A riveting thriller blending the rich historical detail of a Patrick O'Brian novel with the suspense and terror of the best of Stephen King, about two 19th century ice ships preyed upon by a beast of supernatural strength.

Hope of rescue is dwindling for sailors aboard two ships trapped in the Arctic on the ill-fated 1845 Sir John Franklin Expedition to find the North-West Passage. They have been locked in frozen waters for months. The climate is unbearably frigid, their food supply is spoiling, their fuel is diminishing, and the ice is slowly crushing both vessels and pulling them into the sea. But the men of ships Erebus and Terror are fighting to survive more than just treacherous conditions‚ some ungodly monster of unimaginable size, strength, and intelligence is attacking them at random, leaving some bodies unrecognizable and taking others away into the icy night.

The only one among them who seems invulnerable to the beast is an alluring Eskimo woman they've rescued from the ice, but her eerie calm and late night flights from the ship make the sailors, particularly hardheaded Captain Crozier - suspicious. With the aid of a young surgeon - Crozier overcomes illness and mutiny to preserve his ship and his charges, but as months pass the merciless Arctic and the insatiable predator turn good men into savages during what becomes a losing battle to survive.

Based on the true story of two ice ships that disappeared in the Arctic circle during the 1845 Sir John Franklin Expedition, THE TERROR is a meticulously researched and fascinating account of 19th century seafaring life with all the suspense and terror of any of the literary thrillers that have dominated the bestseller lists recently.

Dan Simmons's work has been lauded by critics and writers and has earned him a devoted fan base no matter what genre he tackles. With THE TERROR, Simmons is poised to break out even wider.