A Maxim Jakubowski selected title.
Simmons is one of the most protean of writers, equally excelling in science fiction, fantasy, horror and crime. This time around, his doorstopper of a book further challenges expectations and proves a gripping historical thriller, set on the brutal North East Ridge of Mount Everest. It's 1924 and two famous adventurers have vanished into the snow-whipped night.
A valiant explorer embarks in their footsteps and the expedition sets out for the heart of darkness. Atmospheric, scary, evocative and unputdownable, this is storytelling at his best, and will bring the cold into your living room to unsettling effect. Not to be read at night, either.
A book about a mountain and a mountain of a book, Dan Simmons is a master of the slow-build thriller. The charming prologue states that he, Dan Simmsons, once met the hero of this book and inherited some of his papers, here transcribed. So in effect, the author wishes us to believe this book is true. It is certainly possible. It centres around an attempt to climb Everest in 1925 but it is so much more than that. Espionage, politics, prejudice, notions of sexual equality, the horrors of the First World war and the rising shadow of the Second. It is huge in scope. The detail of period and climbing technique is exquisite. The characters are wonderful, the plot compelling. Yes, it’s big, it’s long, it’s complicated, but it’s also a fabulous place to get lost for a while. A real adventure.
June 1924. On the brutal North East Ridge of Mount Everest, famous adventurers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine vanish into the snow-whipped night. Daredevil explorer Richard Deacon devises a plan to follow in the men's footsteps, accompanied only by two friends.
| Primary Genre | Historical Fiction |
| Recommendations: |
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Closing date: 31/10/2026
June 1924. On the brutal North East Ridge of Mount Everest, famous adventurers George Mallory and Andrew Irvine vanish into the snow-whipped night.
The Abominable features in the following genres: Historical Fiction, eBooks of the Month, Fiction, Recommendations
Paperback, Hardback. Not Available.
The Abominable was written by Dan Simmons and published by Sphere an imprint of Little, Brown Book Group
