Where to begin speaking about this amazing book? Like his earlier novel, The Terror, (similar in feel but unconnected to this) this Dan Simmons masterpiece is so much more than an historical thriller. The period and technical detail, especially about climbing equipment and technique, is astounding. Presented as a journal by one member of a secret mission to climb Everest in 1925, it really draws you into the period and the conditions of one of the world’s most hostile environments. There are political ramblings, the hint of a love story, a lot of superstition and a mysterious enemy, all surrounded by the tension and constant fear of life in a frozen, almost air-less landscape. The atmosphere and situations bleed off the page into the back of your mind and longer, long after the reading is done.
Simmons is one of the most protean of writers, equally excelling in science fiction, fantasy, horror and crime. This time around, his doorstopper of a book further challenges expectations and proves a gripping historical thriller, set on the brutal North East Ridge of Mount Everest. It's 1924 and two famous adventurers have vanished into the snow-whipped night. A valiant explorer embarks in their footsteps and the expedition sets out for the heart of darkness. Atmospheric, scary, evocative and unputdownable, this is storytelling at his best, and will bring the cold into your living room to unsettling effect. Not to be read at night, either
| Primary Genre | Historical Fiction |
| Recommendations: |
June 1924. On the brutal North East Ridge of Mount Everest, famous adventurers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine vanish into the snow-whipped night. Daredevil explorer Richard Deacon devises a plan to follow in the men's footsteps, accompanied only by two friends. Off piste and with no support team, the three men strike for Everest's peak and the most vicious climate on earth. As the winds rise and the temperature and oxygen levels drop, Deacon and his companions hear howls in the distance. Some dark creature is tracking them up the mountain, sending them scrabbling blindly into Everest's dangerous heights to escape it. Soon they will discover what happened to Mallory's crew - but can they escape the same hideous fate?
The Abominable features in the following genres: Historical Fiction, eBooks of the Month, Fiction, Recommendations
The Abominable is available in Paperback, Hardback
The Abominable was written by Dan Simmons and published by Sphere an imprint of Little, Brown Book Group
The Abominable has 728 pages
£11.69
