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The Abominable

A Novel

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The Abominable

Written by: Dan Simmons
Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins
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About this listen

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.
20th Century Historical Fiction Horror Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Adventure Scary Exciting Polar Region Disappearance Alps Extreme Sports War Sports
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The Terror is one of my favourite books, and I expected a fairly similar experience here. Not so much. The first half of the book was incredibly slow, and honestly could probably have been cut completely. The second half was an improvement, for sure, but the pace still dragged a bit.

Don't get me wrong, it's far from the worst book I've ever read. I don't think it was a waste of time. I do, however, suggest you go listen to The Terror instead.

Starts off slow, but does pick up!

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I love everything about this book. Love the characters. Love the reader. Love the story.

Love Love Love This Book❗️

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I was apprehensive about this book because The Terror had been so incredible and dealt with what seemed to be similar themes: the intense cold and a monster out in the elements. The two stories are delightfully different and Abominable is crafted with so much detail, it felt real.

Prepare to feel vertigo from the comfort of your couch

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I struggled so much with this one; it never seems to pick up speed, uses glaring plot advancements, characters' are static and at no point did I ever feel any investment in the story beyond not wanting to waste my monthly audible credit.

I adore your work Dan Simmons, what happened here?

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An interesting idea, but the action gets bogged down in exquisitely depicted details. Simmons is a master of painting his charcters' environments. In this case, though, it killed the pace and made it difficult to follow through to the end. The performance was also overly pedantic. The too-careful diction slowed down the story even further and made it difficult to connect to the main character. But 3 stars because I usually love Simmons.

Story bogged down

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