This whole series was SO much fun. I skipped Dead Moon because of reviews and the lack of connection to the other three books. I might come back to the series and read Dead Moon later.

Meanwhile, I absolutely read the hell out of the other three. Like, a Don't talk to me, I'm reading thing.

Meanwhile, I hope Clines writes another book in the Threshold series. I sincerely want to see all of the characters again. They all found a cozy place in my literary landscape. ( )

No Longer Dreaming*
Review of the Audible Audio audiobook edition (2020)

Terminus is the 4th book in Peter Clines Threshold series. The Threshold books are an expanded universe version of H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos which incorporates Lovecraft's monstrous "Great Ones" and adds factors such as multiverses and gateways with forces on Earth seeking to block their passage.

Many of the reviews here do recommend taking the time to re-read the earlier books 14 (Threshold #1 - 2012) and The Fold (Threshold #2 - 2015) before reading Terminus, but I found that a quick refresher from the (spoilers obviously, if you click) Threshold Universe page on Wikipedia was sufficient. Book #3 Dead Moon (2019) although supposedly in the Threshold Universe, takes place in the future and does not immediately seem to relate to the events of the other books.

With the cover image of a flying tentacled monster approaching a ship and island being somewhat of a spoiler, it is fair to say that in Terminus the "Great Ones" are actually unleashed into the world. Several characters who played minor roles in the preceding books take much larger central ones in this one. Primarily the story is of various forces trying to prevent the cult of the Family who are obsessed with bringing the Great Ones into this world in the belief that they are god figures to be worshipped and who will reward the followers for their faith. The sane forces know that they are monsters that must be stopped. Clines does a masterful job in bringing all these opposing characters together and keeping the tension and suspense high especially as motives and loyalties are mostly unknown until later in the story.

The narration by Ray Porter in the audiobook edition was absolutely outstanding in all voices. That is also a prime reason for a 5 rating.

I listened to Terminus thanks to the Audible Daily Deal on May 3, 2021.

Trivia and Links
* The reference to dreaming is based on the classic Cthulhu Mythos quote: In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.

The Audible page for Terminus includes a 2-part Behind the Scenes discussion between author Peter Clines and narrator Ray Porter. The discussion can be viewed as a 1-part video on YouTube here. ( )

3.5 stars ( )

Series Info/Source: I got this as an audiobook through Audible Plus. This is the fourth book in the Threshold Universe. The stories are loosely connected and this book ties in with the first book in the series quite a bit.

Audiobook Quality (4/5): I had no issue with this audiobook it was well done and easy to listen to.

Story (4/5): I enjoyed this and would recommend re-reading "14" and "The Fold" if you have time. I did not have time to re-read them, but did go back to my personal notes to refresh myself on the characters from those books. This book builds off of both "14" and "The Fold"; I recognized the elements from "14" right away and remembered Veek, but it took more effort to realize how the minor characters from "The Fold" played into the story. I have not read "Dark Moon" but other readers have said it doesn't really tie into the overall story well.

This book is part sci-fi thriller, part horror, and part survival. It deals with parallel realities and post-apocalyptic events. It's a fun and fast-paced read with some dark Cthulhu undertones. However, I didn't find it nearly as mysterious, suspenseful, or creepy as "14". I guess there just wasn't a lot that surprised me here, so towards the end of the book I just wanted to finish the story and get on to something else. I did enjoy how this book answers a number of questions left unanswered in “14” and “The Fold”.

Characters (4/5): The characters are well done but not the main driver behind the story. Most of the characters are new to the series. However, you will recognize Veek from “14” and Anne from “The Fold”.

Setting (4/5): The creepy island setting worked well for this story. I enjoyed the mystery behind it all and how you, as the reader, have to slowly unravel all the creepy elements and put them together.

Writing Style (4/5): This was generally well written. A few more pointers or hints about how things wrap into earlier books would have been nice; Clines is basically assuming that you remember every little bit and piece from “14” and “The Fold”. Despite the weirdness of the book it ended up being strangely predictable and ended a lot like other books in this series have. I like this world though and the strangeness of it all, I just wish most of the problems weren’t solved in a similar way to how they have been solved in other books. There is also a lot of graphic gore in here, so be prepared for that.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I liked this. Clines always writes really weird books, that are strangely compelling and full of creepy mysteries. There are some neat ideas that tie into both parallel worlds and a Cthulu-like mythos. However, the characters weren’t as engaging as in previous books and I found the resolution to be strangely predictable. I would recommend this if you have enjoyed the previous Threshold books. I liked this book better than “The Fold” but not as much as “14”. ( )

Reread 2023: That was quite a ride! Just as enjoyable as the first time through. It's nice rereading the series close together to spot even more of the connections. It's also a perfect read for the season with just enough horror for my tastes. Original review below.

-----------------

Finally! Terminus is the Threshold book I've been waiting for since reading both 14 and The Fold, but especially 14. While you might be able to get away without reading The Fold first I would highly recommend reading both books before Terminus for full story context. Dead Moon is likely optional, though I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see connections there too in some future installment. But I'm getting ahead of myself. How about a synopsis?

The Family is close to achieving their ultimate goal of destroying the machine. With Anne as their Minister she knows it's her destiny to pave the way for balance to be restored on the planet. The hunt takes them all to an uncharted island where the walls of reality are thin and the apocalypse has already started.

It is really hard to talk about this book without spoilers so I'll keep things short. This book kept me on the edge of my seat almost the entire time. The situation our characters end up in is relentlessly grim and yet has so many touches of humor and ends with a bit of hope. Fans of the series will be excited by the major reveals and connections to previous books. Several things I had questions about since the beginning are answered even though it just created more questions. I was sooo excited to see a couple familiar faces and meet many new ones. I think I can see how Chase will be important in this universe's future. That last mention of "needing a new Tim" made me a tad teary eyed. With that ending I have no idea where the author will go from here and I'm super excited to find out! This is easily my go to series for scifi/thriller/horror.

I listened to the audio book narrated by Ray Porter. I think he may be my favorite narrator by this point. Love his narration! He's amazing. ( )