By Ally Wilkes

Titan, out now

After his brothers die in the Great War, Jonathan Morgan is determined to fulfil their dream of going to Antarctica…

This fusion of alternate history (inasmuch as there’s no Shackleton or others in this version of events), survivalist horror and supernatural terror is very much a slow burn, at least in its first third, as we get to know Jonathan – a trans man in a society where he has found it impossible to be true to himself – and the crew of the Fortitude. Jonathan and his brothers’ friend Harry are on board the ship (Jonathan rather less legally than Harry) as it heads toward South Georgia, thence into the Antarctic, and the rigours of shipboard life are brought to life well – particularly once tragedy strikes and the crew and their dogs find themselves on the ice.

There’s a definite feel of The Terror about this – both Dan Simmons’ original novel and the TV version – as well as John Carpenter’s version of The Thing (particularly the second half of that movie). The supernatural element creeps in quite early on, but it’s as the crew’s morale sinks and their chances of survival seem to dwindle that it increases – although never to the extent of the body horror of The Thing. This feels like a much more insidious idea that travels between the survivors and may or may not be real, much like the concerns that many of them share about a conscientious objector being one of the crew and what that might mean for their futures.

Wilkes keeps Jonathan’s own journey central – the book is narrated by him – and his fear of discovery by the other members of the crew. It’s a strand of the novel that is sensitively handled (for which Wilkes thanks those who gave sensitivity reads), and sets the macho masculine culture on board ship at times in sharp relief. The period of the Great Adventure is very definitely in decline – caused in large part by the maelstrom of turmoil in the Great War – and those who were its greatest exponents are at risk.

Verdict: Occasionally tension is lost in the more ponderous sections, but the descriptions and the characters are enough to produce chills even on a June afternoon. 7/10

Paul Simpson

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