Great story, great detail

Dan Simmons writes long books. That's what he does, and he does it well. Carrion Comfort is the other I've listened to (around 30 hrs long) and that made me want to listen to others of his.
The Abominable is a story about an American, Jacob Perry who ends up on an expedition to Mt. Everest. The expedition has perils and secrets that a normal trip to Everest does not hold.

This story is great. There are a lot of details, scene development, and character development. I am very familiar with the terminology and technical details of mountianeering and rock climbing so I really enjoyed those sections of the book as they were factual and well researched.

The action of the story moved along nicely and the premise of the action and danger was believable. Simmons also did a nice job of setting the story up early so when situations happened later, they happened naturally and flowed well.

There were some flaws. I thought Carrion Comfort was pretty much perfect, so I was surprised that there were some distinct things about this book that I did not like.
The main character wasn't very likable. As the story went on he got more annoying and less likable. By the finale, I kinda wanted someone to punch him, or at least I just wanted him to stop talking. The narrator didn't help either. His tone didn't need to be quite as whiny and complaining as Jacob, which made him even less likable.

Also, I thought the extra side-story that could have brought some fun thrills into the story just fizzled and never developed.

With those criticisms, I still give it four stars because it was a great story that is worth the listen. The research and details are impressive and fit well within the story.

36 people found this helpful

There's Magic in the Details!

And there are a lot of details. I knew next to nothing about mountain climbing, climbing equipment, and summit expeditions etc. before reading this and had very little interest in the subject per se. But I do like historical fiction and adventure tales and this one really delivers. I cannot explain how I could listen to 29 hours of pre-WWII mountain climbing details and thoroughly ENJOY it but I did. It is a testament to Mr. Simmons' story telling skills. He superbly recreates the mind set and technology of the 1920s and ‘30s Western Europe in the context of an attempt to reach the top of Mt. Everest. It’s not just the technology and terminology but the mystique of an accomplishment so difficult and rare that many have died or been horribly injured in the attempt. Do not let the subject or the length of the book deter you. There is mystery and suspense but there really is magic in the details as well.

24 people found this helpful

worst book I have ever been mislead into reading,

nothing to do with snowman, or any monsters, it's about Germans having sex with little boys, I don't like being mislead, if the the only way you can sell a book ,not from me anymore, don't buy this book, if you did return it,

18 people found this helpful

A drab, long-winded book report on mountaineering

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

I don't even know how one would go about turning this into an interesting read. Perhaps get to the meat of the story quicker than 20 hours in? Consider making the aforementioned meat be something other than (yet more) laborious details with slow-moving action? I'm not saying to write like Dan Brown, it's just that I've never listened to another book I considered such a chore to get through.

Would you ever listen to anything by Dan Simmons again?

I have enjoyed some of Simmons' older books, but it's hard to believe that this is the same fellow who wrote the Hyperion series and The Terror. He would have been better served had he just published a book report on mountaineering. A massive percentage of the writing and character dialogue are devoted to scene after scene explaining the minutia of mountaineering, descriptions of rock, and Himalayan region geography. Next time Mr Simmons, save us the unbearable tedium and try to include something other than a sad little story at the end of the factual overload. Maybe it's time to consider a second career in writing college textbooks?

What about Kevin T. Collins’s performance did you like?

The narrator for this audiobook was splendid. Collins had an excellent pace, his voice differentiated the characters well without being distracting, and is to be commended for managing to keep up his enthusiasm as the hours of this lackluster tale dragged on.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Abominable?

I'd remove 10 hours of the 20 hour setup, make the plot twist something less groan-worthy, use the word "ultramarine" half as many times, not include myself as a character, and base the writing more around an imaginative tale rather than an overload of detailed research.

Any additional comments?

Thank you Audible for your book return policy.

16 people found this helpful

Boring

Would you try another book from Dan Simmons and/or Kevin T. Collins?

I really enjoy Dan Simmons' books. I listened to Terror and was fascinated. Now I'm 3 hours into The Abominable and I'm yawning over a very long description about the Bromley house, which I'm assuming has nothing to do with climbing a mountain and being followed by a--something. The main character is annoyingly self-deprecating and very fond of himself.

Would you ever listen to anything by Dan Simmons again?

Yes, of course, but not by this narrator.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Kevin T. Collins?

I'd love for the narrator to have an older voice and a better ability to do British and French accents. Collins' British always sounds stuffy, no matter which of the Brits is speaking. And In the preface, it sounds like he's reading word by word very carefully. I love the voices of Simon Vance and Simon Prebble. I'd rather hear them do American than Collins do British. I also like George Guidall, whose voice is mature and wouldn't make the narrator sound like Jimmy Olsen, cub reporter for the Daily Planet.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No, but I'd stream it when it hit Netflix. This movie would have to focus on the action and the mystery and would not, by necessity, be so charmed with it's long-winded descriptions.

Any additional comments?

The narrator can make an OK book sound wonderful and a wonderful book sound awful. In this case, both author and narrator have created a snoozer of a book. Simmons is far too fond of his prose. I'd cut the preface, which makes Simmons sound smug and self-congratulatory, and then I'd get a good editor who could trim this book by half, starting with the details about Lady Bromley's garden. I guess it's too late for that.

11 people found this helpful

Big Come Down from Terror

What would have made The Abominable better?

Editing out some of the boring, over-long technical passages about climbing.

What was most disappointing about Dan Simmons’s story?

The fanciful tie to historical characters and implausible suppositions.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

He did OK, given the material.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Boredom.

Any additional comments?

In Terror the author combined gothic horror with a thin, but plausible link to an historical mystery (given that survivors of the Franklin expedition may have been driven mad by ingesting lead from early, soldered food tins.) The final twist both surprised me and provided the ground for endless speculation and argument with other fans of the book. Abominable contains none of this narrative tension.

8 people found this helpful

Drags

What would have made The Abominable better?

Edit about half of it out. There was a lot of information about climbing, which wasn't bad. Until it was repeated several times. There were also step-by-step descriptions of how a character climbed a particular rock wall and lengthy descriptions of equipment.

This information might have worked if it had been blended in with action, but it was an info dump worthy of the Sears catalog (of sporting goods).

What was most disappointing about Dan Simmons’s story?

I enjoyed The Terror and I wanted to enjoy this, but 14 hours into the story I just could not bear to listen to the info dumps any more.The "As you know, Richard," type of writing was just too cliched, and only served to introduce an info dump (and possible reader coma).

Which scene was your favorite?

Driving in the car to Snowdonia before they did any climbing.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

I never finished the book, so I'd have to say disappointment and boredom. I tried to finish it. I made it halfway - 14 hours out of the 29 or 30 hours, and then I just said, "Hey, I'm not enjoying this. There is no reason to make myself continue listening." I bailed out at the point just after the sky burials.

Any additional comments?

The main character Jake seems a bit of a jackass. He's young, but he's also a bit bigoted and after awhile it rubs thin. I had to wonder why climbing pros would take this irritating kid along with them.

6 people found this helpful

This book has everything!

This was my first book by Dan Simmons and I must say I was impressed. But if you don't know much about hiking, mountain climbing, or the history of Mount Everest then this book is not for you. I could not stop listening to this story and I was very surprised with the direction it went towards the end. Jacob can be a bit annoying at times but I got over it. Definitely one of the best books I've heard all year.

6 people found this helpful

Not about the abominable snowman (yeti)

Would you try another book from Dan Simmons and/or Kevin T. Collins?

Undecided; his books are very long.

What about Kevin T. Collins’s performance did you like?

He did a good job with the German language and accents.

Any additional comments?

This book is about climbing Mt. Everest, not the abominable snowman (yeti).

5 people found this helpful

TOO many details, slow drawn out boring story

I'm either the only person who hated this story or the only horror/fantasy fan that purchased it! I liked The Terror and the title and description is hinting towards a "creature" making an appearance so I gave it a try. why oh why did I give it a try. If you are a climber or have an interest in it then definitely you'd like this book. If you're a horror/supernatural/fantasy fan don't waste you're time. He just goes on and on and on and on with details. If he wrote a description of how to boil an egg it would go like this.......walk with one foot in front of the other. Cautiously so you do not fall. Concentrate on this task and do not get distracted. If you hear a noise for example, perhaps a doorbell it is best to wait until you've reached your destination to investigate the sound. You then lift your right hand, unless you are left handed in which case you would lift the left hand and grasp the refrigerator door firmly. If you don't grasp it firmly you will not have enough momentum to actually open the door. Once the door is opened search diligently and methodically through the contents looking for the egg carton...........you get the idea. By the time you learn how to boil an egg you've lost interest and anything he has to say is so boring you really just don't care anymore, assume the boiled egg would be just as boring and would grab a bag of chips. Off to get a bag of chips and look for another book!

5 people found this helpful