There aren’t too many people who don’t find that an inside peek at the polygamist sect of the Mormons gives them a certain salacious thrill—whether that is because it unsettles their belief that anything non-monogamous is wrong, or because they find the idea of a religion that is borderline cultish intriguing, or simply because they enjoy a poly lifestyle themselves and thrill to see it in circumstances so far removed for what we consider ‘normal’ for poly folks in the normal world—it is a topic that is more full of rumour and speculation than any real facts, and the chance to see what it is like on the inside is a thrilling one.

And this is an incredibly readable book, which when coupled with the interesting topic, makes for a very enjoyable read.  The story is actually run on two lines—the first being the real life story of Ann Eliza Young (Brigham Young’s 19^th(ish) wife) and her revolt against the polygamy lifestyle in which she had been raised; the second is the fictionalized story of a young man’s search for the murder of his mother’s husband…she herself the 19^th wife of a polygamist church leader.  The line that follows Ann Eliza Young cannot be faulted, as far as I’m concerned.  With a plethora of fictionalized historical documents, captivating details of her life, and the interest held by it being about A Real Person, it was what kept me reading this book every night until it was gone.

This book was everything that a book called The Terror should be.  Readable, chilling, and infinitely enjoyable.  The reality of what the men of the artic expeditions did for real is mind-bogging enough--just hearing about their day to day lives on board the ice-locked ship was enough to put the chills down my spine; by the time you added in the horrifying creature, it's very nearly too much goodness in one horror novel.

It has been a long time since I was so emotionally invested in fictional characters that I genuinely was distressed by a bad turn of events.  But there was a part in this book where I had to put it down and collect myself.  I swear, that hasn't happened to me since Beth died in Little Women when I was eight.

This book was good enough that I recommended it to my brother.  It was great enough that even my hard to please brother enjoyed the hell out of it.  The conclusion is satisfying on nearly every level, though it is by no means a happy one.  The writing is accessible, while still remaining intelligent; the storyline is complex and the characters are multi-faceted.  Seriously, it ticks all the boxes for what a good novel should be.  When you add in the fact that it also manages to be a genuinely scary book and it becomes one of the few that I own that I won't be tossing away to the charity shop without a second thought. 

The only reason you should avoid this one is if you don't like a supernatural aspect to your horror novels--otherwise, it will suit a wide range of people.  I know it suited me to a T. 

I had this book sent to my brother as a surprise gifty before I had even read it, based on the strength of a bookseller who told me that if I had enjoyed The Terror (Dan Simmons), then I would also enjoy this one.  I am never one to doubt a bookseller, so I figured I would get it for Chris and then read it when he was done.

So I was a little bit worried that my faith in bookseller recommendations was unwarranted when my brother told me that it wasn't worth it--it was, as he said, "stupid people acting stupid".  He said it was very readable, though, so when I was faced with a long train ride, I took it with me.  And I think that while his assessment is correct, it's not going to be a deal-breaker for most people.  I enjoyed the heck out of it, anyway.