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The Abominable
ALA Reading List Award for History, Short List
A thrilling tale of high-altitude death and survival set on the snowy summits of Mount Everest, from the bestselling author of The Terror
It's 1924 and the race to summit the world's highest mountain has been brought to a terrified pause by the shocking disappearance of George Mallory and Sandy Irvine high on the shoulder of Mt. Everest. By the following year, three climbers -- a British poet and veteran of the Great War, a young French Chamonix guide, and an idealistic young American -- find a way to take their shot at the top. They arrange funding from the grieving Lady Bromley, whose son also disappeared on Mt. Everest in 1924. Young Bromley must be dead, but his mother refuses to believe it and pays the trio to bring him home.
Deep in Tibet and high on Everest, the three climbers -- joined by the missing boy's female cousin -- find themselves being pursued through the night by someone . . . or something. This nightmare becomes a matter of life and death at 28,000 feet -- but what is pursuing them? And what is the truth behind the 1924 disappearances on Everest? As they fight their way to the top of the world, the friends uncover a secret far more abominable than any mythical creature could ever be. A pulse-pounding story of adventure and suspense, The Abominable is Dan Simmons at his spine-chilling best.
A thrilling tale of high-altitude death and survival set on the snowy summits of Mount Everest, from the bestselling author of The Terror
It's 1924 and the race to summit the world's highest mountain has been brought to a terrified pause by the shocking disappearance of George Mallory and Sandy Irvine high on the shoulder of Mt. Everest. By the following year, three climbers -- a British poet and veteran of the Great War, a young French Chamonix guide, and an idealistic young American -- find a way to take their shot at the top. They arrange funding from the grieving Lady Bromley, whose son also disappeared on Mt. Everest in 1924. Young Bromley must be dead, but his mother refuses to believe it and pays the trio to bring him home.
Deep in Tibet and high on Everest, the three climbers -- joined by the missing boy's female cousin -- find themselves being pursued through the night by someone . . . or something. This nightmare becomes a matter of life and death at 28,000 feet -- but what is pursuing them? And what is the truth behind the 1924 disappearances on Everest? As they fight their way to the top of the world, the friends uncover a secret far more abominable than any mythical creature could ever be. A pulse-pounding story of adventure and suspense, The Abominable is Dan Simmons at his spine-chilling best.
663 pages, Hardcover
First published October 22, 2013
About the author
Dan Simmons
316 books12.4k followersDan Simmons grew up in various cities and small towns in the Midwest, including Brimfield, Illinois, which was the source of his fictional "Elm Haven" in 1991's SUMMER OF NIGHT and 2002's A WINTER HAUNTING. Dan received a B.A. in English from Wabash College in 1970, winning a national Phi Beta Kappa Award during his senior year for excellence in fiction, journalism and art.
Dan received his Masters in Education from Washington University in St. Louis in 1971. He then worked in elementary education for 18 years—2 years in Missouri, 2 years in Buffalo, New York—one year as a specially trained BOCES "resource teacher" and another as a sixth-grade teacher—and 14 years in Colorado.
ABOUT DAN
Biographic Sketch
His last four years in teaching were spent creating, coordinating, and teaching in APEX, an extensive gifted/talented program serving 19 elementary schools and some 15,000 potential students. During his years of teaching, he won awards from the Colorado Education Association and was a finalist for the Colorado Teacher of the Year. He also worked as a national language-arts consultant, sharing his own "Writing Well" curriculum which he had created for his own classroom. Eleven and twelve-year-old students in Simmons' regular 6th-grade class averaged junior-year in high school writing ability according to annual standardized and holistic writing assessments. Whenever someone says "writing can't be taught," Dan begs to differ and has the track record to prove it. Since becoming a full-time writer, Dan likes to visit college writing classes, has taught in New Hampshire's Odyssey writing program for adults, and is considering hosting his own Windwalker Writers' Workshop.
Dan's first published story appeared on Feb. 15, 1982, the day his daughter, Jane Kathryn, was born. He's always attributed that coincidence to "helping in keeping things in perspective when it comes to the relative importance of writing and life."
Dan has been a full-time writer since 1987 and lives along the Front Range of Colorado—in the same town where he taught for 14 years—with his wife, Karen, his daughter, Jane, (when she's home from Hamilton College) and their Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Fergie. He does much of his writing at Windwalker—their mountain property and cabin at 8,400 feet of altitude at the base of the Continental Divide, just south of Rocky Mountain National Park. An 8-ft.-tall sculpture of the Shrike—a thorned and frightening character from the four Hyperion/Endymion novels—was sculpted by an ex-student and friend, Clee Richeson, and the sculpture now stands guard near the isolated cabin.
Dan received his Masters in Education from Washington University in St. Louis in 1971. He then worked in elementary education for 18 years—2 years in Missouri, 2 years in Buffalo, New York—one year as a specially trained BOCES "resource teacher" and another as a sixth-grade teacher—and 14 years in Colorado.
ABOUT DAN
Biographic Sketch
His last four years in teaching were spent creating, coordinating, and teaching in APEX, an extensive gifted/talented program serving 19 elementary schools and some 15,000 potential students. During his years of teaching, he won awards from the Colorado Education Association and was a finalist for the Colorado Teacher of the Year. He also worked as a national language-arts consultant, sharing his own "Writing Well" curriculum which he had created for his own classroom. Eleven and twelve-year-old students in Simmons' regular 6th-grade class averaged junior-year in high school writing ability according to annual standardized and holistic writing assessments. Whenever someone says "writing can't be taught," Dan begs to differ and has the track record to prove it. Since becoming a full-time writer, Dan likes to visit college writing classes, has taught in New Hampshire's Odyssey writing program for adults, and is considering hosting his own Windwalker Writers' Workshop.
Dan's first published story appeared on Feb. 15, 1982, the day his daughter, Jane Kathryn, was born. He's always attributed that coincidence to "helping in keeping things in perspective when it comes to the relative importance of writing and life."
Dan has been a full-time writer since 1987 and lives along the Front Range of Colorado—in the same town where he taught for 14 years—with his wife, Karen, his daughter, Jane, (when she's home from Hamilton College) and their Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Fergie. He does much of his writing at Windwalker—their mountain property and cabin at 8,400 feet of altitude at the base of the Continental Divide, just south of Rocky Mountain National Park. An 8-ft.-tall sculpture of the Shrike—a thorned and frightening character from the four Hyperion/Endymion novels—was sculpted by an ex-student and friend, Clee Richeson, and the sculpture now stands guard near the isolated cabin.
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December 7, 2023
“My fingers seek holds, even the slightest wrinkle in the rock, but this is an obscenely wrinkle-free rock face. I keep moving to the left, held against the near-vertical cliff by just friction and speed. If you’re fast enough, sometimes gravity doesn’t immediately notice you. My tennis shoes are doing 80 percent of the job of holding me onto the sow’s belly of curved rock.
It’s tricky playing out the rope to Jean-Claude as I crab-shuffle to the left. Most of it is in my rucksack, which keeps trying to pull me back and off the face with just the weight of the extra rope and a few other small things in it, but some I’ve had to loop over my right shoulder to keep playing out to J.C…I’ve made it a little more than halfway to the pipe ledge when I slip. My body just comes away from a glazed section of the great rock face.
I try to self-arrest madly, my fingers clawing toward any grip, any ridge, any irregularity in the rock, but I keep sliding, slowly at first, and then picking up speed…”
- Dan Simmons, The Abominable
The Abominable is a book that utterly confounded me. Having loved Dan Simmons’s The Terror, I snapped this one up at once. Upon reading it, I found all my expectations upended. In a word, it was a surprise.
Unfortunately, I say none of that in a positive way.
***
The Abominable is one of those “found manuscript” novels. It begins with an introduction in which Dan Simmons writes as “Dan Simmons,” a novelist who is interested in speaking with Jake Smith, an Antarctic explorer who resides in a Colorado nursing home. Simmons and Smith talk, and Smith – groaningly described as “a young version” of Daniel Craig – eventually tells the author that he has something he wants to write, and that he wants Simmons to read it.
A manuscript eventually finds its way to Simmons. This manuscript is the first-person narrative, told from Jake Smith’s perspective, that makes up the heart of The Abominable. If that seems like a contrived setup to something that eventually collapses inward on itself like a dying star – except stupider – then you will see the beginnings of my irritation.
***
Note: In an F. Scott Fitzgerald-ish touch, Simmons dedicates the novel to his fictional creation. I don’t know if this is meant to be clever, coy, or funny, but by the end of the book, the only joke is that anyone could mistake Jake Smith for a human being.
***
Smith – who, coincidentally enough, writes a lot like Dan Simmons – begins his lengthy story in 1924. He is climbing with his two buddies on the Matterhorn when he learns of the disappearance of George Mallory and Sandy Irvine on Mount Everest. Smith’s climbing buddies are the Englishman Richard Davis Deacon (character attributes: stiff upper lip; pipe) and the Frenchman Jean-Claude Clairoux (character attributes: emotional volatility; says merde!).
A short time after learning of Mallory’s disappearance, Deacon (oft-referred to as “the Deacon”) proposes his own expedition up Mount Everest. The plan is based on the disappearance of a young Brit named Percival Bromley, who was unattached to the 1924 British Everest Expedition but just so happened to have vanished on Mount Everest at the same time as Mallory and Irvine. The Bromley family wants answers, and they are willing to fund the Deacon’s small-time operation on the condition that they search for Percival’s corpse. The Deacon figures that he, Smith, and Jean-Claude can hike to Everest, look for Percy’s frozen body, and bag the summit in their spare time.
***
Simmons – oh, I’m sorry, I mean Jake Smith – devotes the first several hundred pages of The Abominable to a massively detailed account of Team Deacon’s preparations. Having finished the book, I now curse every one of those pages, strewn as they are with hints, red herrings, and exhaustive disquisitions on different types of ice axes and crampons.
At the time, though, I enjoyed these sections. It’s clear that before Simmons takes you to Everest, he wants you to know the technical difficulties that are going to arise. So there is a trip to the real-life George Finch, who has devised improved breathing apparatuses for the climb team. And there is an excursion to Wales, for some death-defying rock climbing, where Simmons is able to create a palpable sense of being on vertiginous ledges, hanging on by your fingernails.
It actually got me excited for the eventual trek of Everest’s deadly slopes.
And then the book became absolutely terrible. It became so bad that I almost came full circle and decided it was actually good.
***
To the extent that one can spoil something rotten, I have hidden major spoilers below, which elucidate my criticisms, but are quite specific in their details and plot points. Choose wisely. If you look, it will either ruin a novel you might want to read, or save you a deal of time and money, depending on your point of view (and on how fast you read, or whether you got this book from the library).
***
I generally don’t hate books as much as I hated this one. And for good reason. I’m not in high school anymore. I pick what I want to read (except when it’s not my turn in book club). Before I start a book, I do my due diligence: subject; author; content; reception. Mostly, I know what I’m getting into before I get to the first page. This book’s awfulness is its true twist.
It gives me no pleasure to say this. I have nothing against Dan Simmons. Like I said, The Terror was great. I’m also not a humorless snob. I’ve nothing against so-called “beach reads,” which can be read quickly and enjoyed effortlessly. Some of my favorite novels are entirely un-redeeming.
The problem with The Abominable is that it treats itself as serious literary historical fiction for two-thirds of its length, before veering into something entirely different. It is far too ponderous and self-important to be enjoyed as a breezy poolside lark. It is also far too pulpy and ridiculous to be enjoyed as believable alternative history.
Just about the only exceptional thing I can say about The Abominable is that I dislike it more every time I think about it, and that I know I will remember it long after some of my favorite five-star reads have disappeared into the dusty, locked rooms of my remote memory.
It’s tricky playing out the rope to Jean-Claude as I crab-shuffle to the left. Most of it is in my rucksack, which keeps trying to pull me back and off the face with just the weight of the extra rope and a few other small things in it, but some I’ve had to loop over my right shoulder to keep playing out to J.C…I’ve made it a little more than halfway to the pipe ledge when I slip. My body just comes away from a glazed section of the great rock face.
I try to self-arrest madly, my fingers clawing toward any grip, any ridge, any irregularity in the rock, but I keep sliding, slowly at first, and then picking up speed…”
- Dan Simmons, The Abominable
The Abominable is a book that utterly confounded me. Having loved Dan Simmons’s The Terror, I snapped this one up at once. Upon reading it, I found all my expectations upended. In a word, it was a surprise.
Unfortunately, I say none of that in a positive way.
***
The Abominable is one of those “found manuscript” novels. It begins with an introduction in which Dan Simmons writes as “Dan Simmons,” a novelist who is interested in speaking with Jake Smith, an Antarctic explorer who resides in a Colorado nursing home. Simmons and Smith talk, and Smith – groaningly described as “a young version” of Daniel Craig – eventually tells the author that he has something he wants to write, and that he wants Simmons to read it.
A manuscript eventually finds its way to Simmons. This manuscript is the first-person narrative, told from Jake Smith’s perspective, that makes up the heart of The Abominable. If that seems like a contrived setup to something that eventually collapses inward on itself like a dying star – except stupider – then you will see the beginnings of my irritation.
***
Note: In an F. Scott Fitzgerald-ish touch, Simmons dedicates the novel to his fictional creation. I don’t know if this is meant to be clever, coy, or funny, but by the end of the book, the only joke is that anyone could mistake Jake Smith for a human being.
***
Smith – who, coincidentally enough, writes a lot like Dan Simmons – begins his lengthy story in 1924. He is climbing with his two buddies on the Matterhorn when he learns of the disappearance of George Mallory and Sandy Irvine on Mount Everest. Smith’s climbing buddies are the Englishman Richard Davis Deacon (character attributes: stiff upper lip; pipe) and the Frenchman Jean-Claude Clairoux (character attributes: emotional volatility; says merde!).
A short time after learning of Mallory’s disappearance, Deacon (oft-referred to as “the Deacon”) proposes his own expedition up Mount Everest. The plan is based on the disappearance of a young Brit named Percival Bromley, who was unattached to the 1924 British Everest Expedition but just so happened to have vanished on Mount Everest at the same time as Mallory and Irvine. The Bromley family wants answers, and they are willing to fund the Deacon’s small-time operation on the condition that they search for Percival’s corpse. The Deacon figures that he, Smith, and Jean-Claude can hike to Everest, look for Percy’s frozen body, and bag the summit in their spare time.
***
Simmons – oh, I’m sorry, I mean Jake Smith – devotes the first several hundred pages of The Abominable to a massively detailed account of Team Deacon’s preparations. Having finished the book, I now curse every one of those pages, strewn as they are with hints, red herrings, and exhaustive disquisitions on different types of ice axes and crampons.
At the time, though, I enjoyed these sections. It’s clear that before Simmons takes you to Everest, he wants you to know the technical difficulties that are going to arise. So there is a trip to the real-life George Finch, who has devised improved breathing apparatuses for the climb team. And there is an excursion to Wales, for some death-defying rock climbing, where Simmons is able to create a palpable sense of being on vertiginous ledges, hanging on by your fingernails.
It actually got me excited for the eventual trek of Everest’s deadly slopes.
And then the book became absolutely terrible. It became so bad that I almost came full circle and decided it was actually good.
***
To the extent that one can spoil something rotten, I have hidden major spoilers below, which elucidate my criticisms, but are quite specific in their details and plot points. Choose wisely. If you look, it will either ruin a novel you might want to read, or save you a deal of time and money, depending on your point of view (and on how fast you read, or whether you got this book from the library).
***
I generally don’t hate books as much as I hated this one. And for good reason. I’m not in high school anymore. I pick what I want to read (except when it’s not my turn in book club). Before I start a book, I do my due diligence: subject; author; content; reception. Mostly, I know what I’m getting into before I get to the first page. This book’s awfulness is its true twist.
It gives me no pleasure to say this. I have nothing against Dan Simmons. Like I said, The Terror was great. I’m also not a humorless snob. I’ve nothing against so-called “beach reads,” which can be read quickly and enjoyed effortlessly. Some of my favorite novels are entirely un-redeeming.
The problem with The Abominable is that it treats itself as serious literary historical fiction for two-thirds of its length, before veering into something entirely different. It is far too ponderous and self-important to be enjoyed as a breezy poolside lark. It is also far too pulpy and ridiculous to be enjoyed as believable alternative history.
Just about the only exceptional thing I can say about The Abominable is that I dislike it more every time I think about it, and that I know I will remember it long after some of my favorite five-star reads have disappeared into the dusty, locked rooms of my remote memory.
September 5, 2018
when i first saw this cover, with its snowy wilderness, i thought "oh, it is a sequel to The Terror - how wonderful!!" but it is not. wrong part of town altogether. The Terror takes place in the northwest passage where a handful of stranded seamen have to contend with the harsh polar environment, scurvy, and also some supernatural forces. this one takes place on mt everest, where a handful of climbers have to contend with the harsh mountain conditions, frostbite, and also some… well, it is more complicated than the title would have you believe.
with The Terror, i found the "real" horrors much more interesting than the supernatural forces. and this one is no different. remind me again why people climb mountains?? mountains do not like being climbed. they especially do not like being climbed in 1926, when the available mountain-climbing technology was so rudimentary that no one had actually made it to the summit before. our heroes, in fact, are among the forefront of mountaineering tech with their fancy bottled air and their 12 point crampons. do you know the benefits of 12-point crampons over the lesser 10-point crampons?? don't worry - if you read this book, you will know everything about crampons. everything. if you are interested in very technical, highly detailed books about mountain climbing, this is probably an awesome read for you. dan simmons packs this book with so much detail, you will practically be able to climb everest yourself after this. but don't. don't climb everest. it sounds horrible.
and also do not skip the introduction, because it is not an introduction at all. i frequently skip them to read after the book itself, because a lot of times, i find that they give too much away, and i enjoy reading the book less than if i had gone in blind. but this introduction is a story about how dan simmons came to have this book in his hands, and introduces the whole found manuscript device that sets up the entire narrative.
and it's fun - there are enough real-world people populating the book to give the conceit veracity, but i do think one needs to tread carefully - the whole reveal at the end has, to my knowledge and my "really?" googling skills, no factual basis. which i guess in the world of this book means that it worked, but it also seems like overkill.
but this is a very slow read. a very slow read. almost as slow as actually climbing everest. it isn't uninteresting at all, but it's just a lot of very dense prose, and if you have a lot of other things going on with little time to read, this might not be the best book for you right now. and i have to confess, i have had this ARC sitting in my house since the summer, and i haven't picked it up because i was concerned about its length affecting my goodreads reading challenge. which is a stupid way to choose a book, but it was a legitimate fear, because after the amount of time it took me to read it and still live my life, i found myself 5 books behind. oh noes!
but i will rally, don't worry.
this book taught me what the tibetan "sky burial" ritual was all about, in a much more gruesome way than what wikipedia describes. but don't read the article - it's probably better to be surprised in the book. and by "surprised," i mean "horrified." which is culturally insensitive, i know, but i can own that. (it is way worse than the wiki)
but it also had humor. for someone with my personal reading experiments, this is very funny, indeed:
"…sometimes the yeti raided the village of Chobuk, but never the Rongbuk Monastary itself, drinking the blood of yaks, killing men with one swipe of their clawed paw-hands, and…carrying off the Chobuk women."
"What would the monsters want with human women?" asked Jean-Claude in a small, almost childlike voice.
The other three of us had to chuckle, and J.C. blushed a bright crimson.
whe!!
and it describes the cruel beauty of everest and view-from-everest very well, but for me, it is a purely abstract beauty, since i have no context for that kind of majestic landscape. but it's there, if you are the kind of reader drawn to those kinds of descriptions. and if you like mountaineering minutiae. also, nazis.
overall, it is a good book, but it was probably the wrong time for me to read it, with all the distractions i was enduring. it deserves an unhurried read, not one that comes in dribs and drabs of reading time. i am a much bigger fan of The Terror, but this one is definitely worth checking out.
unlike everest.
come to my blog!
with The Terror, i found the "real" horrors much more interesting than the supernatural forces. and this one is no different. remind me again why people climb mountains?? mountains do not like being climbed. they especially do not like being climbed in 1926, when the available mountain-climbing technology was so rudimentary that no one had actually made it to the summit before. our heroes, in fact, are among the forefront of mountaineering tech with their fancy bottled air and their 12 point crampons. do you know the benefits of 12-point crampons over the lesser 10-point crampons?? don't worry - if you read this book, you will know everything about crampons. everything. if you are interested in very technical, highly detailed books about mountain climbing, this is probably an awesome read for you. dan simmons packs this book with so much detail, you will practically be able to climb everest yourself after this. but don't. don't climb everest. it sounds horrible.
and also do not skip the introduction, because it is not an introduction at all. i frequently skip them to read after the book itself, because a lot of times, i find that they give too much away, and i enjoy reading the book less than if i had gone in blind. but this introduction is a story about how dan simmons came to have this book in his hands, and introduces the whole found manuscript device that sets up the entire narrative.
and it's fun - there are enough real-world people populating the book to give the conceit veracity, but i do think one needs to tread carefully - the whole reveal at the end has, to my knowledge and my "really?" googling skills, no factual basis. which i guess in the world of this book means that it worked, but it also seems like overkill.
but this is a very slow read. a very slow read. almost as slow as actually climbing everest. it isn't uninteresting at all, but it's just a lot of very dense prose, and if you have a lot of other things going on with little time to read, this might not be the best book for you right now. and i have to confess, i have had this ARC sitting in my house since the summer, and i haven't picked it up because i was concerned about its length affecting my goodreads reading challenge. which is a stupid way to choose a book, but it was a legitimate fear, because after the amount of time it took me to read it and still live my life, i found myself 5 books behind. oh noes!
but i will rally, don't worry.
this book taught me what the tibetan "sky burial" ritual was all about, in a much more gruesome way than what wikipedia describes. but don't read the article - it's probably better to be surprised in the book. and by "surprised," i mean "horrified." which is culturally insensitive, i know, but i can own that. (it is way worse than the wiki)
but it also had humor. for someone with my personal reading experiments, this is very funny, indeed:
"…sometimes the yeti raided the village of Chobuk, but never the Rongbuk Monastary itself, drinking the blood of yaks, killing men with one swipe of their clawed paw-hands, and…carrying off the Chobuk women."
"What would the monsters want with human women?" asked Jean-Claude in a small, almost childlike voice.
The other three of us had to chuckle, and J.C. blushed a bright crimson.
whe!!
and it describes the cruel beauty of everest and view-from-everest very well, but for me, it is a purely abstract beauty, since i have no context for that kind of majestic landscape. but it's there, if you are the kind of reader drawn to those kinds of descriptions. and if you like mountaineering minutiae. also, nazis.
overall, it is a good book, but it was probably the wrong time for me to read it, with all the distractions i was enduring. it deserves an unhurried read, not one that comes in dribs and drabs of reading time. i am a much bigger fan of The Terror, but this one is definitely worth checking out.
unlike everest.
come to my blog!
December 23, 2014
This book certainly isn’t abominable, but it doesn’t exactly soar to the height of the peak of Mount Everest either.
In 1925 young Jake Perry is an American mountain climber who has been knocking around the Alps with his new friends, Richard Davis Deacon and Jean-Claude Clairoux. Deacon is a veteran English climber who had been on a previous expedition to scale Mount Everest. After the men hear about the deaths of several people attempting to summit Everest, Deacon comes up with a plan to get funding for another Everest expedition by telling the mother of a young English lord that they will try to find and recover his remains
With Deacon’s experience and several new climbing innovations, the three men hope to become the first to climb Everest, but the addition of a new member to their party is just one of many surprises they’ll get as they try overcome all the obstacles that come with a high altitude climb.
Dan Simmons threw me for a bit of a loop by starting with an introduction in which he describes how he met Jake Perry as an old dying man who inadvertently inspires his Arctic horror story The Terror. This is supposedly an account that Perry wrote that Simmons received after his death and arranged to have a published. The inclusion of Simmons into his own story made me think for a minute that Perry was real until a bit of research showed that Simmons was doing his historical fiction thing again like The Terror, Black Hills, and The Crook Factory.
If you’ve read any of those books and you know that a big chunk of this is about trying to climb Mt. Everest in the ‘20s then you might guess that there’s going to be a massive amount of detail about mountain climbing techniques and equipment from that era. And you’d be absolutely right!
Some people would probably be bored to tears by this, but most who have read any of those other books by Simmons probably had a pretty good idea that there would be long explanations of the terrain, food, clothing, equipment, etc. etc. The question for many readers will be is if the detail helps sell the experience of the book or if they think that it just turns into Simmons showing off his research skills.
The problem for me wasn’t so much the infodumps. I’m a Simmons veteran so I knew what I was getting into, and I knew that I’d be getting an education in mountain climbing by reading this. It was that not only did Simmons give you that much detail, he’s awfully damn repetitive about it. For example, Simmons writes that Deacon has come up with a new kind of rope and exactly how it’s breaking strength is superior to the other ropes of the time. OK, so they’ve got better rope. Easy enough to understand. Yet Simmons feels the need to repeatedly remind us every time a hunk of rope is used that the Deacon’s ‘miracle rope’ is much better the old ‘clothes line’ rope. I got it after the first 20 times, Dan Simmons. You didn’t need to keep telling me.
And it isn’t just the rope. Perry’s team has acute future vision because they manage to use groundbreaking new ice climbing methods as well as improved equipment in every phase of their expedition. Even their tents and clothing are such a quantum leap above the gear of the day that I was wondering why they bothered trying to climb Mount Everest when they could have just founded North Face and made a fortune instead.
Maybe this wouldn’t have been quite such an irritation to me if the main part of the story would have kicked in a little earlier and been a bit more believable. I was invested in finding out if they were going to be able to summit Everest when Phase Two begins late in the book, and everything goes in another direction.
Still, for all the excess detail and slow pace, I did very much enjoy some aspects of this. Simmons is a writer who can really make you feel what it’d be like to climb the highest mountain on the world, and he provides some very gory details to make you appreciate the peril. I had never thought about what would happen to human bodies that go tumbling down mountain faces, and now I have those mental pictures in my head thanks to this book. So that’s another one I owe Dan Simmons…
In 1925 young Jake Perry is an American mountain climber who has been knocking around the Alps with his new friends, Richard Davis Deacon and Jean-Claude Clairoux. Deacon is a veteran English climber who had been on a previous expedition to scale Mount Everest. After the men hear about the deaths of several people attempting to summit Everest, Deacon comes up with a plan to get funding for another Everest expedition by telling the mother of a young English lord that they will try to find and recover his remains
With Deacon’s experience and several new climbing innovations, the three men hope to become the first to climb Everest, but the addition of a new member to their party is just one of many surprises they’ll get as they try overcome all the obstacles that come with a high altitude climb.
Dan Simmons threw me for a bit of a loop by starting with an introduction in which he describes how he met Jake Perry as an old dying man who inadvertently inspires his Arctic horror story The Terror. This is supposedly an account that Perry wrote that Simmons received after his death and arranged to have a published. The inclusion of Simmons into his own story made me think for a minute that Perry was real until a bit of research showed that Simmons was doing his historical fiction thing again like The Terror, Black Hills, and The Crook Factory.
If you’ve read any of those books and you know that a big chunk of this is about trying to climb Mt. Everest in the ‘20s then you might guess that there’s going to be a massive amount of detail about mountain climbing techniques and equipment from that era. And you’d be absolutely right!
Some people would probably be bored to tears by this, but most who have read any of those other books by Simmons probably had a pretty good idea that there would be long explanations of the terrain, food, clothing, equipment, etc. etc. The question for many readers will be is if the detail helps sell the experience of the book or if they think that it just turns into Simmons showing off his research skills.
The problem for me wasn’t so much the infodumps. I’m a Simmons veteran so I knew what I was getting into, and I knew that I’d be getting an education in mountain climbing by reading this. It was that not only did Simmons give you that much detail, he’s awfully damn repetitive about it. For example, Simmons writes that Deacon has come up with a new kind of rope and exactly how it’s breaking strength is superior to the other ropes of the time. OK, so they’ve got better rope. Easy enough to understand. Yet Simmons feels the need to repeatedly remind us every time a hunk of rope is used that the Deacon’s ‘miracle rope’ is much better the old ‘clothes line’ rope. I got it after the first 20 times, Dan Simmons. You didn’t need to keep telling me.
And it isn’t just the rope. Perry’s team has acute future vision because they manage to use groundbreaking new ice climbing methods as well as improved equipment in every phase of their expedition. Even their tents and clothing are such a quantum leap above the gear of the day that I was wondering why they bothered trying to climb Mount Everest when they could have just founded North Face and made a fortune instead.
Maybe this wouldn’t have been quite such an irritation to me if the main part of the story would have kicked in a little earlier and been a bit more believable. I was invested in finding out if they were going to be able to summit Everest when Phase Two begins late in the book, and everything goes in another direction.
Still, for all the excess detail and slow pace, I did very much enjoy some aspects of this. Simmons is a writer who can really make you feel what it’d be like to climb the highest mountain on the world, and he provides some very gory details to make you appreciate the peril. I had never thought about what would happen to human bodies that go tumbling down mountain faces, and now I have those mental pictures in my head thanks to this book. So that’s another one I owe Dan Simmons…
December 9, 2018
I'm a bit of a completionist at heart.
That means when I really love an author or at least a single one of their works, let alone several of their works, (or 8 novels that I simply adore,) then I just HAVE to work my way around all the OTHER novels that may or may not tickle my immediate fancy.
This is one of those novels.
I don't get thrilled about climbing novels. Yep, even one of those Tibetan hills. Sure, bits are pretty cool but I always had a bit of a hang-up about all the locals being treated like disposable rags. Oops, we lost another porter. Oh, well, good chap, let's sally forth.
Maybe it's just me?
ANYWAY. Despite that Simmons is a very good novelist. He even addresses several of these issues. But above all, he exhibits some pretty intense love of the sport. Okay, so this isn't really a sport. It's more utter survival because your body is dying just by reaching that high and they're on the mountain as a recovery mission of a poor old chap's demise up on the hill. Noble. And it is good. All 30 hours of the quest. Most of which takes place on the mountain.
And let's not forget the somewhat interesting twists, both supernatural (ish) and political (ish). It is ostensibly a historical novel, after all, and back in 1925, there are some interesting cameos.
My personal enjoyment consists of my appreciation of Simmon's craft, his ability to maintain suspense, and his energy. If it wasn't for the author, I probably would never pick a book with this subject. Or rather, again. I've read quite a few and none of them really tickled me.
Final estimate? 3.5 stars. Nothing wrong with it except some rather sensationalist twists I can't determine is accurate or not. Still.
That means when I really love an author or at least a single one of their works, let alone several of their works, (or 8 novels that I simply adore,) then I just HAVE to work my way around all the OTHER novels that may or may not tickle my immediate fancy.
This is one of those novels.
I don't get thrilled about climbing novels. Yep, even one of those Tibetan hills. Sure, bits are pretty cool but I always had a bit of a hang-up about all the locals being treated like disposable rags. Oops, we lost another porter. Oh, well, good chap, let's sally forth.
Maybe it's just me?
ANYWAY. Despite that Simmons is a very good novelist. He even addresses several of these issues. But above all, he exhibits some pretty intense love of the sport. Okay, so this isn't really a sport. It's more utter survival because your body is dying just by reaching that high and they're on the mountain as a recovery mission of a poor old chap's demise up on the hill. Noble. And it is good. All 30 hours of the quest. Most of which takes place on the mountain.
And let's not forget the somewhat interesting twists, both supernatural (ish) and political (ish). It is ostensibly a historical novel, after all, and back in 1925, there are some interesting cameos.
My personal enjoyment consists of my appreciation of Simmon's craft, his ability to maintain suspense, and his energy. If it wasn't for the author, I probably would never pick a book with this subject. Or rather, again. I've read quite a few and none of them really tickled me.
Final estimate? 3.5 stars. Nothing wrong with it except some rather sensationalist twists I can't determine is accurate or not. Still.
December 4, 2013
Enjoyed this "trip" to Mt. Everest thoroughly
I read some of the negative reviews on "The Abominable" and wonder whether I read a whole other book. I loved this tale of mountaineering, of friendship, of mysterious hidden objects and history very much.
Is it the story I thought it was going to be, which is horror and Yetis? There is horror but it's created by humans, not mythical creatures. It is the horror of what man can do to his fellow man.
I loved the mountain sequences, the mountaineering, the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s history. I thought the characters were well developed and I wish I could know any of the Jake Perry group, all of them in fact. In a book this lengthy, you really get to KNOW the characters.
The descriptions of Everest were awe inspiring. And chilling - literally. I had to put a sweater on to read most of the book.
Yes, some of the plotline was "out there" but this is fiction and that is allowed. Is this my favorite of Simmons' books? No, that would probably be "Summer of Night" or "Flashback." But I am very glad I didn't base my reading of this book on so many other's reviews. It held my interest from page one to the very end and I'm glad I bought it, read it and have it for my library.
I read some of the negative reviews on "The Abominable" and wonder whether I read a whole other book. I loved this tale of mountaineering, of friendship, of mysterious hidden objects and history very much.
Is it the story I thought it was going to be, which is horror and Yetis? There is horror but it's created by humans, not mythical creatures. It is the horror of what man can do to his fellow man.
I loved the mountain sequences, the mountaineering, the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s history. I thought the characters were well developed and I wish I could know any of the Jake Perry group, all of them in fact. In a book this lengthy, you really get to KNOW the characters.
The descriptions of Everest were awe inspiring. And chilling - literally. I had to put a sweater on to read most of the book.
Yes, some of the plotline was "out there" but this is fiction and that is allowed. Is this my favorite of Simmons' books? No, that would probably be "Summer of Night" or "Flashback." But I am very glad I didn't base my reading of this book on so many other's reviews. It held my interest from page one to the very end and I'm glad I bought it, read it and have it for my library.
July 31, 2017
If you go into this book thinking that it is about The Abominable Snowman or it is in some was a sequel to The Terror, you will absolutely hate it. If; however, you enjoy fiction set in frigid unforgiving harsh settings and adventure/action books, then this one will scratch that itch quite well. I think a lot of the negative reviews come from people who expected either one of the first two things that I mentioned. Taken by itself, I thought that Dan Simmons delivered a wonderful story and as always, delivered with a great ending.
July 21, 2014
I ought to make the point up front that I am a big Dan Simmons fan. I loved the "Hyperion" books, "The Terror" and "Drood". However he does have some faults as a writer, and "The Abominable" showcases these to unfortunate effect. I've decided to review the book in its own faux-diary style (just for the hell of it). The review contains spoilers, but on the plus side reading the spoilers might mean that you don't have to read the book itself, which probably isn't a bad thing.
July 1st, 2014
I held the book in my hands, my wrists aching from its terrifying weight. It seemed to me that Mr. Simmons enjoyed challenging himself to make each book weightier than the last. If this world should run out of trees, the angry remnants of humanity should beat a path to Simmons' door and ask him why he couldn't have engaged the services of an editor. Are they really so expensive?
I open the book and began to read. The narrative is presented as the diary of one Jake Perry, a 90 year-old man with cancer who decides to tell a story from his past that he has been keeping secret since the 1930s. He writes it down and passes it to Simmons to publish. Conveniently, Perry's writing style is identical to Simmons', which makes me wonder if the framing device serves any purpose other than to add a few more pages. I shrug my shoulders and read on.
July 3rd, 2014
I have been introduced to the characters who will serve as my companions throughout this story. Aside from Perry himself - who is something of a blank whose only apparent function is to witness the tale's events - we have Richard Deacon, a British war-hero-turned-mountaineer who smokes a pipe and has an upper lip so stiff it could be used as a sturdy handhold while climbing a rockface. There is also Jean-Claude, a French climber who speaks perfect English but feels the need to say "Ah, how do you say in English?" or "Merde!" every few pages just to remind us of his nationality, a trait shared with almost every other foreign character in the book. I elect to find this irritating.
In the wake of George Mallory and Andrew Irvine's (true-life) failed attempt to climb Everest in 1924, our intrepid trio decide to stage their own expedition, funded by a British aristocrat, Lady Bromley, who wants them to search for the body of her son Percy. Percy apparently died on Everest shortly after Mallory and Irvine disappeared, though nobody seems to know what he was doing there. I'm sure we will find out on due course.
July 6th, 2014
I now know more about 1920s mountain-climbing equipment than I ever thought possible. I cannot argue that Mr Simmons has done his research, but I would suggest that he didn't need to include it in its entirety. Still, if someone were to ask me now if I know the benefits of equipping 12-point rather than 10-point crampons, or the composition of 1920s climbing ropes, I would be able to answer them. Sadly I fear that this situation may never arise, and that this information may be taking up space in my brain that might better be used for other purposes. As far as the story goes, my companions have spoken to a few people about matters Everest and gathered their equipment but little else has happened.
July 8th, 2014
Still nothing has happened, though our heroes have at least made it as far as India. I don't know whether it was Mr Simmons' intention to fully simulate the tedium of long-distance travel in the early part of the 20th century, but he has certainly succeeded.
July 11th, 2014
A new character has been added to the group. Her name is Lady Bromley-Mountfort, or Reggie to her friends. She is - of course - the "most beautiful woman" Perry has ever seen. She is also intelligent, shrewd and assertive. And just happens to be a top-level mountaineer in her own right. I understand that Mr Simmons is attempting to offset the - ah, how do you say in American? - "sausage-fest" that the novel has been to this point, but he has done so with a character who is so flawless she is actually rather shallow. Deacon's childishly hostile reaction to her joining the group is at odds with the unflappable nature he's shown so far and seems a transparent attempt to generate some conflict.
I sigh and read on. What more can I do?
July 12th, 2014
They've reached Everest. It's taken half the book to get there, but now we shall at last get into the story. Described so luridly on the back cover of the book. Peril! Mystery! Yetis!
Hopefully.
July 14th, 2014
I don't know if I can go on. The back cover is a liar. It didn't say anything about long passages of people ferrying supplies up a mountain, or huddling in tents remarking how cold it is, or trying to fix broken camp stoves. I accept, fully, that these things happen on mountain-climbing expeditions. It's just not that interesting to read.
The end of the book seems further away than the summit of Everest itself.
July 16th, 2014
Something strange has happened. While my attention was elsewhere, someone has apparently stolen the last quarter of the book and replaced it with a sub-Indiana Jones pulp-fiction novel from the 1950s. I am confused how this could have happened, and, more to the point, WHY this has happened.
Percy, it seems, was a British spy. He obtained some rather compromising photographs of a well-known German leader (to avoid spoilers, I shall refer to him as "Hadolf Ritler") from an Austrian rent-boy, and was then chased by some Germans who wanted them back. Knowing that his pursuers were all crack mountaineers, Percy decided that the best place to hide would be... up Mount Everest. Unsurprisingly, he was caught and killed by the Germans. However they didn't bother to retrieve the photographs (altitude sickness clearly makes people forgetful) and so they have turned up a year later to have another go, interrupting our heroes' Everest-scaling attempt in the process. I tried suspending my disbelief, but I didn't have enough rope.
July 20th, 2014
I've done it. I've made it to the end. Now I have some idea of the elation Edmund Hillary felt when he reached the summit of Everest in 1953. I certainly have an idea of what it's like to struggle to the end of something that seems to go on forever.
I'd describe the ending but it's so daft I doubt anyone would believe me. To all intents and purposes this book is a text on the history of early 20th century mountain-climbing with a silly conspiracy thriller shoved on the end as an afterthought. It definitely isn't the book described by the deceitful back-cover blurb, and its a long way from Mr Simmons' best work. I can't in all good conscience recommend it, except possibly to corrupt policemen who could use its frightening weight to beat suspects without leaving any bruises.
I stare at the finished book for some time, feeling my anger subside. Then I turn and walk away, and I don't look back.
July 1st, 2014
I held the book in my hands, my wrists aching from its terrifying weight. It seemed to me that Mr. Simmons enjoyed challenging himself to make each book weightier than the last. If this world should run out of trees, the angry remnants of humanity should beat a path to Simmons' door and ask him why he couldn't have engaged the services of an editor. Are they really so expensive?
I open the book and began to read. The narrative is presented as the diary of one Jake Perry, a 90 year-old man with cancer who decides to tell a story from his past that he has been keeping secret since the 1930s. He writes it down and passes it to Simmons to publish. Conveniently, Perry's writing style is identical to Simmons', which makes me wonder if the framing device serves any purpose other than to add a few more pages. I shrug my shoulders and read on.
July 3rd, 2014
I have been introduced to the characters who will serve as my companions throughout this story. Aside from Perry himself - who is something of a blank whose only apparent function is to witness the tale's events - we have Richard Deacon, a British war-hero-turned-mountaineer who smokes a pipe and has an upper lip so stiff it could be used as a sturdy handhold while climbing a rockface. There is also Jean-Claude, a French climber who speaks perfect English but feels the need to say "Ah, how do you say in English?" or "Merde!" every few pages just to remind us of his nationality, a trait shared with almost every other foreign character in the book. I elect to find this irritating.
In the wake of George Mallory and Andrew Irvine's (true-life) failed attempt to climb Everest in 1924, our intrepid trio decide to stage their own expedition, funded by a British aristocrat, Lady Bromley, who wants them to search for the body of her son Percy. Percy apparently died on Everest shortly after Mallory and Irvine disappeared, though nobody seems to know what he was doing there. I'm sure we will find out on due course.
July 6th, 2014
I now know more about 1920s mountain-climbing equipment than I ever thought possible. I cannot argue that Mr Simmons has done his research, but I would suggest that he didn't need to include it in its entirety. Still, if someone were to ask me now if I know the benefits of equipping 12-point rather than 10-point crampons, or the composition of 1920s climbing ropes, I would be able to answer them. Sadly I fear that this situation may never arise, and that this information may be taking up space in my brain that might better be used for other purposes. As far as the story goes, my companions have spoken to a few people about matters Everest and gathered their equipment but little else has happened.
July 8th, 2014
Still nothing has happened, though our heroes have at least made it as far as India. I don't know whether it was Mr Simmons' intention to fully simulate the tedium of long-distance travel in the early part of the 20th century, but he has certainly succeeded.
July 11th, 2014
A new character has been added to the group. Her name is Lady Bromley-Mountfort, or Reggie to her friends. She is - of course - the "most beautiful woman" Perry has ever seen. She is also intelligent, shrewd and assertive. And just happens to be a top-level mountaineer in her own right. I understand that Mr Simmons is attempting to offset the - ah, how do you say in American? - "sausage-fest" that the novel has been to this point, but he has done so with a character who is so flawless she is actually rather shallow. Deacon's childishly hostile reaction to her joining the group is at odds with the unflappable nature he's shown so far and seems a transparent attempt to generate some conflict.
I sigh and read on. What more can I do?
July 12th, 2014
They've reached Everest. It's taken half the book to get there, but now we shall at last get into the story. Described so luridly on the back cover of the book. Peril! Mystery! Yetis!
Hopefully.
July 14th, 2014
I don't know if I can go on. The back cover is a liar. It didn't say anything about long passages of people ferrying supplies up a mountain, or huddling in tents remarking how cold it is, or trying to fix broken camp stoves. I accept, fully, that these things happen on mountain-climbing expeditions. It's just not that interesting to read.
The end of the book seems further away than the summit of Everest itself.
July 16th, 2014
Something strange has happened. While my attention was elsewhere, someone has apparently stolen the last quarter of the book and replaced it with a sub-Indiana Jones pulp-fiction novel from the 1950s. I am confused how this could have happened, and, more to the point, WHY this has happened.
Percy, it seems, was a British spy. He obtained some rather compromising photographs of a well-known German leader (to avoid spoilers, I shall refer to him as "Hadolf Ritler") from an Austrian rent-boy, and was then chased by some Germans who wanted them back. Knowing that his pursuers were all crack mountaineers, Percy decided that the best place to hide would be... up Mount Everest. Unsurprisingly, he was caught and killed by the Germans. However they didn't bother to retrieve the photographs (altitude sickness clearly makes people forgetful) and so they have turned up a year later to have another go, interrupting our heroes' Everest-scaling attempt in the process. I tried suspending my disbelief, but I didn't have enough rope.
July 20th, 2014
I've done it. I've made it to the end. Now I have some idea of the elation Edmund Hillary felt when he reached the summit of Everest in 1953. I certainly have an idea of what it's like to struggle to the end of something that seems to go on forever.
I'd describe the ending but it's so daft I doubt anyone would believe me. To all intents and purposes this book is a text on the history of early 20th century mountain-climbing with a silly conspiracy thriller shoved on the end as an afterthought. It definitely isn't the book described by the deceitful back-cover blurb, and its a long way from Mr Simmons' best work. I can't in all good conscience recommend it, except possibly to corrupt policemen who could use its frightening weight to beat suspects without leaving any bruises.
I stare at the finished book for some time, feeling my anger subside. Then I turn and walk away, and I don't look back.
November 1, 2013
Dan Simmons enjoys writing about failure. In The Terror he writes about the doomed Franklin Expedition which was lost in the Arctic while searching for the North-West passage. Similarly, in The Abominable, he creates a story of “search-and-rescue” of a mountaineer who disappears at the same time on Mt. Everest when Mallory and Irvine vanish during their unsuccessful Mt. Everest summit effort (in June 1924). And while this book is not about Mallory and Irvine, their failure to summit Mt. Everest plays an important role in setting up the plot of the book.
The Abominable is presented as a “memoir” of a fictional mountaineer named Jacob Perry, whose manuscript Simmons receives after Perry’s death (as promised earlier by Perry, but Simmons receives it 11 years later than it was meant to; due to Perry’s stupid relatives).
The main characters of the book are: Jake Perry himself, and his two fellow climber friends; Richard Davis Deacon aka “The Deacon” and Jean-Claude Clairoux aka “J.C.”.
J.C. is the most interesting character of the book (in my opinion) who displays a bit of sense of humor every now and then. The Deacon grumbles a lot but is undeniably a badass, but apart from ascending and descending from one camp to another on numerous occasions, all Jake Perry does in the book is blush at someone else’s crude comments (he coughs when he is not blushing). The other major characters who appear on almost every alternate page of the book are: 12-point-Crampons, Ice-Axes (all 57 types), Whymper tents, Meade tents, George Mallory (in absentia), Primus stoves, Andrew Irvine (in absentia too), Blushing, Belaying, Oxygen tanks (more than 100), more Belaying, along with dozens of interchangeable Sherpas. There are a couple of other supporting characters too, with whom the three friends rendezvous in India, but I think I will give away some of the plot if I tell you who those two other characters are.
One very important thing you should know about this book is that that it is divided into three parts and the first two of those three parts are written in present tense; not unlike the chapters of Captain Francis Crozier in The Terror, which, if I remember correctly, still infuriates the hell out of some readers. But I actually liked the gimmick of The Terror and here too it doesn’t sound awkward to me. But there is also a possibility that since I have already read The Terror and I liked it, it does not surprise me when Simmons starts gyrating in present tense yet again (And from what I gather, he does that regularly in his works).
Anyhoo, let’ talk about The Abominable. The book is divided into three parts.
Part- I – The Climbers
This part opens with the three friends (Jake, J.C. and Deacon) summiting Matterhorn, but if you think that this indicates that in the next couple of chapters they would be at the foot of Mt. Everest, you are wrong. They’ll have two more “practice” climbs before they sail for India and eventually trek to Tibet from Darjeeling. Moreover, you’ll know the benefits of using 12 point crampons over 10 point crampons (if you're a slow learner, don't worry. Simmons will remind you every now and then); you’ll read about dozens of modifications done by half a dozen people on oxygen tanks, same with warm clothes made out of parachutes and whatnot, etcetera etcetera, while travelling with our three friends through half of Europe.
Dan Simmons has done a lot of research for this book and he wants to make sure that you know it. And believe me you, you will.
So basically, the first part (Climbers) is about Simmons showing-off his research and setting the tone for the rest of the book. And frankly, I like the first part, crampons or no crampons.
Part-II – The Mountain
Simply put, in my opinion, this is the best part of the book.
What I like most about Simmons is that he creates an appropriate atmosphere in his longish books with slowly simmering plots. The dread in his books builds-up extremely slowly and erratically, and then reaches a crescendo by the end. He takes a lot of time to do this, but eventually he does get there. That’s what he did in The Terror. And Part-II of The Abominable does give you the feel that that’s what going to happen in Part-III.
And this is the first time you are introduced to Mt. Everest and other major characters (including the two who-shall-not-be-named) - North Col, First Step, Second Step, interchangeable Sherpas, etc. etc.
Simmons is in his top form in Part-II where our climbers finally start to confront Mt. Everest, but unfortunately, it goes all downhill from here.
Part- III – The Abominable
This part lives up to its name, it is abominable.
But because I cannot talk about it without spoiling most of the plot for you, I am going to add a spoiler for Part-III.
Finally, the core question is, do I recommend “The Abominable” for you?
It depends. Let me put it this way.
You could read “The Abominable” if you have already read and liked “The Terror”.
If you read “The Terror” but didn’t like it, you should not bother with this book.
But, if you have already read “The Abominable” and you liked it, and “The Terror” is still on your to-read list; I can tell you, you’re in for a treat. Because, “The Terror” is everything “The Abominable” tries to be, but fails eventually. But it's still not a bad book.
The Abominable is presented as a “memoir” of a fictional mountaineer named Jacob Perry, whose manuscript Simmons receives after Perry’s death (as promised earlier by Perry, but Simmons receives it 11 years later than it was meant to; due to Perry’s stupid relatives).
The main characters of the book are: Jake Perry himself, and his two fellow climber friends; Richard Davis Deacon aka “The Deacon” and Jean-Claude Clairoux aka “J.C.”.
J.C. is the most interesting character of the book (in my opinion) who displays a bit of sense of humor every now and then. The Deacon grumbles a lot but is undeniably a badass, but apart from ascending and descending from one camp to another on numerous occasions, all Jake Perry does in the book is blush at someone else’s crude comments (he coughs when he is not blushing). The other major characters who appear on almost every alternate page of the book are: 12-point-Crampons, Ice-Axes (all 57 types), Whymper tents, Meade tents, George Mallory (in absentia), Primus stoves, Andrew Irvine (in absentia too), Blushing, Belaying, Oxygen tanks (more than 100), more Belaying, along with dozens of interchangeable Sherpas. There are a couple of other supporting characters too, with whom the three friends rendezvous in India, but I think I will give away some of the plot if I tell you who those two other characters are.
One very important thing you should know about this book is that that it is divided into three parts and the first two of those three parts are written in present tense; not unlike the chapters of Captain Francis Crozier in The Terror, which, if I remember correctly, still infuriates the hell out of some readers. But I actually liked the gimmick of The Terror and here too it doesn’t sound awkward to me. But there is also a possibility that since I have already read The Terror and I liked it, it does not surprise me when Simmons starts gyrating in present tense yet again (And from what I gather, he does that regularly in his works).
Anyhoo, let’ talk about The Abominable. The book is divided into three parts.
Part- I – The Climbers
This part opens with the three friends (Jake, J.C. and Deacon) summiting Matterhorn, but if you think that this indicates that in the next couple of chapters they would be at the foot of Mt. Everest, you are wrong. They’ll have two more “practice” climbs before they sail for India and eventually trek to Tibet from Darjeeling. Moreover, you’ll know the benefits of using 12 point crampons over 10 point crampons (if you're a slow learner, don't worry. Simmons will remind you every now and then); you’ll read about dozens of modifications done by half a dozen people on oxygen tanks, same with warm clothes made out of parachutes and whatnot, etcetera etcetera, while travelling with our three friends through half of Europe.
Dan Simmons has done a lot of research for this book and he wants to make sure that you know it. And believe me you, you will.
So basically, the first part (Climbers) is about Simmons showing-off his research and setting the tone for the rest of the book. And frankly, I like the first part, crampons or no crampons.
Part-II – The Mountain
Simply put, in my opinion, this is the best part of the book.
What I like most about Simmons is that he creates an appropriate atmosphere in his longish books with slowly simmering plots. The dread in his books builds-up extremely slowly and erratically, and then reaches a crescendo by the end. He takes a lot of time to do this, but eventually he does get there. That’s what he did in The Terror. And Part-II of The Abominable does give you the feel that that’s what going to happen in Part-III.
And this is the first time you are introduced to Mt. Everest and other major characters (including the two who-shall-not-be-named) - North Col, First Step, Second Step, interchangeable Sherpas, etc. etc.
Simmons is in his top form in Part-II where our climbers finally start to confront Mt. Everest, but unfortunately, it goes all downhill from here.
Part- III – The Abominable
This part lives up to its name, it is abominable.
But because I cannot talk about it without spoiling most of the plot for you, I am going to add a spoiler for Part-III.
Finally, the core question is, do I recommend “The Abominable” for you?
It depends. Let me put it this way.
You could read “The Abominable” if you have already read and liked “The Terror”.
If you read “The Terror” but didn’t like it, you should not bother with this book.
But, if you have already read “The Abominable” and you liked it, and “The Terror” is still on your to-read list; I can tell you, you’re in for a treat. Because, “The Terror” is everything “The Abominable” tries to be, but fails eventually. But it's still not a bad book.
March 3, 2017
This book was not what I expected and I'm glad for that. I'm sure that many readers will find this book frustrating and even boring at times. I certainly did, at least during parts of the first half of the book. HOWEVER... it all paid off in the end. The Abominable is a fantastic, beautifully written story of what humans are capable of -- both good and bad. There's mystery, drama, intrigue, suspense, and a lot of emotion, too. I can't say exactly how the book is different from my expectations because I feel like that would ruin a reader's experience. Just be patient and enjoy the climb.
(gif is from the movie Everest)
(gif is from the movie Everest)
October 4, 2022
"Abomination" is a fiction that is perceived as a documentary novel. Dan Simmons is colossal, and the volume of books is not the main criterion here (although it is difficult to find anything less than eight hundred pages). I'm talking about that now. that if one really undertakes to write about something, it is always in detail, scrupulously, with attention to the smallest details - all-encompassing. Interestingly, he manages to avoid boring academicism, if Simmons talks about climbing equipment, then it is listened to as the most exciting thriller.
Description of countless training sessions, trips to Europe for consultation and purchase of necessary equipment, this equipment itself, described with all possible care, technological innovations that increase the chance not only to survive in the proposed ascent, but also to successfully complete it, saving time, and hence resources. The situation in Europe between the two World Wars, the decline of the Weimar Republic and the events preceding the coming to power in Germany of the National Socialists.
Умный в гору
Парня в горы тяни - рискни,
Не оставь одного его.
Пусть он в связке одной с тобой.
Там поймешь, кто такой.
Тут герои "Мерзости" с Владимиром Семеновичем не согласились бы им брать в горы непроверенного человека было бы смерти подобно. Потому что, если гора, которую вы собираетесь штурмовать, Эверест, то любое непродуманное решение может стоить жизни не только тебе, но и всем членам экспедиции.
Но по порядку. Книга построена как "рукопись, найденная в бутылке", в предисловии автор рассказывает, как, будучи молодым писателем, и собирая материалы для романа об Антарктике (мы все помним, что в результате он таки написал о полюсе, правда не южном а северном), узнал об участнике антарктической экспедиции полувековой давности Джекобе Перри. Этот человек в доме престарелых, но он в здравом уме и твердой памяти.
Автор увлекается а��ьпинизмом слишком серьезно, чтобы это можно было назвать хобби, но до профессионального уровня ему далеко. Перри оказывается не только арктическим зимовщиком, но и альпинистом. Его мемуары, завещанные рассказчику, утраченные и чудом найденные через двадцать лет и стали этой книгой. Найденная рукопись идеальна, когда нужно описать событие резонансное и масштабное, упоминания о котором отчего-то не остались в хрониках - рассказчик ненадежен в глазах архивиста, но мы безоговорочно ему доверяем.
Разумеется, история "Мерзости" вымышленная, но воспри��имается как документальный роман. Дэн Симмонс колоссален, и объемы книг тут не основной критерий (хотя меньше восьмисот страниц у него трудно что-то найти). Я сейчас о том. что если уж берется о чем-то писать, то это всегда подробно, скрупулезно, со вниманием к мельчайшим деталями - всеохватно. Интересно, что нудного академизма ему удается избегать, если Симмонс рассказывает об альпинистском снаряжении, то это слушается как самый захватывающий триллер.
Особенно в исполнении Игоря Князева. Обычно сетую, если книгу разбивают на несколько частей, чтобы продать дороже, но в случае "Мерзости" такая разбивка кажется оправданной. Я теперь переслушиваю роман, читала его давно, еще в оригинале, и вот эта часть предварительной подготовки к экспедиции, она сама по себе прекрасна, а пауза между ней и основным действием. уместна. Если бы еще дополнительно не платить за это, было бы вообще хорошо, но: "Нет, сынок. это фантастика".
Первая часть "Альпинисты" включает подготовительный этап экспедиции, номинальная цель которой поиск останков юного лорда Персиваля Бромли, пропавшего на Джомолунгме без вести. Его мать, леди Бромли взяла на себя расходы Перри и двух его старших товарищей, чтобы совершенно убедиться в гибели сына, в глубине души надеясь на возможность его чудесного спасения. Компаньоны, конечно, не верят, что удастся найти хоть что-то, но для людей, одержимых страстью к горам, такая возможность покорить Эверест бесценна.
Описание бесчисленных тренировок, поездки по Европе для консультации и закупки необходимого оборудования, само это снаряжение, описанное со всем возможным тщанием, технологические новинки, которые увеличивают шанс не только выжить в предполагаемом восхождении, но и успешно завершить его, сэкономив время , а значит и ресурсы. Обстановка в Европе между двумя Мировыми Войнами, закат Веймарской Республике и события, предшествовавшие приходу к власти в Германии национал-социалистов - все это замечательно интересно.
И еще один нюанс: в этой части романа много говорится о событиях 1922 года. хотя основное действие романа приходится на более позднее время. Однако от обаяния ретро вековой давности и магии цифр трудно быть вполне свободной.
Description of countless training sessions, trips to Europe for consultation and purchase of necessary equipment, this equipment itself, described with all possible care, technological innovations that increase the chance not only to survive in the proposed ascent, but also to successfully complete it, saving time, and hence resources. The situation in Europe between the two World Wars, the decline of the Weimar Republic and the events preceding the coming to power in Germany of the National Socialists.
Умный в гору
Парня в горы тяни - рискни,
Не оставь одного его.
Пусть он в связке одной с тобой.
Там поймешь, кто такой.
Тут герои "Мерзости" с Владимиром Семеновичем не согласились бы им брать в горы непроверенного человека было бы смерти подобно. Потому что, если гора, которую вы собираетесь штурмовать, Эверест, то любое непродуманное решение может стоить жизни не только тебе, но и всем членам экспедиции.
Но по порядку. Книга построена как "рукопись, найденная в бутылке", в предисловии автор рассказывает, как, будучи молодым писателем, и собирая материалы для романа об Антарктике (мы все помним, что в результате он таки написал о полюсе, правда не южном а северном), узнал об участнике антарктической экспедиции полувековой давности Джекобе Перри. Этот человек в доме престарелых, но он в здравом уме и твердой памяти.
Автор увлекается а��ьпинизмом слишком серьезно, чтобы это можно было назвать хобби, но до профессионального уровня ему далеко. Перри оказывается не только арктическим зимовщиком, но и альпинистом. Его мемуары, завещанные рассказчику, утраченные и чудом найденные через двадцать лет и стали этой книгой. Найденная рукопись идеальна, когда нужно описать событие резонансное и масштабное, упоминания о котором отчего-то не остались в хрониках - рассказчик ненадежен в глазах архивиста, но мы безоговорочно ему доверяем.
Разумеется, история "Мерзости" вымышленная, но воспри��имается как документальный роман. Дэн Симмонс колоссален, и объемы книг тут не основной критерий (хотя меньше восьмисот страниц у него трудно что-то найти). Я сейчас о том. что если уж берется о чем-то писать, то это всегда подробно, скрупулезно, со вниманием к мельчайшим деталями - всеохватно. Интересно, что нудного академизма ему удается избегать, если Симмонс рассказывает об альпинистском снаряжении, то это слушается как самый захватывающий триллер.
Особенно в исполнении Игоря Князева. Обычно сетую, если книгу разбивают на несколько частей, чтобы продать дороже, но в случае "Мерзости" такая разбивка кажется оправданной. Я теперь переслушиваю роман, читала его давно, еще в оригинале, и вот эта часть предварительной подготовки к экспедиции, она сама по себе прекрасна, а пауза между ней и основным действием. уместна. Если бы еще дополнительно не платить за это, было бы вообще хорошо, но: "Нет, сынок. это фантастика".
Первая часть "Альпинисты" включает подготовительный этап экспедиции, номинальная цель которой поиск останков юного лорда Персиваля Бромли, пропавшего на Джомолунгме без вести. Его мать, леди Бромли взяла на себя расходы Перри и двух его старших товарищей, чтобы совершенно убедиться в гибели сына, в глубине души надеясь на возможность его чудесного спасения. Компаньоны, конечно, не верят, что удастся найти хоть что-то, но для людей, одержимых страстью к горам, такая возможность покорить Эверест бесценна.
Описание бесчисленных тренировок, поездки по Европе для консультации и закупки необходимого оборудования, само это снаряжение, описанное со всем возможным тщанием, технологические новинки, которые увеличивают шанс не только выжить в предполагаемом восхождении, но и успешно завершить его, сэкономив время , а значит и ресурсы. Обстановка в Европе между двумя Мировыми Войнами, закат Веймарской Республике и события, предшествовавшие приходу к власти в Германии национал-социалистов - все это замечательно интересно.
И еще один нюанс: в этой части романа много говорится о событиях 1922 года. хотя основное действие романа приходится на более позднее время. Однако от обаяния ретро вековой давности и магии цифр трудно быть вполне свободной.
February 6, 2024
I was wary approaching ABOMINABLE. I liked his other recent works, DROOD, and THE FIFTH HEART but felt both were bogged down somewhat by too much detail. And judging from the reviews I'd seen, ABOMINABLE was getting tarred with the same brush.
But I needn't have worried. There is indeed plenty of detail here, especially of climbing gear and clothing, and the acts of climbing itself, but it serves the story better than in the other books, and where DROOD especially felt somewhat claustrophobic and dense, ABOMINABLE feels much more expansive and open, and gives a real idea of the joys of being on top of the world, and the freedom that can be felt there.
I hate heights. They make me go weak at the knees, and just reading some of the scenes here had almost the same effect, a testament to Simmons' way with a descriptive passage.
Simmons' prose is as excellent as ever, and the narrator, Jake, feels fully formed and alive. It's a tale of derring-do on the world's highest peak of course but it's also about friendship, and adversity, and conquering obstacles. There's also much in the latter part of the book that reminds me of some of Alistair Maclean's adventures, with skullduggery in snowy landscapes.
It takes twists and turns I wasn't expecting, and the title of the book might seem like a misnomer to some, as expectations of snowmen are a bit of a red herring. That doesn't detract from the story. It's a hefty book, but it doesn't seem like it, and I thoroughly enjoyed Simmons' return to the cold landscapes he evoked so wonderfully in THE TERROR.
Quality stuff, and highly recommended.
Watch this review read by me on Youtube
But I needn't have worried. There is indeed plenty of detail here, especially of climbing gear and clothing, and the acts of climbing itself, but it serves the story better than in the other books, and where DROOD especially felt somewhat claustrophobic and dense, ABOMINABLE feels much more expansive and open, and gives a real idea of the joys of being on top of the world, and the freedom that can be felt there.
I hate heights. They make me go weak at the knees, and just reading some of the scenes here had almost the same effect, a testament to Simmons' way with a descriptive passage.
Simmons' prose is as excellent as ever, and the narrator, Jake, feels fully formed and alive. It's a tale of derring-do on the world's highest peak of course but it's also about friendship, and adversity, and conquering obstacles. There's also much in the latter part of the book that reminds me of some of Alistair Maclean's adventures, with skullduggery in snowy landscapes.
It takes twists and turns I wasn't expecting, and the title of the book might seem like a misnomer to some, as expectations of snowmen are a bit of a red herring. That doesn't detract from the story. It's a hefty book, but it doesn't seem like it, and I thoroughly enjoyed Simmons' return to the cold landscapes he evoked so wonderfully in THE TERROR.
Quality stuff, and highly recommended.
Watch this review read by me on Youtube
April 1, 2022
Story 5/5
Narration 5/5
Abominable by Dan Simmons is a well written story.
It’s a little bit long , but I think it is justified by this tale genre.
It’s best to read it knowing little as possible.
I recommend it.
Narration 5/5
Abominable by Dan Simmons is a well written story.
It’s a little bit long , but I think it is justified by this tale genre.
It’s best to read it knowing little as possible.
I recommend it.
March 22, 2019
My fingers seek holds, even the slightest wrinkle in the rock, but this is an obscenely wrinkle-free rock face. I keep moving to the left, held against the near-vertical cliff just by friction and speed. If you're fast enough, sometimes gravity doesn't immediately notice you.
The actual climbing scenes in this voluminous novel are truly riveting and I've found myself clinging on to them as to painful finger jams on a thousand feet overhang, the sheer exertion of it causing me to see stars - all five of them. Back on (somewhat) safer footing I do have to calm down and admit that even though there's plenty to love, there a a few cracks in the mountain. The "true story" background with Simmons writing as himself and eventually getting a "found manuscript" and the past to present tense switch feels not all the way necessary to me, but on the other hand, it did not distract too much either. The suspension of disbelief though, absolutely crucial to getting over the crux of the Abominable did test my patience. I don't want to spoil, since this is the reveal of the story, but safe to say that the historical secrets revealed brought Alistair MacLean to mind rather than, say, Norman Mailer.
If you manage to look past this sometimes silly feeling 'twist' though, the rest is pretty great. Good characters (even if the narrator is perhaps my least favorite): "The Deacon" - incredibly strong, interesting, often unreadable. "J C" - so French that not even a Frenchman can complain of him being a stereotype and Lady Katherine Christina Regina Bromley-Montfort "Reggie", well, who's not a bit smitten by Reggie?
A lot of the text is taken up with mountaineering and climbing and the techniques and equipment of the 1920's and it is long and it is descriptive and I loved every bit of it. Not wanting to reveal anything else about the story I urge you to look closely at the cover of this edition. That is the experience of the read. If you think you'd like that I say odds are you probably will. Dress warm.
The actual climbing scenes in this voluminous novel are truly riveting and I've found myself clinging on to them as to painful finger jams on a thousand feet overhang, the sheer exertion of it causing me to see stars - all five of them. Back on (somewhat) safer footing I do have to calm down and admit that even though there's plenty to love, there a a few cracks in the mountain. The "true story" background with Simmons writing as himself and eventually getting a "found manuscript" and the past to present tense switch feels not all the way necessary to me, but on the other hand, it did not distract too much either. The suspension of disbelief though, absolutely crucial to getting over the crux of the Abominable did test my patience. I don't want to spoil, since this is the reveal of the story, but safe to say that the historical secrets revealed brought Alistair MacLean to mind rather than, say, Norman Mailer.
If you manage to look past this sometimes silly feeling 'twist' though, the rest is pretty great. Good characters (even if the narrator is perhaps my least favorite): "The Deacon" - incredibly strong, interesting, often unreadable. "J C" - so French that not even a Frenchman can complain of him being a stereotype and Lady Katherine Christina Regina Bromley-Montfort "Reggie", well, who's not a bit smitten by Reggie?
A lot of the text is taken up with mountaineering and climbing and the techniques and equipment of the 1920's and it is long and it is descriptive and I loved every bit of it. Not wanting to reveal anything else about the story I urge you to look closely at the cover of this edition. That is the experience of the read. If you think you'd like that I say odds are you probably will. Dress warm.
August 21, 2015
This story was a wild ride. What can I say, I'm a sucker for good adventure stories set during the interwar years.
August 20, 2015
OK, I've got a peculiar love/hate relationship with Dan's writing. From the role of his avid fan since the early Nineties (I've done my best to popularize Dan's SF endeavors in Serbia and I'd had certain amount of success with it - several publishers had published my translations of his Song of Kali, The Hollow Man, the whole Hyperion saga, Lovedeath...) I somehow took up the mantle of a hair-splitting critic, ever since The Crook Factory, a novel I found subpar, irrelevant and at some moments, frankly, amateurish. And Dan's earnest explanations in our e-mail correspondence of why it was good for me and my family to suffer the NATO bombing in 1999 didn't help either. After that, I liked some of his work (Drood actually sparked a renewed interest in Dickens in me, for which I'm very thankful), and some (Illium, Olympus - both of which I'd translated as well) - not so much.
Now, The Abominable is WAY too big (volume-wise) for such a story (WARNING: some spoilers ahead). It is OK to do a thorough research in the field you are writing about - hell, I did it extensively for my two latest novels - and nowadays it can be done easily on the Internet - but IT MUST NOT SHOW in the text: no reader wants to feel lectured while reading a work of fiction, otherwise he or she would just pick up a manual or a textbook covering the said field, which in this book is - mountain climbing. My main problems with this book are: 1. the exposition just takes TOO F**IKNG LONG; 2. the title implying the presence of Yetis in the book is simply misleading and feels like a weak joke after you finish reading; 3. there are several illogical things concerning the whole Yeti - masquerade and Nazi involvement, the biggest of which is that the whole spy-transaction happening on the Everest feels just like a lame excuse for Dan to write about mountain climbing. And finally, the question that's been bugging me ever since I'd completed the reading and translation: OK, our heroes have arranged for the found "McGuffin" to be delivered to the Powers That Be, but WHAT HAD HAPPENED WITH THE BLOODY 15,000 POUNDS FOUND ON THE BODIES? You just cannot mention that kind of wealth (in 1925 it had been a huge amount) and leave it unresolved. Or maybe there is some other version of the book, with different editing, where this question is answered with a sentence or two?
It is sad that only in the last 50 or 60 pages of the book the old Simmons charm sparkles through, and manages somehow to improve the overall impression (similar to a figure-skating pair making errors and falling on the ice and then pulling out a spectacular quick series of moves, pleasing the judges a bit), but you have to be REALLY, REALLY patient and sit through some 700 pages prior to this somewhat too-quick resolution.
At the end of the day, in spite of some really good writing and several effective scenes, this is a book that didn't have to exist at all - and, really, no one would have missed it.
Now, The Abominable is WAY too big (volume-wise) for such a story (WARNING: some spoilers ahead). It is OK to do a thorough research in the field you are writing about - hell, I did it extensively for my two latest novels - and nowadays it can be done easily on the Internet - but IT MUST NOT SHOW in the text: no reader wants to feel lectured while reading a work of fiction, otherwise he or she would just pick up a manual or a textbook covering the said field, which in this book is - mountain climbing. My main problems with this book are: 1. the exposition just takes TOO F**IKNG LONG; 2. the title implying the presence of Yetis in the book is simply misleading and feels like a weak joke after you finish reading; 3. there are several illogical things concerning the whole Yeti - masquerade and Nazi involvement, the biggest of which is that the whole spy-transaction happening on the Everest feels just like a lame excuse for Dan to write about mountain climbing. And finally, the question that's been bugging me ever since I'd completed the reading and translation: OK, our heroes have arranged for the found "McGuffin" to be delivered to the Powers That Be, but WHAT HAD HAPPENED WITH THE BLOODY 15,000 POUNDS FOUND ON THE BODIES? You just cannot mention that kind of wealth (in 1925 it had been a huge amount) and leave it unresolved. Or maybe there is some other version of the book, with different editing, where this question is answered with a sentence or two?
It is sad that only in the last 50 or 60 pages of the book the old Simmons charm sparkles through, and manages somehow to improve the overall impression (similar to a figure-skating pair making errors and falling on the ice and then pulling out a spectacular quick series of moves, pleasing the judges a bit), but you have to be REALLY, REALLY patient and sit through some 700 pages prior to this somewhat too-quick resolution.
At the end of the day, in spite of some really good writing and several effective scenes, this is a book that didn't have to exist at all - and, really, no one would have missed it.
August 21, 2014
This has a wealth of low ratings with the main complaint seeming to be the ridiculously slow pacing. It is a valid complaint. All my clothes went out of style over the course of this novel.
I'm going five stars anyway. It think this was Simmons at his best regarding impeccable research, historical accuracy, characters that come to life, and all that other happy horseshit. The pacing was irrelevant to me personally.
If you enjoyed The Terror then you should enjoy this. Was this as good as The Terror? Yeah, maybe. Should you read it? Not if you hated The Terror.
I'm going five stars anyway. It think this was Simmons at his best regarding impeccable research, historical accuracy, characters that come to life, and all that other happy horseshit. The pacing was irrelevant to me personally.
If you enjoyed The Terror then you should enjoy this. Was this as good as The Terror? Yeah, maybe. Should you read it? Not if you hated The Terror.
March 14, 2024
So che non è un romanzo da 5⭐️ (se ne merita comunque 4 piene), ma la lettura mi ha così entusiasmata che dovevo premiarlo con un punteggio pieno. Non so nulla di scalate, non pensavo neanche che l’argomento mi potesse minimamente interessare, ma ho letto avidamente questo romanzo, emozionandomi durante le scalate e le descrizioni delle piccozze usate dai personaggi (della serie: Dan Simmons può rendere avvincente anche la lista della spesa).
J.C. e il Diacono nel cuore (ma anche Reggie è un gran bel personaggio).
J.C. e il Diacono nel cuore (ma anche Reggie è un gran bel personaggio).
December 4, 2013
I've been a long time reader of Dan Simmons and some of his work is among my personal "Top 20" of all time. So I was excited to see him come out with a new book "The Abominable."
In the past I've always admired his attention to detail in all his books while not omitting a great story to go along with it. I was looking forward to settling down with this tome (weighing in at a hefty 650+ pages) and traversing the treacherous terrain of Mount Everest.
Instead I found myself slogging through a thigh-deep snowdrift of boring characters, ridiculous amounts of granular details and a plot which moved at a (wait for it...) glacial pace.
This was simply not a book written for me. It seems as if Simmons is so passionate about technical climbing and the myriad details which make up that endeavor that he felt the need to explain EVERYTHING in the book. A couple of pages dedicated to the evolution of the ice-axe, 12 point crampon climbing shoes, what kind of clothes to wear (if I never see the term "Shackleton jacket" in my life again, it will be too soon) and related miscellaneous information of dubious value to the story itself.
I appreciate the effort and research which must have gone into this book, but the exorbitant amount of detail simply washed the plot away like an avalanche of unimportant facts (Yep. I did it again)
I get the sense that the author is incredibly invested in this work, similar to Nelson DeMille's recent labor of love, "The Quest." But both authors have neglected to answer the simple question of "is this something my readers will enjoy?"
There were several scenes which were particularly well-done, especially when describing some of the perils of high-altitude climbing. Any reader who has done any climbing might enjoy this work more than I.
And Simmons does some interesting work of his own by making the first 2/3 of the book written in 3rd Person - present tense - which is an uncommon choice, given the setup of the prologue. He abruptly flips to 1st person POV in the final 1/3 of the book which draws the reader closer to the work, as intended. But by that time I was exhausted and suffering from lack of oxygen after a forced uphill march of the first 450 pages or so.
And to be blunt, the plot, in my opinion, positively unraveled (I will NOT put in another mountaineering aside here) in the last 200 pages. The plot degenerated into an odd "Scooby Doo" + A-Team mashup experience. Seriously. At one point, the protag removes a mask worn by one of the baddies and realizes it is "old man Johnson" after all! All that was missing was the antagonist mastermind muttering "We would've gotten away with it too, if it hadn't been for you meddling alpine climbers and your Primus stove."
Really?
And the epilogue was vague and ambiguous at best.
At the end of the book I was disappointed and more than a little frustrated.
In the past I've always admired his attention to detail in all his books while not omitting a great story to go along with it. I was looking forward to settling down with this tome (weighing in at a hefty 650+ pages) and traversing the treacherous terrain of Mount Everest.
Instead I found myself slogging through a thigh-deep snowdrift of boring characters, ridiculous amounts of granular details and a plot which moved at a (wait for it...) glacial pace.
This was simply not a book written for me. It seems as if Simmons is so passionate about technical climbing and the myriad details which make up that endeavor that he felt the need to explain EVERYTHING in the book. A couple of pages dedicated to the evolution of the ice-axe, 12 point crampon climbing shoes, what kind of clothes to wear (if I never see the term "Shackleton jacket" in my life again, it will be too soon) and related miscellaneous information of dubious value to the story itself.
I appreciate the effort and research which must have gone into this book, but the exorbitant amount of detail simply washed the plot away like an avalanche of unimportant facts (Yep. I did it again)
I get the sense that the author is incredibly invested in this work, similar to Nelson DeMille's recent labor of love, "The Quest." But both authors have neglected to answer the simple question of "is this something my readers will enjoy?"
There were several scenes which were particularly well-done, especially when describing some of the perils of high-altitude climbing. Any reader who has done any climbing might enjoy this work more than I.
And Simmons does some interesting work of his own by making the first 2/3 of the book written in 3rd Person - present tense - which is an uncommon choice, given the setup of the prologue. He abruptly flips to 1st person POV in the final 1/3 of the book which draws the reader closer to the work, as intended. But by that time I was exhausted and suffering from lack of oxygen after a forced uphill march of the first 450 pages or so.
And to be blunt, the plot, in my opinion, positively unraveled (I will NOT put in another mountaineering aside here) in the last 200 pages. The plot degenerated into an odd "Scooby Doo" + A-Team mashup experience. Seriously. At one point, the protag removes a mask worn by one of the baddies and realizes it is "old man Johnson" after all! All that was missing was the antagonist mastermind muttering "We would've gotten away with it too, if it hadn't been for you meddling alpine climbers and your Primus stove."
Really?
And the epilogue was vague and ambiguous at best.
At the end of the book I was disappointed and more than a little frustrated.
April 3, 2024
Der Berg von Dan Simmons, übersetzt von Friedrich Mader und erschienen im Heyne Verlag @randomhouse ist mein erstes Highlight in 2024.
Dan Simmons Schreibstil hat mich absolut abgeholt. Er schreibt sehr detailreich und ausführlich und ich habe jedes Wort förmlich inhaliert. Auch, wenn er stellenweise einige technische Vorgehensweisen, das Bergsteigen oder die Ausrüstung betreffend, erklärt, empfand ich es zu keinem Zeitpunkt langatmig oder trocken.
Die Geschehnisse rund um George Mallory und Andrew Irvine waren mir bekannt, spielen hier aber auch nur eine, für mein Empfinden, untergeordnete Rolle.
Vielmehr geht es um drei Bekannte, die zu Freunden werden und ihren schier unmöglich scheinenden Plan rund um die Besteigung des Mount Everests.
Ich war ab der ersten Seite im Buch gefangen und habe zu jeder sich bietenden Gelegenheit dazu gegriffen. Mich hat es vollkommen überzeugt und ich möchte gern noch vieles mehr von Dan Simmons lesen. Dieses Buch ist, meiner Meinung nach, auch perfekt für Fans von Stephen Kings Werken, da diese ausführliche Erzählweise und die großartige Darstellung der Charaktere schon in diese Richtung gehen.
Dan Simmons Schreibstil hat mich absolut abgeholt. Er schreibt sehr detailreich und ausführlich und ich habe jedes Wort förmlich inhaliert. Auch, wenn er stellenweise einige technische Vorgehensweisen, das Bergsteigen oder die Ausrüstung betreffend, erklärt, empfand ich es zu keinem Zeitpunkt langatmig oder trocken.
Die Geschehnisse rund um George Mallory und Andrew Irvine waren mir bekannt, spielen hier aber auch nur eine, für mein Empfinden, untergeordnete Rolle.
Vielmehr geht es um drei Bekannte, die zu Freunden werden und ihren schier unmöglich scheinenden Plan rund um die Besteigung des Mount Everests.
Ich war ab der ersten Seite im Buch gefangen und habe zu jeder sich bietenden Gelegenheit dazu gegriffen. Mich hat es vollkommen überzeugt und ich möchte gern noch vieles mehr von Dan Simmons lesen. Dieses Buch ist, meiner Meinung nach, auch perfekt für Fans von Stephen Kings Werken, da diese ausführliche Erzählweise und die großartige Darstellung der Charaktere schon in diese Richtung gehen.
November 22, 2022
This book is about a team of climbers who are hired to go to Everest to find someone who was thought to have been lost on an expedition. On paper, I should have really liked this book, but it had quite a few shortcomings I could not overlook.
I'll just touch on some builet points because I really do not have much to say about it.
1. It is extremely detailed and the author has a knack for making you feel like you are part of the team.
2. The climbing portions are fun but have WAY too much exposition. Do we really need 15 pages of each and every hold and strategy for a single climb. I know it supposed to be immersive but to me, it gets a little tedious.
3. The characters were a bit too bland. The surrounding plot was ok, but the interactions were just ordinary.
4. I did have fun looking up some of the history on mountaineering and learning about the gear they used.
5. That ending. Oh, no. Just no. That's all I'll say about that.
Unless you really, really, really (I should put like 4 more reallys) like detailed climbing descriptions with a bit of intrigue, steer clear. Ugh, I just cannot get past how much I did not like the last third of the book.
I'll just touch on some builet points because I really do not have much to say about it.
1. It is extremely detailed and the author has a knack for making you feel like you are part of the team.
2. The climbing portions are fun but have WAY too much exposition. Do we really need 15 pages of each and every hold and strategy for a single climb. I know it supposed to be immersive but to me, it gets a little tedious.
3. The characters were a bit too bland. The surrounding plot was ok, but the interactions were just ordinary.
4. I did have fun looking up some of the history on mountaineering and learning about the gear they used.
5. That ending. Oh, no. Just no. That's all I'll say about that.
Unless you really, really, really (I should put like 4 more reallys) like detailed climbing descriptions with a bit of intrigue, steer clear. Ugh, I just cannot get past how much I did not like the last third of the book.
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April 15, 2019Спеціально для тих, кому не вистачило “Терора”, Ден Сіммонс написав “The Abominable”. Інгредієнти нібито ті самі: екзотичні пейзажі як із National Geographic, детальний опис фактажу, перетин надприродного жаху і людських злочинів. Але якийсь цей роман трошки недороблений.
Передмову не промотуйте, вона – складова сюжету, бо роман стилізований під знайдену розповідь. Персонаж на ім’я Ден Сіммонс, мовляв, приїздить у будинок для людей похилого віку, щоб поговорити із геть стареньким альпіністом і зібрати фактаж для роману про альпіністів, який задумав. (Від нього ж дізнається буцімто про експедицію Франкліна). Старенький загорається: а давайте я вам свою автобіографію дам! Персонаж Ден Сіммонс такий: от чорт, ну і влип, черговий молодий амбітний автор, тільки не молодий. Але отримує врешті рукопис, який і складає більшу частину цієї книжки.
1925 рік, група друзів вирішує піднятися на Еверест, щоб знайти тіло знайомого, який загинув там минулого року. Дві третини тексту складають дуже сумлінні описи альпіністського спорядження й різних геологічних явищ, але мене це дуже тішить і заспокоює, бо я виросла на Жюлі Верні, й він писав так само, використовуючи слабку подобу сюжету як привід для того, щоб згодувати читачам чимбільший шматок енциклопедії. Загалом, я була цілком задоволена цим неквапким і безподієвим читанням, доки, на жаль, не почався хоррорний сюжет.
Одразу скажу, що хоррорний сюжет узагалі непритомний. По-перше, він скомканий і дуже нерівномірно розподілений текстом – починається рівно на 20 годині із 29 годин аудіокниги. Знаєте, як бісить, коли ковдра збивається в підодіяльнику? То от так само бісить, коли одна з сюжетних ліній збилася в один краєчок книжки! Таке враження, що письменник в останню хвилину згадав, що пише не неквапкий старосвітський роман про великі географічні відкриття, а взагалі-то жахливчик, і полінувався переписувати все спочатку. По-друге, хоррорний сюжет якийсь невимовно тупий. Але до початку цього сюжету був дуже милий повільний роман про гори, тож я, в принципі, отримала масу задоволення. Очима би не прочитала, а для аудіокниги ідеально.
Передмову не промотуйте, вона – складова сюжету, бо роман стилізований під знайдену розповідь. Персонаж на ім’я Ден Сіммонс, мовляв, приїздить у будинок для людей похилого віку, щоб поговорити із геть стареньким альпіністом і зібрати фактаж для роману про альпіністів, який задумав. (Від нього ж дізнається буцімто про експедицію Франкліна). Старенький загорається: а давайте я вам свою автобіографію дам! Персонаж Ден Сіммонс такий: от чорт, ну і влип, черговий молодий амбітний автор, тільки не молодий. Але отримує врешті рукопис, який і складає більшу частину цієї книжки.
1925 рік, група друзів вирішує піднятися на Еверест, щоб знайти тіло знайомого, який загинув там минулого року. Дві третини тексту складають дуже сумлінні описи альпіністського спорядження й різних геологічних явищ, але мене це дуже тішить і заспокоює, бо я виросла на Жюлі Верні, й він писав так само, використовуючи слабку подобу сюжету як привід для того, щоб згодувати читачам чимбільший шматок енциклопедії. Загалом, я була цілком задоволена цим неквапким і безподієвим читанням, доки, на жаль, не почався хоррорний сюжет.
Одразу скажу, що хоррорний сюжет узагалі непритомний. По-перше, він скомканий і дуже нерівномірно розподілений текстом – починається рівно на 20 годині із 29 годин аудіокниги. Знаєте, як бісить, коли ковдра збивається в підодіяльнику? То от так само бісить, коли одна з сюжетних ліній збилася в один краєчок книжки! Таке враження, що письменник в останню хвилину згадав, що пише не неквапкий старосвітський роман про великі географічні відкриття, а взагалі-то жахливчик, і полінувався переписувати все спочатку. По-друге, хоррорний сюжет якийсь невимовно тупий. Але до початку цього сюжету був дуже милий повільний роман про гори, тож я, в принципі, отримала масу задоволення. Очима би не прочитала, а для аудіокниги ідеально.
December 16, 2013
3 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.blogspot.com/201...
Dan Simmons has always been hit or miss for me, but I have to say his historical-horror novel The Terror about Franklin's lost expedition to the arctic remains one of my all time favorite books ever. While his newest novel The Abominable may not be a follow up, it certainly can be considered a companion piece; the fact that both books seem to share the same vein made me hopeful that Simmons will blow me away again.
Unfortunately, that just didn't happen. Still, the book started promisingly enough, with an introduction from the author that really isn't an introduction at all. Instead, it's an interesting little meta-story about how Dan Simmons came upon a manuscript of this book, starting with a visit more than ten years ago to a former mountaineer named Jake Perry in a Colorado nursing home. The Abominable is essentially Jake's account of his 1926 expedition to Mount Everest, which Simmons receives in the form of a whole stack of notebooks hand-written by the old man.
Thus it was not so surprising that most of this book read like a memoir. What did surprise me, however, was how little action there was in a book supposedly touted as a "thrilling tale of supernatural adventure". A good chunk of it felt more like a guide to mountain climbing, complete with descriptions of climbing techniques and equipment which Simmons goes into with exhaustive detail.
Okay, I'll give that it's interesting and all, but where's the relevance? I was more than a quarter of the way through this book (and that's about 150 pages in this monster of a novel) and they still weren't even in the Himalayas yet. At a certain point, I just desperately wanted the story to get moving, and the last thing I needed was yet another dozen or so pages on ice axes and 12-point crampons. At the end of this book, I felt like knew the ins-and-outs of how a Primus stove works more intimately than some of the main characters. This really bothered me, especially since I've never known Simmons to be the kind of author to flaunt his knowledge or research prowess by overwhelming the reader with unnecessary info dumps.
When he does get around to the action though, it can be very suspenseful. If I'd ever entertained thoughts of becoming a mountain climber, this book pretty much killed them dead. Mountain climbers are insane; I'll settle for living their adventures vicariously though books like this one, thanks. That being said, readers with a fear of heights might have a rough time with this, and of course Simmons is also the master of pushing his characters to extremes by placing them in these horrible, godforsaken situations. And it doesn't get any scarier and more extreme than on Mount Everest.
To date, more than a thousand people have reached Everest's summit including a thirteen-year-old, but it's still one of the most treacherous mountains in the world, killing climbers every year. Can you imagine what a nightmare it must have been like in the 1920s? Climbers back then didn't have our current tech, didn't have the kind of safety gear and improved equipment we have today. It was less than a hundred years ago, and conquering Everest was still just a dream. Or more like, a hopeless challenge. When you read The Abominable and take in the struggles of Jake Perry and his companions, Simmons doesn't let you forget that for a second.
Nevertheless, this book fell short of my expectations. Its dragging pace played into this, certainly. By the time things really started to heat up it was already three-quarters of the way through the book and a little too late. Still, it was the climax and big reveal that disappointed me the most. Without going into spoilers, let's just say that one of the reasons I loved The Terror so much was its touch of the supernatural. From its description, The Abominable looks like it teases the same, but things didn't actually turn out that way. The big twist was ultimately a let down, and I'll just leave it at that.
Bottom line, this book was not as good as I thought it would be, though it is not without its high points. History buffs with an interest in Everest and mountaineering will find the some of the details here fascinating (the doomed 1924 British Mount Everest Expedition and the deaths of renowned climbers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine served indirectly as a background for this novel) and a few sections of the plot are genuinely terrifying. Still, it is very little payoff for the amount of effort. The Abominable was a decent book, but I just wished it had been more the "bone-chilling, pulse-pounding story of supernatural suspense" its description vaunted.
Dan Simmons has always been hit or miss for me, but I have to say his historical-horror novel The Terror about Franklin's lost expedition to the arctic remains one of my all time favorite books ever. While his newest novel The Abominable may not be a follow up, it certainly can be considered a companion piece; the fact that both books seem to share the same vein made me hopeful that Simmons will blow me away again.
Unfortunately, that just didn't happen. Still, the book started promisingly enough, with an introduction from the author that really isn't an introduction at all. Instead, it's an interesting little meta-story about how Dan Simmons came upon a manuscript of this book, starting with a visit more than ten years ago to a former mountaineer named Jake Perry in a Colorado nursing home. The Abominable is essentially Jake's account of his 1926 expedition to Mount Everest, which Simmons receives in the form of a whole stack of notebooks hand-written by the old man.
Thus it was not so surprising that most of this book read like a memoir. What did surprise me, however, was how little action there was in a book supposedly touted as a "thrilling tale of supernatural adventure". A good chunk of it felt more like a guide to mountain climbing, complete with descriptions of climbing techniques and equipment which Simmons goes into with exhaustive detail.
Okay, I'll give that it's interesting and all, but where's the relevance? I was more than a quarter of the way through this book (and that's about 150 pages in this monster of a novel) and they still weren't even in the Himalayas yet. At a certain point, I just desperately wanted the story to get moving, and the last thing I needed was yet another dozen or so pages on ice axes and 12-point crampons. At the end of this book, I felt like knew the ins-and-outs of how a Primus stove works more intimately than some of the main characters. This really bothered me, especially since I've never known Simmons to be the kind of author to flaunt his knowledge or research prowess by overwhelming the reader with unnecessary info dumps.
When he does get around to the action though, it can be very suspenseful. If I'd ever entertained thoughts of becoming a mountain climber, this book pretty much killed them dead. Mountain climbers are insane; I'll settle for living their adventures vicariously though books like this one, thanks. That being said, readers with a fear of heights might have a rough time with this, and of course Simmons is also the master of pushing his characters to extremes by placing them in these horrible, godforsaken situations. And it doesn't get any scarier and more extreme than on Mount Everest.
To date, more than a thousand people have reached Everest's summit including a thirteen-year-old, but it's still one of the most treacherous mountains in the world, killing climbers every year. Can you imagine what a nightmare it must have been like in the 1920s? Climbers back then didn't have our current tech, didn't have the kind of safety gear and improved equipment we have today. It was less than a hundred years ago, and conquering Everest was still just a dream. Or more like, a hopeless challenge. When you read The Abominable and take in the struggles of Jake Perry and his companions, Simmons doesn't let you forget that for a second.
Nevertheless, this book fell short of my expectations. Its dragging pace played into this, certainly. By the time things really started to heat up it was already three-quarters of the way through the book and a little too late. Still, it was the climax and big reveal that disappointed me the most. Without going into spoilers, let's just say that one of the reasons I loved The Terror so much was its touch of the supernatural. From its description, The Abominable looks like it teases the same, but things didn't actually turn out that way. The big twist was ultimately a let down, and I'll just leave it at that.
Bottom line, this book was not as good as I thought it would be, though it is not without its high points. History buffs with an interest in Everest and mountaineering will find the some of the details here fascinating (the doomed 1924 British Mount Everest Expedition and the deaths of renowned climbers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine served indirectly as a background for this novel) and a few sections of the plot are genuinely terrifying. Still, it is very little payoff for the amount of effort. The Abominable was a decent book, but I just wished it had been more the "bone-chilling, pulse-pounding story of supernatural suspense" its description vaunted.
June 17, 2016
Phew. I survived. This is not a horror book - it is, in fact, a historical fiction novel with bits of suspense. And it is one MASSIVE info dump. At first I was kind of excited because mountain climbing is of interest to me. I also really love history. But holy crap, this was 663 pages long and I think the equivalent of 600 of that was the info dump.
Jake Perry, who is telling the story, is telling the story.... Umm... apparently the monotony of the story wore off on me. Let's try that again. Jake Perry tells us the story of the fictional 1924 attempt to climb Mount Everest under the guise of retrieving the body of Lord Percival Bromley, who died on the mountain the prior year. Crampons. Oxygen tanks. Balloon pants filled with goose down. Super Special Rope. Dying bodies (because of altitude). Dying bodies (because of bad guy/yetis). And Jake, who is always the voice of reason. Which basically means that he spends the entire book whining because what they're trying to do is so totally insane.
The pace of this did pick up on page 441... But let's face it, after 441 pages of boredom there was no amount of suspense and coughing up bits of your larynx that's going to capture my interest for the remaining 222 pages.
2.5 stars because I got semi-interested at times.
Jake Perry, who is telling the story, is telling the story.... Umm... apparently the monotony of the story wore off on me. Let's try that again. Jake Perry tells us the story of the fictional 1924 attempt to climb Mount Everest under the guise of retrieving the body of Lord Percival Bromley, who died on the mountain the prior year. Crampons. Oxygen tanks. Balloon pants filled with goose down. Super Special Rope. Dying bodies (because of altitude). Dying bodies (because of bad guy/yetis). And Jake, who is always the voice of reason. Which basically means that he spends the entire book whining because what they're trying to do is so totally insane.
The pace of this did pick up on page 441... But let's face it, after 441 pages of boredom there was no amount of suspense and coughing up bits of your larynx that's going to capture my interest for the remaining 222 pages.
2.5 stars because I got semi-interested at times.
November 20, 2013
Personally, I feel that this is more of a thriller-tale, than horror. Simmons has a wonderful way with words, and the scenes he paints with them remain vivid in your mind, even as the scenes change. This story will not be to everyone's liking, I realize. It's VERY slow to start, and the "action" doesn't really pick up until after the first half of the book, in my opinion. I think that many will be turned off by that fact alone. However, as far as gripping novels go, I found myself thoroughly engrossed throughout the last half or so. The first half, while dealing with many of the technicalities of mountain climbing, was a bit excessive--still, fairly interesting to someone who is interested in the history of such endeavors.
Although not my favorite book from Simmons, it was definitely one that I'm glad I picked up.
Although not my favorite book from Simmons, it was definitely one that I'm glad I picked up.
September 24, 2013
The Abominable is rather like the mountainous landscapes it portrays, a novel that is in turns, brilliant, all-enveloping, treacherous and chilling.
It is also a book that begins as part of a great conceit. It is a story-within-a-story, a plot that begins as if it is Dan Simmons recanting a tale given to him by a mountaineer, Jacob (Jake) Perry, uncovered as Simmons was researching his other snow-tale, The Terror.
The story then shifts to 1924, as if transcribed by Jake, successfully blurring reality and fiction. In June ‘24 George Mallory and ‘Sandy’ Irvine disappear whilst climbing Everest. This much is true: until recently their bodies were missing, and it is still a mystery as to whether the two climbers may or may not have made it to the summit and died on their way back.
The Abominable takes this real event but then overlays it with Simmons’ fictional creations. In this tale we follow what happens in the time after the loss of Mallory and Irvine, when Perry and two other experienced climbers, Jean-Claude Clairoux (usually named J.C.) and their leader Richard Davis Deacon (‘the Deacon’), who together attempt to return to the Himalaya the season after in an unofficial ‘rescue mission’ – or rather to find out what happened to another climber, Lord Percival Bromley, who was lost on the mountain whilst trying to find Mallory and Irvine.
The Deacon-Clairoux-Perry expedition is one funded by Lord Percival’s mother, Lady Elizabeth Marion Bromley, and not sanctioned by any Mountaineering Society, which is why details of it (according to Simmons) to this day remain less known, if known at all. The rest of the book is then spent attempting to climb Everest, with consequences for all involved.
Dan’s book is one that moves glacially, yet inexorably towards the ending. In the first part of the book we get to know the backgrounds and thoughts of the main characters, their training in the Alps around The Matterhorn and in Wales, the social situation that affects their attempt (which involves trips to Lincolnshire, Switzerland and Nazi Germany), and perhaps, most importantly, the danger, excitement and challenge presented to climbers determined to push themselves to the physical limits. There is beauty and risk, and Dan does well to try and give the reader some ideas as to why climbers do what they do. This can be complicated, but Dan writes wonderfully about such matters.
As you might expect, much of the feel of the book is created by a lot of technical talk, which gives the impression that it is really a climber talking of his passion. There’s enough belaying and traversing for any climber, I think. I’d be interested to hear what M John Harrison (SF writer and experienced climber himself) would make of this novel. I think he’d like that aspect of the novel.
However, it is well enough written to be followed by a non-climber (such as myself) without losing the plot or sheer impossibility of some of the events that are here. I soon got to the point where I was engrossed in all the book’s twists and turns. It’s not easy for a writer to keep a reader’s attention for such a long while – it’s over two hundred pages before we even set off on the expedition proper – but Dan managed it for me. Although I know fairly little about climbing myself, what worked is that the book felt real, which is quite an accomplishment.
Personally I found the book so immersive at this stage that the pages turned rapidly. Some of the descriptions of the extreme landscapes and climate experienced by our climbers are so good that I was travelling with them, urging them on through all sorts of difficulties.
I have been at pains here not to mention much of the horror aspect of the story. Many readers may be under the impression, from the title if nothing else, that the book has something to do with that snow creature of legend often reputed to roam the mountain slopes of the Himalayas. I must say that the book itself doesn’t really mention this feature of the story until about 150 pages in and in the end, the idea is not as important as you might think it would be. Much of the book seems to be about secrecy and identity, and so with that in mind the idea of the yeti is perhaps a bit of a mis-direction (although it would be wrong of me to say more).
Where The Abominable works so well is in its continuous blurring of reality and fiction. Real people and events are mixed up with fictional. To my mind, that may create a broad appeal, straddling various genres with ease. Some may just read it as a mystery novel, others by turns an adventure novel, a fictional biography, a tale that in its own way reflects the decadent decline and upheaval of the world in that interwar period between World War 1 and World War 2. For most, but not all of the time, Dan creates a definite world that works.
So far, so good. However, now we get to my biggest issue with the book, which I think may be a breaking-point for some readers. Having gone through all of the preparation, the travelling and the physical stresses of climbing up Mount Everest, there is a point when the reader (and the characters discover what ‘the abominable’ is. Without giving details, most readers will find the item a surprise. I will say that although personally I found it horrible, but I must admit that when ‘the great reveal’ happens, it is something I found rather unconvincing. Horrible though it is, personally I wasn’t convinced that it was worth all the effort, horror, pain and death it has taken through the book to uncover it. Dan uses it to claim that it may have altered history, a point I wasn’t persuaded by.
Nevertheless, if you can get around that aspect of the book, it must be said that the last part of the novel is exciting and very well written, if a bit more John Buchan than HP Lovecraft. More The Thirty-Nine Steps than In the Mountains of Madness, if you like.
In summary, The Abominable is a book that works brilliantly well most of the time. There is no doubt that it is well written, engrossing and exciting, although like The Terror before it, it may be too slow, too involved and complex for some. It makes an interesting counterpart to The Terror.
It’s detailed, it’s skilfully done and yet…… I was hoping to type that the book was a resounding triumph. I must say that although it is for most of the book, it’s not perfect, and to my mind some aspects may annoy the reader enormously. There’s a lot to gain and enjoy from reading The Abominable, but I suspect that there are aspects that some readers will dislike and some may see as controversial.
In the end, The Abominable is overall a triumph, though ultimately perhaps not quite as good as I thought it was going to be.
It is also a book that begins as part of a great conceit. It is a story-within-a-story, a plot that begins as if it is Dan Simmons recanting a tale given to him by a mountaineer, Jacob (Jake) Perry, uncovered as Simmons was researching his other snow-tale, The Terror.
The story then shifts to 1924, as if transcribed by Jake, successfully blurring reality and fiction. In June ‘24 George Mallory and ‘Sandy’ Irvine disappear whilst climbing Everest. This much is true: until recently their bodies were missing, and it is still a mystery as to whether the two climbers may or may not have made it to the summit and died on their way back.
The Abominable takes this real event but then overlays it with Simmons’ fictional creations. In this tale we follow what happens in the time after the loss of Mallory and Irvine, when Perry and two other experienced climbers, Jean-Claude Clairoux (usually named J.C.) and their leader Richard Davis Deacon (‘the Deacon’), who together attempt to return to the Himalaya the season after in an unofficial ‘rescue mission’ – or rather to find out what happened to another climber, Lord Percival Bromley, who was lost on the mountain whilst trying to find Mallory and Irvine.
The Deacon-Clairoux-Perry expedition is one funded by Lord Percival’s mother, Lady Elizabeth Marion Bromley, and not sanctioned by any Mountaineering Society, which is why details of it (according to Simmons) to this day remain less known, if known at all. The rest of the book is then spent attempting to climb Everest, with consequences for all involved.
Dan’s book is one that moves glacially, yet inexorably towards the ending. In the first part of the book we get to know the backgrounds and thoughts of the main characters, their training in the Alps around The Matterhorn and in Wales, the social situation that affects their attempt (which involves trips to Lincolnshire, Switzerland and Nazi Germany), and perhaps, most importantly, the danger, excitement and challenge presented to climbers determined to push themselves to the physical limits. There is beauty and risk, and Dan does well to try and give the reader some ideas as to why climbers do what they do. This can be complicated, but Dan writes wonderfully about such matters.
As you might expect, much of the feel of the book is created by a lot of technical talk, which gives the impression that it is really a climber talking of his passion. There’s enough belaying and traversing for any climber, I think. I’d be interested to hear what M John Harrison (SF writer and experienced climber himself) would make of this novel. I think he’d like that aspect of the novel.
However, it is well enough written to be followed by a non-climber (such as myself) without losing the plot or sheer impossibility of some of the events that are here. I soon got to the point where I was engrossed in all the book’s twists and turns. It’s not easy for a writer to keep a reader’s attention for such a long while – it’s over two hundred pages before we even set off on the expedition proper – but Dan managed it for me. Although I know fairly little about climbing myself, what worked is that the book felt real, which is quite an accomplishment.
Personally I found the book so immersive at this stage that the pages turned rapidly. Some of the descriptions of the extreme landscapes and climate experienced by our climbers are so good that I was travelling with them, urging them on through all sorts of difficulties.
I have been at pains here not to mention much of the horror aspect of the story. Many readers may be under the impression, from the title if nothing else, that the book has something to do with that snow creature of legend often reputed to roam the mountain slopes of the Himalayas. I must say that the book itself doesn’t really mention this feature of the story until about 150 pages in and in the end, the idea is not as important as you might think it would be. Much of the book seems to be about secrecy and identity, and so with that in mind the idea of the yeti is perhaps a bit of a mis-direction (although it would be wrong of me to say more).
Where The Abominable works so well is in its continuous blurring of reality and fiction. Real people and events are mixed up with fictional. To my mind, that may create a broad appeal, straddling various genres with ease. Some may just read it as a mystery novel, others by turns an adventure novel, a fictional biography, a tale that in its own way reflects the decadent decline and upheaval of the world in that interwar period between World War 1 and World War 2. For most, but not all of the time, Dan creates a definite world that works.
So far, so good. However, now we get to my biggest issue with the book, which I think may be a breaking-point for some readers. Having gone through all of the preparation, the travelling and the physical stresses of climbing up Mount Everest, there is a point when the reader (and the characters discover what ‘the abominable’ is. Without giving details, most readers will find the item a surprise. I will say that although personally I found it horrible, but I must admit that when ‘the great reveal’ happens, it is something I found rather unconvincing. Horrible though it is, personally I wasn’t convinced that it was worth all the effort, horror, pain and death it has taken through the book to uncover it. Dan uses it to claim that it may have altered history, a point I wasn’t persuaded by.
Nevertheless, if you can get around that aspect of the book, it must be said that the last part of the novel is exciting and very well written, if a bit more John Buchan than HP Lovecraft. More The Thirty-Nine Steps than In the Mountains of Madness, if you like.
In summary, The Abominable is a book that works brilliantly well most of the time. There is no doubt that it is well written, engrossing and exciting, although like The Terror before it, it may be too slow, too involved and complex for some. It makes an interesting counterpart to The Terror.
It’s detailed, it’s skilfully done and yet…… I was hoping to type that the book was a resounding triumph. I must say that although it is for most of the book, it’s not perfect, and to my mind some aspects may annoy the reader enormously. There’s a lot to gain and enjoy from reading The Abominable, but I suspect that there are aspects that some readers will dislike and some may see as controversial.
In the end, The Abominable is overall a triumph, though ultimately perhaps not quite as good as I thought it was going to be.
March 25, 2024
Note: read this during quarantine. Having read The Terror of Dan Simmons, I did expect much from Abominable. There are similarities but In many ways , Abominable just doesn’t deliver the same amount of wonder and suspense.
In fact, it is quite slow moving and quite unlike a typical Simmons, rather predictable. Moreover, I found all that had to do with early nazism a bit ahistorical and cliched.
Be that as it may, there is some good writing and there are points of interests. It is just not in the league of most of Simmon’s excellent work.
In fact, it is quite slow moving and quite unlike a typical Simmons, rather predictable. Moreover, I found all that had to do with early nazism a bit ahistorical and cliched.
Be that as it may, there is some good writing and there are points of interests. It is just not in the league of most of Simmon’s excellent work.
November 23, 2013
A highly enjoyable historical adventure/thriller. Simmons weaves a suspenseful tale concerning a rescue mission on Mount Everest, that, although rather densely packed with the technical aspects of mountain climbing at the time, is still absorbing, keeping the reader from having to look things up or breaking their pace to read endless footnotes.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
June 28, 2017
Truly terrible - I wasted a week reading this long tedious story.
October 25, 2013
I may/should write a review on how to ruin books with this (and Liz Jensen Rapture) as prime examples, but for now I will just put a few comments:
- for about 500 pages an extremely engrossing story of mountaineering with lots of technical details that ground it in reality, showing once again that what's possible really depends a lot of what level of technology we are at; incidentally the book made me read a little about the Mt. Everest expeditions and how today what was once a dangerous adventure for the very few became a relatively common place thing at least for fit people with enough cash to pay for equipment and permits, and this is quite cheering as I expect similar things to happen with near space travel...
- then it becomes the worst sort of "dumb Nazi supermen" against plucky heroes, not to speak of all the cliches regarding the heroes themselves and the Shangri la ending; and set in 1925 when Adolf Hitler was a blip on the horizon - a lunatic with charisma and dangerous ideas, but there were tons of such across history and only very specific circumstances (essentially the sudden impoverishment of the developed world after the 1929 crash) brought him to power, while other specific circumstances (the Carthaginian peace of Versailles against what is by nature the most powerful nation of Europe - after all there was a reason the French, Spanish and later Habsurgs tried and succeeded in keeping Germany a dis-united war zone for so many centuries, while even after the complete devastation of 1945, in under 10 years Germany became the most prosperous nation in Europe again, truncated and all) allowed him to try and conquer the world and implement his genocidal policies - so the whole Nazi stuff is even stupider than if the book were set in 1938 for example a la Indiana Jones (that at least was brainless entertainment and never aspired to more, but this was supposed to be an interesting novel)
This being so, the extraordinary writing skills of the author and the narrative momentum of the novel, still made this a recommended book, but with even a little more subtlety in its last 150 pages it could have been an excellent and possibly awesome one...
- for about 500 pages an extremely engrossing story of mountaineering with lots of technical details that ground it in reality, showing once again that what's possible really depends a lot of what level of technology we are at; incidentally the book made me read a little about the Mt. Everest expeditions and how today what was once a dangerous adventure for the very few became a relatively common place thing at least for fit people with enough cash to pay for equipment and permits, and this is quite cheering as I expect similar things to happen with near space travel...
- then it becomes the worst sort of "dumb Nazi supermen" against plucky heroes, not to speak of all the cliches regarding the heroes themselves and the Shangri la ending; and set in 1925 when Adolf Hitler was a blip on the horizon - a lunatic with charisma and dangerous ideas, but there were tons of such across history and only very specific circumstances (essentially the sudden impoverishment of the developed world after the 1929 crash) brought him to power, while other specific circumstances (the Carthaginian peace of Versailles against what is by nature the most powerful nation of Europe - after all there was a reason the French, Spanish and later Habsurgs tried and succeeded in keeping Germany a dis-united war zone for so many centuries, while even after the complete devastation of 1945, in under 10 years Germany became the most prosperous nation in Europe again, truncated and all) allowed him to try and conquer the world and implement his genocidal policies - so the whole Nazi stuff is even stupider than if the book were set in 1938 for example a la Indiana Jones (that at least was brainless entertainment and never aspired to more, but this was supposed to be an interesting novel)
This being so, the extraordinary writing skills of the author and the narrative momentum of the novel, still made this a recommended book, but with even a little more subtlety in its last 150 pages it could have been an excellent and possibly awesome one...
November 23, 2016
This is an insanely long book. Having some experience with Simmons, I know his work to be incredibly detailed and wordy. Nearly to the point of nausea. It felt like it took forever for the book to get started and then for anything to really happen. Once the story really got going for me, seriously a little over half way through the book, it was good. Very slow in progression, but good. Good plot twist towards the end, but you really have to be tolerant and work your way to it. I'd recommend it, but, if you're one for quick action and something happening in a fair progression, this may not be the book for you.
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