Review: Subhuman (Unit 51 #1) by Michael McBride

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 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…

This book has a unique format.  At the beginning of each chapter, there is a character name.  That whole chapter is seen through the eyes of that character.  We see his or her actions as well as hear their own personal thoughts about what is going on.  It took me a few chapters to get in the rhythm of it because there were several characters that are kind of thrown at you all at once.  The book opens with each of the main characters doing their own thing, eventually having all the characters meet each other, realizing that all their work is connected somehow.  About 10 chapters in, as things are finally connecting, it gets easier to keep track of what all is going on and who everyone is.

I loved how this author crammed in a lot of fun themes all under one book.  Ancient Aliens, Atlantis, lost civilizations, creatures, crop circles, DNA & mutations, ancient ruins, conspiracy theories, secret organizations and more!  I mean, with a list like that, how could you not have fun with this book?  While reading the book, you can really tell the author goes out of his way to research each and every topic he puts in the plot.  I really appreciate all the time he put in to it and it made the story feel more complete.  He didn’t just say “Roche looked at a crop circle”, McBride went in to actual details about crop circles and what someone who investigates them would look for.  It was like a cherry on top.

The creature in the book was pretty creepy and nasty.  There was plenty of blood and violence.  Many, many people were maimed, and the whole station was pretty much drenched in blood by the end of the book.  Loved it!  I don’t want to give away any spoilers, so I’ll just say that I really enjoyed the story about the creature.  So many questions!  But in a good way!  I’m really looking forward to where McBride takes these creatures in the future.

I read the kindle version of this book.  It was nicely edited and the typing was well done.  No glaring typos or huge mistakes.  I always feel that is important to include that in a book review of a kindle book. You could have the best book in the world, but if the editing and typing is badly done, it turns in to a nightmare to read.

I had a lot of fun with this scifi horror book.    I can’t wait to read more in this series as well as other books by this author.   You can check out Michael McBride’s website to learn more about Subhuman or his other books, as well as other interesting things, like his writing process or other projects he has going on.

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