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The Kingdom on the Waves: Octavian Nothing, Vol. 2

(2008, Fiction - Literary Fiction, Written by M.T. Anderson)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 14, age appropriate for kids over 16; suggested age 15.

  • Is it any good?

    4.0

  • Common Sense says

    Brilliant, brutally violent novel for mature readers only.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 15–16

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Plenty of racism and despicable acts and attitudes toward African Americans. Speculation about the inherently evil nature of man, as well as wit about the nature of God that some might consider blasphemous.

  • Violence:

    Men are brutally beaten and killed in various gruesome ways, including hanging, decaptiation, being cut in half, shooting, stabbing (once through the eye), A major character is killed, his jaw and part of his skull being blown off. A father tries to strangle his son. A pregnant woman is beaten, causing her baby to be stillborn. A young girl is gang-raped, another is raped. A dog is bayonetted. Men are whipped, then the wounds are scoured with hay and salt water, others commit suicide through starvation.

  • Sex:

    A scene in which sex is overheard, and the various parts of the act compared to military maneuvers. The lyrics to a very bawdy song are given. Details of French kissing, references to homosexuality and sodomy, and witticisms about the nature of the penis.

  • Language:

    "S--t" and "f--k" each used once.

  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Drinking and drunkenness; pipe smoking.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About The Kingdom on the Waves: Octavian Nothing, Vol. 2

Parents need to know that the violence here is as grim and graphic as it is unrelenting. Men are brutally beaten and killed in various gruesome ways, including hanging, decaptiation, being cut in half, shooting, stabbing (once through the eye). A major character is killed, his jaw and part of his skull being blown off. A father tries to strangle his son. A pregnant woman is beaten, causing her baby to be stillborn. A young girl is gang-raped, another is raped. A dog is bayonetted. Men are whipped, then the wounds are scoured with hay and salt water, others commit suicide through starvation. There are also sexual references and some swearing.

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