ðə nˈɑːvəl ɪz bˈeɪst ɪn lˈɑːɹdʒ pˈɑːɹt ɔnðə lˈɑːɹdʒli ɐpˈɑːkɹɪfəl "stˈiːm tˈʌnəl ˈɪnsɪdənts" ʌvðə lˈeɪt nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɛvənti z.
The novel is based in large part on the largely apocryphal "steam tunnel incidents" of the late 1970s.