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Content snapshot
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Violence
Very heavy
Extreme violence: the creature hunts and kills men in graphic detail; starvation and scurvy are depicted; the crew's deterioration is brutal
Language
Some
Some strong language in the historical horror register
Sexual Content
Barely any
Minimal sexual content
Substance Use
Barely any
Some drinking as part of the naval culture
Emotional Intensity
Very heavy
The psychological horror of slow death in an impossible environment, combined with the supernatural threat, creates an experience of sustained dread
What this book is about
Dan Simmons's historical horror novel follows the actual HMS Terror and HMS Erebus, the ships of the doomed Franklin Expedition of 1845, as they become trapped in Arctic ice. The historical record of starvation, scurvy, and the breakdown of the crew is present — and so is something else, a creature hunting the men on the ice. Simmons's novel is extraordinarily well-researched and the horror is both supernatural and historical. The violence and psychological horror are extreme.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Extreme violence from supernatural creature
Starvation and slow death depicted
Based on real historical tragedy
Reader Verification
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