Reading Recommendation: The Terror, by Dan Simmons at Brenda Cooper

Reading Recommendation: The Terror, by Dan Simmons

November 16th 2008 at 9:55 pm

Dan Simmons writes about the doomed Franklin expedition, a trip into the arctic that resulted in the two expedition boats, Erebus and Terror, being stuck in ice for two full years. Some of the reasons I liked it, from concrete to less concrete:

It’s historical fantasy. Dan Simmons did his homework well, and there is a feast of details. And what futurist isn’t interested in the past?
The setting is extreme, different, and dealt with well
The Arctic of this book is a serious contrast to the clear water up there now, and thus, illustrative of both the speed of change, and of what we are losing
While in many ways its a book about death, its sweetly redemptive
Like most good historical novels, there are resonances and echoes between then and now

If you decide to read it, be patient. It’s long, and I found it a little hard to find an entry point into, but once hooked, it was fabulous.

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Books

Reading the Wind by Brenda Cooper

Audio promo:

"Brenda Cooper's newest novel is a feast of character and concept. She depicts the devastation of war on microcosmic and macrocosmic levels, and even more so, the driving motives of young men and women caught in deadly conflict. Cooper is a master explorer of the interaction of society and individuals. She probes the psychology of her genetically enhanced characters with both rare depth and fidelity to scientific plausibility. Moral conundrums drive the plot in this unforgettable narrative. Don't miss this compelling work by a major new talent." - Mary A. Turzillo, An Old-Fashioned Martian Girl.

"Brenda Cooper tells a tale of a powerful brother and sister in a fight for their lives, offering insights along the way into the nature of courage and the hunger for community that burns in every human being. This is a lively book, full of colorful images and a memorable cast of human and animal characters, a worthy successor to The Silver Ship and the Sea." - Louise Marley

Available in July, 2008, from Tor Books.

The Silver Ship and the Sea by Brenda Cooper

Audio promo:

"The first solo novel by Larry Niven's Building Harlequin's Moon (2005) coauthor portrays the thoroughly convincing human colonial society on Fremont, a dangerous planet rife with vicious predators, frequent earthquakes, and falling meteors....Distinctive characterizations, well-limned interrelationships, and the vividly realized Fremont contribute to an exciting coming-of-age story with a strong message about the evils of prejudice." - Sally Estes, Copyright American Library Association.

Mass Market Paperback, July 2008.
Included by Booklist as a "Best Adult Book for Young Adults."

Building Harlequin's Moon by Brenda Cooper and Larry Niven

"Fans of both hard and softer, psychological SF will welcome veteran Niven and newcome Cooper's well-written tale of a 60,000 year layover in space, in which physical challenges of world building are matched by the social challenges of collaboration among disparate groups." - Publisher's Weekly

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