The Terror
The Terror by Dan Simmonsby Dan Simmons
Ranked 2 of 6 horror novels by recommenders
Readers call it a masterpiece of historical horror, praising its vivid period detail and Arctic setting, and many feel it is underrated.
Readers call it a masterpiece of historical horror, praising its vivid period detail and Arctic setting, and many feel it is underrated.
12 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 12
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 12 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Vivid historical detail and Arctic setting
“incredible book. Simmons painted quite a colorful picture of what it's like to die from scurvy”
Comment from 27 Feb 2026 in “Dan Simmons, author of Hyperion, Song of Kali, dead at 77” “The Arctic is a character in itself in this amazing story.”
Comment from 27 Feb 2026 in “Dan Simmons, author of Hyperion, Song of Kali, dead at 77” Excellent historical horror
“strikes historical/horror like I feel hyperion does scifi/horror”
Comment from 26 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” “historical fiction but also really good!”
Comment from 27 Dec 2025 in “Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?” Underrated and under-discussed
“The first one, the one based on the book, was great and did fly a good deal under the radar.”
Comment from 18 Feb 2026 in “Halt and Catch Fire: TV's Best Drama You've Probably Never Heard Of (2021)” “The one that came out some years ago was incredible, and very under-discussed I think.”
Comment from 18 Feb 2026 in “Halt and Catch Fire: TV's Best Drama You've Probably Never Heard Of (2021)”
Other horror novels people recommend
The four most recommended other horror novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| House of Leavesby Mark Z. Danielewski | 19 | 4 | 83% | 6 | — | Approved |
| The Terrorby Dan SimmonsThis page | 12 | 0 | 100% | 3 | — | — |
| Carrion Comfortby Dan Simmons | 9 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
| The Shiningby Stephen King | 4 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | — |
| World War Zby Max Brooks | 3 | 2 | 60% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
11 of the 13 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“the terror was excellent! glad it's continuing”
“that first season was excellent”
“The Arctic is a character in itself in this amazing story.”
“incredible book. Simmons painted quite a colorful picture of what it's like to die from scurvy”
“it was definitely better than the average TV adaptation”
“Just a masterpiece, and the TV series came nowhere near.”
“The first one, the one based on the book, was great and did fly a good deal under the radar.”
“The one that came out some years ago was incredible, and very under-discussed I think.”
“Also this year I enjoyed Demon Copperhead, Mobility, Land of Milk and Honey, Afterworld, The Terror.”
“historical fiction but also really good!”
“strikes historical/horror like I feel hyperion does scifi/horror”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.