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msiebz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I understand it’s set in the Victorian era and there’s rampant racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. but this is like mark twain levels of racial expletives. Also you’re telling me that on these two ships stranded with hundreds of men, the author still manages to put in some very explicit straight sex scenes and not a single explicit gay sex scene. There are some gay moments but they’re are all implied and left to the imagination… and of course he made the main antagonist a gay person. It feels homophobic in a way that isn’t because of the Victorian setting but because the author is lazy and a coward.
I appreciate that the novel has more information about the characters’ backgrounds and motivations -as that’s usually the case with a novel vs a tv series- but I also appreciate the changes the showrunners made to make this story less… clunky? awkward? I don’t know. Some parts are enjoyable and some very much are not.
Graphic: Death, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, Medical content, Cannibalism, Suicide attempt, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
casparquarius's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Stalking, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
bugaboobear's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
And then chapter 62 happened and the author decided he was bored with that and changed the tone and subject entirely.
This was maybe a 4.5 star read for me up until then, but then the ending was largely out of the blue and unsatisfying in my opinion.
Also a few things to keep in mind:
1. There are practically no women in the story (for obvious reasons). The women who are in the story are pretty one dimensional.
2. There is a surprising amount of religious ideology (both Christian and Inuit). Also readings from the Bible.
3. There is a heavy amount of racism in the beginning and less as the book goes on. It is all era appropriate and makes sense for the characters but can be uncomfortable to read.
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
chungledown_bim's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Feel like the author did well to describe the racism, homophobia, classism, toxic masculinity, sexism, & general fuckery of the time without participating in it. Usually you'd see the descriptor 'historical' & assume this means whoever wrote it is excited to drop the N word. Not so much here but all these concepts are as present as the arctic cold.
...I say that but Silence does seem to
It's long, but I was engaged the entire time, despite this not at all being the sort of thing I'm into. I really enjoyed falling into a rabbit hole by searching up the Franklin expedition & Inuit mythology afterward.
The ending
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Misogyny, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Colonisation, and Classism
perfectcupoftea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Cannibalism, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Homophobia
amy14's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Classism
sarahgruenewald's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Terminal illness, Cannibalism, and Alcohol
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Gore, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Torture, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Antisemitism, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and Classism
btrz7's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Gore, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Xenophobia, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Terminal illness, Torture, Vomit, Medical content, and Classism
sarah984's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Incest, Excrement, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
bearikatherika's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Cursing, Death, Suicide, Torture, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Colonisation, and Classism