The Abominable by Dan Simmons - Discussion/Review
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- čas přidán 25. 08. 2024
- A BookTube discussion of the novel The Abominable by Dan Simmons. Yes, there are spoilers. This is mostly about the structure of the novel and the blending of historical fact with fiction.
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I know this video is quite old but I did just finish reading The Abominable and I really enjoyed it. Dan Simmons chose a very clever way of tying in different pieces of the story and allowing the reader to make those connections. I think other than the deep dive into mountaineering the reason people may be put off is I found it really challenged my attention span and asked me to expand that as I went along, you have to put in some work but by the end it feels like a real accomplishment, a very well done and I’d say underrated novel of his.
I love this book and The Terror they both have slow burns and the pay off for finishing both books is totally worth it
You're a BookTuber! How incredible! We simply must collaborate!
I just listened to Abominable on Audible... I really enjoyed it. The other reviewers on CZcams missed the brilliance of this novel, not to mention, the INSANE amount of work that had to have gone into creation of this wonderful work.
I love everything about this video discussion! I just finished rereading the novel for the 3rd time about 20 mins before finding this video. This book blew my mind the first time in 2016, and has succeeded in thrilling and moving me every time I revisit it. My first experience with it however was a bit different because, like a dumb-head, I skipped the introduction. But at the end of the “ fictional portion,” I was craving more, so I read the afterward and realized that I had made a grave mistake. I then went back and read the intro with my jaw on the floor as all of the little pieces you mentioned, that i had found odd, clicked into place. This is in my top 3 personal favorite books of all time. As a librarian, now anytime I recommend this book to anyone, I will also recommend this video be watched after finishing the novel. As a little side note, there is a great audio version performed with great sensitivity by Kevin T Collins that adds a wonderful extra emotional layer to the story. Thanks again for the great video! I look forward to watching more of your work!
Thank you SO much! I've had to take a little break from my BookTube videos, but I'm going to get back to making more videos within the next few weeks.
Nathan...ya gotta read HYPERION.
Seriously- if you like the layer cake that Simmons can bake, Hyperion will knock your literary socks off!
Thanks for the recommendation! I will definitely get to it.
I see House of Leaves on your shelf
I love House of Leaves! I first encountered it in a Digital Humanities course in grad school. It's been a while since I read it, but perhaps I'll do a discussion video about it in the future.
Didn't Yetis kill 2 Germans after they shoot Pasang and Perry when they descended Everest???
No they didn’t because there’s no such thing as yetis
I don't think Simmons is poking fun at the current vogue if writing in the present tense so much as he's mocking the critics that proclaim "you should write in the past tense" or any other way.
In Hyperion, Simmons gives us five novellas- each written in a separate genre and even one in present tense (because it fits the Cyberpunk genre popularized by Phillip K. Dick).
Simmons is a master of weaving seperate storylines into a greater narrative.
Do you think that Jake Perry was a real person and generaly it was some kind of his real story, or you think that Simmons created Perry and also he created all That story telling about their meeting , the box with notes etc.
Please reply
I'm convinced that Simmons fabricated Jake Perry and everything to do with their interactions.
Page 594 of said book and I quote verbatim; "We'd come a long, long way for such an absurd and pathetic ending."
I will never make the mistake of ever reading another Dan Simmonds book as long as I'm alive.
One of the worst denouements in the history of popular fiction and utterly laughable.
I threw the book in the garbage to spare anyone else from reading it.
A complete and utter cheat with stock characters right out of a 30's serial.
I knew there were no Yetis in it(in fact, the Scooby Do plot point was so hysterical I almost dropped the book in the fireplace) but what the Abominable stands for is...
Wow!
Execrable.
A better title would have been;
Skippy Dumbluck and his Mountaineers vs The Nazis
Or
Brit Deacon and the Photos of 'Meh
Or
Jacques Sherpa and the Mountain of Stupidity
That bad?
Yep.
Well, not everyone can have good taste