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Content snapshot
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Violence
A lot
Widespread violence as society collapses; armies of looters; some disturbing atrocity
Language
Some
Moderate adult language throughout
Sexual Content
Some
Some adult content in the survivors' world
Substance Use
Barely any
None
Emotional Intensity
A lot
The sustained psychological weight of rebuilding human society from nothing; the horror of what people do when law disappears
What this book is about
A massive comet fragments and strikes the Earth, destroying civilization in hours. Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle's disaster epic follows survivors across California as they try to rebuild—facing famine, marauding armies, and the question of what kind of civilization is worth preserving. One of the great disaster novels, unflinching in its depiction of societal collapse.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Societal collapse violence throughout
Some disturbing atrocity in the aftermath
Reader Verification
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