Well my love for historical fiction sort of took over and this brilliant bit of film making and such excellent portrayal of the times , the ships the punishments the class separations and the perhaps contaminated food cans, the eventual wound splitting open between Crosier and Sir John over a courtship of a woman and his class level.

Which, I think made Franklin not take great notice of Crosier, and say look we are going now we won't wait after Crosier who was pretty good at sailing in the Ice Packs north and south, warned against , and I think had an inkling that the ice was packing to heavily and they should wait or take a safer route, and of course they spent 3 winters ice packed in, then they all died.
Historically the Inuit people and their oral histories told the modern day scientists what they'd seen. Never believed by the British and other scientists for over a century and a half, but finally they have found Erebus, and the Inuit today tell the story of another ship they saw with smoke coming from it, nearer to King William Island.

So Terror must have moved or sailed several miles further on from Where Erebus was found, and in fact those left on Terror may actually have got to the way through the North West Passage, but may not have even realised, still that is theory.
But this story needs nothing but the crew and officers the marines and the Inuit people whose predecessors had actually seen and met at one stage walking survivors. Magnificent story and the book was close to what probably happened, except for that stupid monster on film, the series would have been worth calling quality historical fiction, but now its a horror movie. That's all. Done well and is quality produced but its a horror movie.

The writer of the book is a great writer, but I will never know why he needed a monster, even a monster in the mind of sailors.
In a book you can make that effect .
On film it gets ridiculous and spoils a brilliant story that actually happened.

Franklin by the way was also Governor of Van Diemen's Land which is Tasmania.

What is with authors and film producers and wizardry?

Like the latest Romans in Britain series, Druid magic , really it just kills it for me!

Leave the horrors to Bram Stoker, and horror Authors .
Leave good historical fiction to history that we know or assume could have happened!