Ravenous

Set during the Mexican–American War, the narrative situates U.S. Army outposts and frontier life on the American western frontier. The era is marked by rapid territorial conflict, rugged terrain, and frontier discipline, where soldiers confront both external threats and internal fears. The mountains, fort life, and the war backdrop create a climate of tension and scarcity that drives the plot.

Fort Spencer sits in the remote Sierra Nevada, serving as a stark military outpost and crossroads between supply routes and the wild mountains. The fort’s isolation amplifies fear and rumor, anchoring the men’s survival against the Wendigo legend and Colqhoun’s cannibalistic plot. The surrounding terrain—rocky cliffs, caves, and deep snows—becomes as much an antagonist as any human foe.

🏔️ Survival

Extreme conditions force the garrison to make life-or-death decisions in isolation. Scarcity and fear push men toward desperate choices that blur lines between civilization and survival. Boyd's resourcefulness keeps him alive, but the frontier hunger tests his ethics and humanity.

🍖 Cannibalism

Consumption of flesh grants strength but condemns the eater to a demon-haunted hunger. The Wendigo myth literalizes the cost of survival as a corrupting force. Colqhoun’s cannibalism reveals the lure of power and the fragility of the moral self.

🔎 Truth & Deception

Deception drives the plot as Ives assumes another identity and the fort's men doubt Boyd's testimony. Trust is strained between officers, with death and betrayal around every corner. The frontier's harshness magnifies paranoia, forcing characters to choose belief over evidence.