Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Synopsis
Four men aboard a boat find the titular strange manuscript in a cylindar floating in the sea. It turns out to be the story of Adam More, a sailor stranded in a savage hidden country in Antarctica. In this "nation" are everything from cannibals to kings and the bizarre citizens love death and poverty as other nations love life and prosperity. Can Adam escape...?
Is A strange manuscript found in a copper cylinder appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 14 and up.
A Victorian adventure novel featuring cannibalism, a society that reveres death and poverty, and a protagonist trying to survive and escape a bizarre hidden civilization — themes are unsettling but not graphic.
What to know going in
This book has moderate violence, no sexual content, and clean language. Content notes include genocide, slavery, and captivity (see the full list above).
Publisher ages reflect reading level; our rating reflects content maturity — they can differ.
Who'll love this
A strange lost-world adventure with dark ideas about society and survival that older teens will find thought-provoking.