THEY ARE NOT HUMAN. At a research station in Antarctica, five of the world’s top scientists have been brought together to solve one of the greatest mysteries in human history. Their subject, however, is anything but human . . . THEY ARE NOT NATURAL. Deep beneath the ice, the submerged ruins of a lost civilization hold the key to the strange mutations that each scientist has encountered across … scientist has encountered across the globe: A misshapen skull in Russia. The grotesque carvings of a lost race in Peru. The mummified remains of a humanoid monstrosity in Egypt . . .
THEY ARE NOT FRIENDLY.
When a series of sound waves trigger the ancient organisms, a new kind of evolution begins. Latching onto a human host—crossbreeding with human DNA—a long-extinct life form is reborn. Its kind has not walked the earth for thousands of years. Its instincts are fiercer, more savage, than any predator alive. And its prey are the scientists who unleashed it, the humans who spawned it, and the tender living flesh on which it feeds . . .
Praise for Michael McBride
“A fast-paced and frightening ride. Highly recommended for fans of creature horror and the thrillers of Michael Crichton.”—The Horror Review on PREDATORY INSTINCT
“McBride writes with the perfect mixture of suspense and horror that
keeps the reader on edge.” —Examiner
“This novel is for everyone who’s still a little scared of the dark . . . a very good sci-fi/thriller; I’ll read whatever McBride writes next.”
—Ken Raymond, The Oklahoman on Subhuman
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Great read on an intesting and terrifying subject.
Not a lot of character development but lots of information about the Antarctic. Really got bogged down in scientific at the expense of the story line.
Nice Spin on Area 51. This was a fun take on Area 51 that sets up what should be an excellent series to come. Rare if not unique in how it blends somewhat common ideas (some as old as at least the 1950s) to create something altogether new. Truly excellent work, particularly for fans of scifi or thrillers. Very much recommended.
SUBHUMAN is A Unit 51 Novel, by Michael McBride. I’ve frequently been impressed by this author’s attention to even the most minute details, his all-consuming atmosphere that makes you feel as though you are actually “in” the novel instead of merely reading it, and the thorough research he presents that make even the most improbable of scenarios seem possible. In SUBHUMAN, he takes all of these elements and combines them into an all new high.
A new discovery is made in the inhospitable region of Queen Maud Land, Antarctica. Entrepreneur Hollis Richards–along with his best friend and body guard, Will Connor–begin to assemble the best open-minds in their respective fields, to assist in their revolutionary find. Richards is a man that instantly garners your respect. Unlike your “typically portrayed” rich-man-out-for-himself, McBride gives us a sympathetic, friendly leader of this mission–along with a brief bio of his childhood to back it up.
“. . . He figured the best measure of a man was how he treated those whose station in life didn’t always command the utmost respect.”
The reader is treated to the backgrounds and specialties of Dr. Cade Evans, Dr. Jade Liang, the enigmatic Martin Roche, Kelly Nolan, and Dr. Anya Fleming–among some of the other specialists on site. The characterization here leaves nothing out. I honestly found myself able to distinguish between, identify and/or sympathize with, each member brought on board. With few exceptions that make the situation seem even more realistic, this recently assembled group becomes “family” in a sense, each reaching out for a common goal, ready to discover something completely “new” to the scientific community.
“. . . there was nothing fictional about this . . . ”
We are taken through many exploratory “guesses” as to exactly what the scientists are going to unveil, but the reality is that we have as much insight into this mystery as they have, themselves. This is perhaps the aspect that I enjoyed most in SUBHUMAN–while each scientist had an idea and a “hope” on what they will ultimately uncover, nobody was “certain” of anything. In this regard, we are discovering alongside them.
“Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception.” (Carl Sagan).
The frigid temperature and overall remoteness of Antarctica provide the perfect and essential background to harbor a new discovery of such magnitude. This difficult–almost hostile–location is described with such vivid detail that the reader can feel the cold winds blowing, and actually believe that if a new scientific discovery was to have remained undisturbed for so long, THIS was the place it would be.
The atmosphere alone may have been enough for some authors to go on, but McBride takes that extra step with his detailed descriptions. In this approach, he allows for the reader to “discover” the mysteries beneath the surface as the main characters do. In SUBHUMAN, we have a novel that makes us a “part” of it–one that I found impossible to leave until the very end.
From a “safe” scientific venture, the action begins to morph into something much more sinister by planting subtle suggestions and clues along the way. Even knowing ahead of time that things are not quite what the scientists are expecting, this book still had the power to shock me with the new revelations as they came about. When a reader is so immersed in a novel for that to happen, you know you are reading something truly spectacular.
“. . . That’s not a hallmark of superior intelligence; that’s a predatory instinct.”
SUBHUMAN is an easy contender for my number one read of the year. I sincerely hope to be seeing more from this author in the future.
Highest recommendation!
The good stuff: the author laid the groundwork carefully for what was to come later.
The not-so-good stuff: for my part, the story took way too long to get started, and if I wanted lessons in the hard sciences, I’d have taken courses. A good half of the book was taken up with prep, and then things just exploded. Some of the heroics were not believable as things that ordinary humans could accomplish without magic or superpowers. Additionally, some of the characters seemed a little formulaic.
Good book enjoyed reading this
I did like this book in general.
I enjoyed the writing, it was easy to get along with.
I have only given 3 stars because it still lacked something for me.
It’s missing something, I was slightly disappointed that it was dna mods, I was kind of hoping for something a little more…..well?…..more maybe a little more like Ridley Scott’s creature from Alien., & maybe a little more exploration into the history & scenery considering it was such a huge part of the story.
Overall I still enjoyed it.
Mile a minute thrill ride. Good character development. This author is worth following if you’re into horror or scifi. I’m into this kind of literature and this is one of my fave already. Will not disappoint.
Terrific setup for a series. A touch slow, but it seemed to help you get to know the characters.
It took quite a while to get to the point, but I did enjoy it. A lot of Very scientific jargon but well laid out.
great book! Took a little bit to really get started but really ended well. I enjoyed all the science in with the action and suspense
Interesting approach to very ancient speculative evolutionary possibilities.
I mourned when my favorite author Michael Crichton passed. I haven’t found any book that could interest me on the same level, but this book is given my my fiction/science fix. I just downloaded the second book and can’t wait to dive in.
I was VERY disappointed in this book. It took about 80% of the book before it had any excitement – it was fun then, but it was way too late to save this book. I want my money back!!
Never slows down-great single seating airplane book! Looking forward to more.
Not nearly as good as the other McBride books I have read. Took forever to get to the encounter and then was unclear. Who ,what and why were vague.
Tense, compelling storey
This is the best book I have read thus far this year.