The Terror

Dan Simmons is quickly becoming one of my favorite writers. He really does well with the research part of writing and yet, keeps the element of fantastical so alive and fresh that I really envy his ability to create a story. This book is him at the top of his game too.

What You May Like About It:

The tale is about exploration and the dangers of man out of his element against things that he does not understand. The search for the Northwest Passage is the main quest here, but there are things that go bump in the night as well as a very dangerous setting. He even works in a HUGE reference to the master of suspense, Edgar Allen Poe with his use of multi-colored rooms in The Mask of the Red Death. It explores the danger of Arctic exploration with the inner demons that drive us to succeed or, more often, fail.

What You May Not Like About It:

People that like the straight forward adventure story need not pick this book up. There are unidentified creatures and seances and rituals of the Inuit people that take this book in a more fantastic direction. There are some elements of life aboard one of the ships that makes the historians happy, I am sure. The details are terrifically written and used in the story. On the whole though, this is a man vs. creature tale with nature thrown into the mix.

I think this book is a great way to pass the long winter nights. It kept me guessing and intrigued all the way through. Enjoy.

Crooked Little Vein

So I took a bit of a hiatus in between my blogs. In all fairness, I have been busy reading, to tell you the truth. I just finished Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons. The book was great, but a little long. I will review that later. For now, I wanted to recommend this book, Crooked Little Vein. I do so with a little reservation because of the lewd content. I digress though. Let me get down to brass tax.

What You May Like About It:

This is told in the classic noir voice with colorings of depression and despair that border on hilarity. The narrator is a down on his luck private detective (of course) and just has nothing but contempt for most of the human race. After all the depravity he sees and experiences, I can kind of see why. There is a lot of humor here as he searches for the second Constitution of the United States among crooked senators, gay personal trainers, and movie buffs (not the kind you are thinking, let me tell you).

What You May Not Like About It:

Well, don't say I didn't warn you, but this book has got some very strange fetishes and people in it. There are things in this book that made me cringe and laugh out loud. It's not for everyone (read kind of disturbing) and should only be read by adults. I wouldn't leave this lying around for some teenager to come across by chance. It may lead to therapy for the youngster.

But, as off-color humor goes, it's great. Read on. Let me know what you think of it.