A review by slimepuppy
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann

adventurous dark reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Gut wrenching, sad and a beautifully written insight into the British Empire - but also just empires in general - and their wretchedness, their disregard for humanity and the way it justifies its crimes. Some scenes were just... cinematic. There's no other way to describe it.

Also, this story is just insane? Everything was personally out to get those guys from day zero, and they refused to quit at every turn. Let this be a lesson that it's ok to quit! Lest you become David Cheap.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Racism, Slavery, Cannibalism, War, and Classism

Minor: Genocide and Suicide