The Abominable

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The Abominable is a novel written by Dan Simmons. Released in 2013, it recounts the travels of Jake Perry in the Himalayas in search of missing people.

Characters[]

Jacob William "Jake" Perry - the narrator of the tale
Richard Davis Deacon (or The Deacon) - an experienced English climber and a veteran of World War I
Jean-Claude "J.C." Clairoux - a French climber
Lady Katherine Christina Regina Bromley-Montfort (or Reggie) - a somewhat experienced climber who joins the expedition
Dr. Pasang - Reggie's personal doctor
Bruno Sigl - a Nazi mountain climber who hunts after the expedition alongside various other Nazi climbers
Lady Elizabeth Marion Bromley - the matriarch of the Bromley family
Edward Felix "Teddy" Norton
Babu Rita
Norbu Chedi
Dzatrul Rinpoche
Lobsang Sherpa
K.T. Owings - one of the Deacon's fellow World War I veterans
George Mallory
Sandy Irvine
Percival "Percy" Bromley
Jimmy Khan - a Mongol nomad
Winston Churchill
T.E. Lawrence
Charlie Chaplin
Dr. Richard Hingston
Theodore Howard Somervell
Captain John Noel
Noel E. Odell
Benson
Harrison

Publisher's summary[]

ALA Reading List Award for History, Short List

A thrilling tale of high-altitude death and survival set on the snowy summits of Mount Everest, from the bestselling author of The Terror

It's 1924 and the race to summit the world's highest mountain has been brought to a terrified pause by the shocking disappearance of George Mallory and Sandy Irvine high on the shoulder of Mt. Everest. By the following year, three climbers -- a British poet and veteran of the Great War, a young French Chamonix guide, and an idealistic young American -- find a way to take their shot at the top. They arrange funding from the grieving Lady Bromley, whose son also disappeared on Mt. Everest in 1924. Young Bromley must be dead, but his mother refuses to believe it and pays the trio to bring him home.

Deep in Tibet and high on Everest, the three climbers -- joined by the missing boy's female cousin -- find themselves being pursued through the night by someone . . . or something. This nightmare becomes a matter of life and death at 28,000 feet -- but what is pursuing them? And what is the truth behind the 1924 disappearances on Everest? As they fight their way to the top of the world, the friends uncover a secret far more abominable than any mythical creature could ever be. A pulse-pounding story of adventure and suspense, The Abominable is Dan Simmons at his spine-chilling best.

Summary[]

The story begins with a framing narrative establishing that the main story of the Abominable is a journal written by the fictional Jake Perry.

Part I: The Climbers[]

Nearing the end of a several-days-long climb through the Matterhorn (a climb which is seemingly a recreation of a climb that ended in fatal tragedy), Jake (and his two fellow climbers, the Deacon and J.C.) learns of the disappearance of George Mallory and Sandy Irvine while climbing Mount Everest. This comes from a newspaper used by the group to hold sandwiches. Though the Deacon was a guest on previous Everest expeditions by Mallory, they have not spoken since falling out several years previously. Shortly after their discovery, the trio begins their descent down the Matterhorn. At the end of the expedition, the Deacon reveals that he is planning an expedition to Mount Everest - and is inviting his two companions to the expedition.

The trio visit the Bromley estate, home to Lady Bromley - mother of a climber (Percival Bromley) who is claimed to have been killed on Everest shortly before the disappearance of Mallory and Irvine. The Deacon (a member of a destitute noble family) is friendly with the Bromleys, dating back to his childhood. The trio is brought to Lady Bromley by an elderly butler. Though Percy Bromley is presumed dead, Lady Bromley (and the Deacon) wish to mount an expedition to Everest to recover Percy, be he truly dead or alive. Lady Bromley places a caveat on the expedition. Cousin Reggie (a member of the family who has some experience with mountain climbing) must join the expedition.

Shortly after this, the Deacon brings his two companions into a meeting of climbers within the Royal Albert Hall. During this meeting, a report by climber Noel Odell on the disappearances of Mallory and Irvine causes a powerful wave of opposition due to other climbers believing that the term used for their "deaths", exposure, is incorrect.

The trio begins interviewing members of the expedition of Mallory and Irvine. Their first interview brings them to the Alpine Club meeting at the "Map Room" to interview several English members of the expedition, including Odell. This interview sheds more light on the "death" of Percy Bromley and reveals that foul play might have been involved.

The trio then travels to Wales, with the Deacon bringing them to a remote area as a test of their mountain climbing abilities. While there, he "accidentally" leaves his pipe behind in a precarious spot and has J.C. and Jake grab it. Once it is returned, the Deacon reveals that this was a test to see if they had the proficiency to get to the top (or at least the higher parts) of Mount Everest.

They then travel to Germany (a country in economic ruin due to the fallout of World War I) to interview Bruno Sigl, who reported Percy Bromley's death. This interview serves to show that Sigl is most likely lying (with the Deacon claiming that Sigl might have killed Bromley while leaving Germany) and is a devout worshipper of Adolf Hitler.

After their visit to Germany, the trio travels to Switzerland so that the Deacon can get new-fangled climbing equipment from one George Ingle Finch (an old climbing buddy of the Deacon's). While most of the time in Zurich is spent discussing the equipment, Finch reveals that Percival Bromley asked him about a mythical Tibetan creature that Finch (supposedly) saw the footprints of while in Tibet. That creature is the Metokhangmi - otherwise known as the yeti.

After a stop in London to buy more equipment, J.C. drags the Deacon and Perry (in an extremely miserable car ride) to a remote Welsh cliffside to test out new designs for equipment. Though dangerous, the tests prove that the new equipment is extremely beneficial (and proves the strength of the three climbers). They then drive back to London, with the Deacon now confident that the mission will move ahead.

The trio travels to India (with J.C. and the Deacon suffering from seasickness during their voyage). In Calcutta, the Deacon expresses anger towards Cousin Reggie after a telegram arrives stating that Cousin Reggie will take control of the expedition. Despite this, the trio travels to Darjeeling by train. Once in Darjeeling, they are met by an associate of Cousin Reggie named Pasang along with several porters who bring the trio's baggage to the Hotel Mount Everest.

The next day, the trio meets with "Cousin Reggie" who turns out to be the owner of a Darjeeling tea plantation, Lady Katherine Christina Regina Bromley-Montfort. The Deacon is initially hesitant to bring a woman onto Mount Everest but, after Reggie reveals that she has papers allowing them onto Everest despite a ban on travel placed by the government of Tibet. She also has Pasang join the expedition as their medic.

The newly-formed party next travels to Reggie's tea plantation, where they discuss the route that they are taking. While the travel ban was ostensibly put in place by the government of Tibet, it was largely the work of one Major Frederick Marshman Bailey - an old mountaineer who serves as a Political Officer for the Kingdom of Sikkim and (at least in the opinions of Reggie and the Deacon) has created the ban as a way to spoil travel for Mount Everest for everyone else. As such, the party of climbers has to avoid Sikkim as much as possible.

At dawn, the expedition is introduced to various Tibetan climbers and porters who will help out on their expedition (one of these may be Tenzing Norgay). Though the expedition is reaching its beginning, the Deacon and Reggie argue with each other - a bad sign for the expedition.

Part II: The Mountain[]

April[]

After a trek through the jungles of Sikkim (making sure to avoid local rest stops [or daks] to avoid alerting Bailey), the expedition reaches Tibet. Once in Tibet, the expedition try to meet with the Dalai Lama to gain his blessing. This fails - though Reggie promises to gain the blessing of the Lama.

Later in the day, another famous climber named K.T. Owings (who lives in Tibet) visits the camp. Jake is able to spot Owings and the Deacon discussing parts of the voyage in secret.

Though the mood of the expedition is dour (especially after they find the camp of a former Everest expedition), they still celebrate Jake's birthday, with Reggie baking him a cake.

As Jake begins showing signs of illness (possibly a lack of oxygen due to the high elevation that the expedition is at), the expedition continue their travels through the Himalayas. While their travels are largely without event, the group meet with a group of Mongolians (led by a "Jimmy Khan") who Reggie bribes with chocolates.

May[]

Shortly after suiting up in their climbing clothes, the climbers visit the Rongbuk Glacier. This seemingly is a purposeless expedition until the Deacon reveals this is a test. J.C. and Reggie leave for their camp, while the Deacon and Jake stay on the glacier.

While higher up in Camp III, J.C. and Jake have an absolutely miserable time. Jake suffers from extreme altitude sickness as winds begin tearing up their tent. J.C. tries to use their Primus stove but find that it doesn't work. The duo move over to a tent that holds their Sherpas to see if they have a second stove. They don't. As such, the duo and the Sherpas grab buried supplies. J.C. begins disassembling the stove (which was dropped by a Sherpa) and finds that it unfixable. J.C. and Jake return to their tent, intending on using their body heat to warm up the frozen supplies. As they begin to sleep, their tent is ripped apart by hurricane force winds.

After several days of hurricane force winds, the duo and their sherpas decide to climb back to Camp II. While climbing, they are stopped by a massive ditch and set up their tent right next to it. It is at this moment that the winds abate and the duo are found by the other members of the expedition. The next day, the trio of climbers plans their expedition as Pasang heals the sherpas.

The climb up Mount Everest is resumed, with great energy. The climbers reach the site of the old camps (including Reggie's last camp in the Everest, which was beset by terrible weather). One of the porters (Babu Rita) smashes his head into a boulder while goofing off with J.C. and Jake. Babu Rita is immediately brought to Dr. Pasang. While Dr. Pasang suggests that a trepanning is necessary, he is extremely hesitant to perform a surgery on Everest. While in Pasang's field hospital (and in sight of J.C. and Jake), Babu Rita dies.

The builder of Rongbuk Monastery (a divine figure to the Sherpas), Dzatrul Rinpoche, summons the expedition to the Rongbuk Monastery for a blessing and so that he can perform a sky burial for Babu Rita. Though the Deacon is infuriated by this (believing that it is a waste of climbing days), the expedition visits the Monastery so that the Sherpas do not revolt or leave them. While there, J.C. and Jake (seeking penitence after accidentally causing the death of Babu Rita) offer to stay behind and witness the funeral of Babu Rita. The next day, the duo watches the sky burial (in which the corpse is smashed up and fed to vultures) and are disturbed by it. While returning to their camp, J.C. and Jake vow to never go through a sky burial.

Once J.C. and Jake return to the camp, Jake begins reading from a book of verse. The Deacon promptly throws the book off of a cliff (viewing it as an effort by England's government to cover up the horrors of war) and leaves the camp. Reggie then arrives and reveals her thoughts on the Deacon - that he is a battle-scarred veteran of the First World War that may not want to leave Mount Everest alive.

The next day (on what was supposed to be the trio of climbers' designated "climbing day"), the Deacon begins the search for Lord Percival's body. Reggie and Jake climb up to Camp V alone and then establish a small camp (which is dubbed "Camp VI") in the same day. The next day, they are joined by the Deacon and Pasang. After some planning, the downwards search for bodies begins.

While descending down the slope, Jake finds a corpse from its green boots. Though he initially thinks that it is Reggie's cousin, Reggie reveals that it is the body of George Leigh Mallory. The next night, as the expedition's "sahibs" huddle together in a tent, Reggie hears screaming in the night.

Part III: The Abominable[]

The expedition finds one of their Sherpa porters (Lobsang Sherpa) half-dead. Pasang brings him back with an adrenaline shot, allowing Lobsang to reveal that the Sherpas at Base Camp have been killed by yeti. Though Jake wants to bury the corpse of Mallory, he agrees to join the rest of the expedition in travelling down to Base Camp to see what has happened.

Once at a lower camp, the group finds some Sherpa survivors who repeat that a large chunk of the Sherpas in the expedition were slain by yeti. The Deacon gives them his World War I pistol for self-defense, leaving the sahibs with flare pistols to defend themselves.

The expedition finds the camp trashed and its occupants killed in extremely gruesome ways. Pasang conducts an autopsy and discovers that the dead Sherpas were slain with German pistols. Presumably, the gruesomeness of the slayings was meant as a sort of "shock and awe" operation, meant to frighten any survivors.

While climbing, they find that the German soldiers have ransacked Camps I and II. They also find a red light in the forest - an ambush set up by the Germans to catch the expedition. In the hopes of gaining more info on the Germans, the expedition decides to spring the trap.

Once there, a single German climber dressed as a yeti (with a large coat and a skull mask) attacks the expedition but is killed by Reggie with her flare pistol. The German climber's corpse falls into a crevasse. To gain his pistol, the Deacon and Pasang help Jake clamber down the crevasse and grab his pistol. Though the body falls into the crevasse before Jake can find any papers (or extra ammunition for the gun), he recognizes the man as an acolyte of Bruno Sigl.

While returning to Camp III, the trio reunites with J.C. and Reggie. They find that Camp III has been ransacked and most of the surviving Sherpas slain. Jake contemplates retreating into Tibet but he soon discovers the real reason that "Cousin Percy" was actually a British intelligence agent meeting with Kurt Meyer (another missing climber) to gain top secret and highly valuable intelligence. Because of this, the German climbers (possibly led by Bruno Sigl) began hunting the duo.

To get the climbers off of their back, the expedition sets them up in an ambush. At a precarious point in the climb (requiring the use of either a rope ladder or a primitive contraption built by J.C. to ascend up), the German climbers try to climb up to get at their enemies. The expedition picks off various climbers, killing or fatally wounding half of the German climbers with no casualties on their side. Despite this, they are unable to claim any weapons (including a sniper rifle stolen from the Deacon).

To avoid the surviving Germans, the expedition decides to summit Everest in the middle of the night without ropes. Reggie falls while climbing but is able to save herself, leading to the discovery of Sandy Irvine's body.

After a long climb, the expedition establishes "Camp VII" and find the corpses of Cousin Percy and Kurt Meyer. From the corpses, the expedition discovers the information that Cousin Percy, Meyer, and the Sherpas died for - photos showing Adolf Hitler and other Nazis sexually abusing Jewish children (including Kurt Meyer).

Though Jake initially wants to throw away the photos (viewing them as nothing more than an extreme obscenity), Reggie forces him at gunpoint to give his photos over. The expedition then reaches the "Second Step" (an extremely precarious point within the Everest climb) and scales it. Immediately after this, Jake (who has felt a pain in his throat like "a lobster clawing in his throat" for a large portion of the expedition) coughs up his frostbitten mucous membranes after Pasang performs the Heimlich maneuver on him.

While distracted by this, Bruno Sigl scales the Second Step. He shoots J.C. and tries to get the expedition to strip so he can find the photos in their clothes. During this, J.C. is able to charge at Sigl and sacrifices himself to both kill Sigl and get the Deacon's rifle back. Using this rifle, the Deacon is able to kill the other surviving Nazi climbers.

The Deacon reveals that he has made arrangements with K.T. Owings to leave Everest into Nepal once he reaches the summit. Reggie agrees to go with him, but Jake is left behind due to his ill health. Jake and Pasang descend down Mount Everest - during which Jake hallucinates the specter of J.C., sees some extremely odd creatures in the skies of Everest, and accidentally falls into the mass grave of Sherpas made by the Nazi climbers.

Once near the bottom of Everest, Jake and Pasang are shot by two Nazi survivors. They feign death for a brief time before their captors are killed by Mongolian bandits led by Jimmy Khan. Jake awakens in the Mongolian camp, finding that the Mongolians have made a grim spectacle of the Nazi corpses. Jimmy Khan agrees to bring the two climbers back to Darjeeling.

In England, Jake meets with the mysterious spymaster who sent Percival Bromley to get the confidential photos - Winston Churchill. Though Jake is angered by Churchill for essentially sending many good people their deaths, he hands over the photos and stays the night at Chartwell (Churchill's estate), meeting T.E. Lawrence. F.A. Lindemann, and Charlie Chaplin at dinner.

During the Second World War, Hitler plans an invasion of Britain but is blackmailed into stopping this invasion using the photos. Also during World War II, Jake serves as a secret agent for the Allies in Greece.

After the War, Jake resumes his climbing career. During the late 40s, he hears about the (supposed) death of the Deacon in the Alps. He stays in contact with Pasang (who dies in the 70s) and attempts to summit K2 several times. During one such climb, a friend suffers a gruesome death and Jake decides to never return to K2.

A decade after Jake's death, Dan Simmons visits his grave and recites a line from the Eclogues.

Worldbuilding[]

According the first page of the book, Jake Perry was born on the second of April, 1902 and died on May 28th, 1992.

rest to be added

Sources[]

Goodreads

Title	Author	Release date	Significance
The Terror	Dan Simmons	2007	A novel by the same author with similar themes and a somewhat similar setting
Thin Air	Michelle Paver	2016	A novel with a similar setting
Escape from Kathmandu	Kim Stanley Robinson	1989	A thriller novel set in the Himalayas
Doctor Who and the Abominable Snowmen	Terrance Dicks	1974	A historical novella set in the Himalayas
The Crook Factory	Dan Simmons	1999	A novel by the same author with similar themes
Tiger of the Snows	Tenzing Norgay	1955	A nonfiction book detailing mountain-climbing in the Himalayas
The Roof of the World	Adrian Rigelsford	2004	An audio play set in the Himalayas

The Abominable

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