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athryn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Overall a great story with a lot of twists and turns. I actually felt cold reading this. It's sometimes a bit of a bummer, but also I love seeing hubris take people, especially colonial era Brits.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
quillsand's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
that said the other 95% of the book was disturbing as all hell and bleak as fuck. but like, in a good way. i read this whilst at a festival and i kept returning to my tent to read instead of watching acts. the vivid descriptions of scurvy gave me trouble sleeping and i stopped readig it in public places because i couldn't control my facial expressions of horror/revulsion/despair. also i think scurvy has now replaced both pregnancy and getting my wisdom teeth taken out on my list of greatest fears, meaning it is now #2 behind moths.
parts that really got to me included
i just think it says something that depsite having watched the show and knowing how everything plays out and already being very distrubred by the show, the book managed to somehow provoke an even stronger reaction and kept me so gripped i got through all 750 pages in under 5 days whilst being at a music festival. book ratings are based off of my connection to the book and despite all it's issues i sure did feel many things whilst reading this!!! the real terror is the slowly creeping inevitability of certain death and the fact that we know!! we know that no matter how hard these character struggle, they will all be claimed by the ice by the time the book is finished!! there's beauty in that and in the sheer humanity of how different people respond to the certainty of death in different ways. makes me a little bit insane if i think about it too much.
i do think the supernatural aspects were the weakest point for me and the last 80 pages were therefore not as strong as the rest but only because the realism of the horror was already at its peak (also the aforementioned ick about using Inuit culture as a backdrop for horror fiction but anyway) with the scurvy and the frostbite and the starvation and whatnot.
id on't know man sometimes you just need a horrifying horrific tragedy heavily based on real events that deeply disturbs and upsets you in order to cope!!!!
i think i am going to rewatch the show now.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
mousey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
julianh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Cursing, Racial slurs, and Classism
starsreside's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Cannibalism, and Murder
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, and Colonisation
jjjreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Excrement, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
theleppy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, and Murder
Moderate: Torture and Vomit
Minor: Homophobia
sheryl_macca's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
The men are stubborn, fool hardy and disrespectful of the ice. They were infuriating in their inability to learn, change or adapt.
The Thing, the monster of the ice was more ominous and sinister than frightening or thrilling.
The level of detail is annoyingly obsessive and the average sentence length is the longest I've ever known.
I found this arduous but I feel triumphant for getting through it.
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Murder
sheryl_reads's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The research into the Franklin expedition and 19th century sailing is obvious - it’s never boring, but the detail is meticulous. Each chapter tells a part of the story from different perspectives, all going towards building and moving the story to its inevitable end.
Although I knew the outcome of the expedition, I couldn’t help but hope that some of the men made it through.
This would have been a 5 star read if not for one criticism - the inclusion of the ‘magical’ indigenous peoples. I appreciate the author wanted to include the belief system of the indigenous communities the sailors meet with but I didn’t feel this was a necessary part of the story. I really hoped the supernatural elements were due to the physical and psychological toll the men were under, but this wasn’t to be.
Overall, it’s one I’d recommend and would say you shouldn’t be intimidated by the length!
Graphic: Cannibalism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, and Vomit