Best Novel of the Year?

While I fully realize that it is a bit premature to laud something as
"best of the year" a week into February; I fail to see how anything is
going to top The Terror by Dan Simmons. I've been reading Simmons
since day one when I picked up Song of Kali when it was released and
have considered him a brilliant author ever since. Carrion Comfort
actually edged Song of Kali by just a little bit and his ambitious SF
epic the Hyperion Cantos was in its own way even better than these two
modern classics of horror. With The Terror he's topped himself. It's
not often that I'm compelled to read a nearly 800-page novel in one
sitting, but this book is just that compelling. The research is
excellent and will no doubt lead me to reading a great deal more on
the Franklin expedition. I might also suggest that those with a bent
to collect ring up the University Bookstore in Seattle at 206-634-3400
and ask for a signed copy from Duane Wilkens. He has a big stack of
them and I suspect that in years to come this is going to be
considered a very important book and be valued accordingly.

Cheers,

John

Difficult not to be enthusiastic about Simmons, John, after we had the
opportunity to see/hear/meet up with him in and after his fine
presentation in Seattle on Friday. I still have just over a hundred
pages to go in THE TERROR, and may finish it tonight - if the hockey
game doesn't get too much in the way! Barbara has a review in the
February ALL HALLOWS, and there's an interview with Dan there, too,
which is very interesting and which gives some insight into where he
was coming from with this new novel. From where I'm at, I'd have to
fancy it as a potential award winner in 2008. It'll certainly be on my
short list when the time comes for the readers' ballots. Good to meet
up with you Friday. I hope Kathy's feeling better.

Christopher


On Feb 6, 8:25 am, John Pelan <jpe... RemoveThis @qwest.net> wrote:
> While I fully realize that it is a bit premature to laud something as
> "best of the year" a week into February; I fail to see how anything is
> going to top The Terror by Dan Simmons. I've been reading Simmons
> since day one when I picked up Song of Kali when it was released and
> have considered him a brilliant author ever since. Carrion Comfort
> actually edged Song of Kali by just a little bit and his ambitious SF
> epic the Hyperion Cantos was in its own way even better than these two
> modern classics of horror. With The Terror he's topped himself. It's
> not often that I'm compelled to read a nearly 800-page novel in one
> sitting, but this book is just that compelling. The research is
> excellent and will no doubt lead me to reading a great deal more on
> the Franklin expedition. I might also suggest that those with a bent
> to collect ring up the University Bookstore in Seattle at 206-634-3400
> and ask for a signed copy from Duane Wilkens. He has a big stack of
> them and I suspect that in years to come this is going to be
> considered a very important book and be valued accordingly.
>
> Cheers,
>
> John