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Aug 08, 2015gusmcrae rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
When I picked up this 600+ page book, I had to talk myself into actually giving it a try. Several reviews I read were not terribly positive and so I worried it would potentially be a dull read. I can happily say, it was not dull. The book *mostly* held my attention throughout the long, thrilling journey to the top of Mt. Everest (or did they actually make it to the top? I don't want to spoil it for anyone.) "The Abominable" is a "found manuscript" book that attempts to weave historical figures and events into a fictional tale. I think Dan Simmons managed this fairly smoothly (perhaps because I don't know enough about the time period covered to recognize any glaring errors). Although the book sells itself as a bit of a horror story, it isn't exactly what I anticipated. And I will admit to skimming through several of the paragraphs of descriptions of the mountain and their climbing techniques. The last 1/3 of the book is also a bit (ok, a lot) unbelievable. But I was able to suspend my disbelief to get through it. All-in-all, I would recommend the book to anyone who enjoys a tense, action-packed tale (there are several nail-biting scenes) and I will be sure to check out more by Simmons in the future.