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.

This is a horror tale that brings home the possibilities of what might exist beneath the permafrost in the Arctic.

Between global warming and human exploration we just might find this to become reality.

This book will scare the pants off readers.

I rate it as 4 OUT OF 5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Let me just preface my review by stating I think Mike is one of the most thorough researchers that I've ever come across. Go to his website www.michaelmcbride.net and look at the pic showing his research materials. That being said, he's not an info dumper but weaves his brilliant and horrific storyline with fact and fiction(?). Great start to what I hope is a continuing series, Unit 51! Highly recommended.

After we enchanted our soul with the poems from the last book I reviewed, we are back now, with this book, to what we like most: adventure. So: thrilling, suspense, horror, situations in which everything goes haywire, cliffhanger resolutions, strong characters, oh my, everything we all like in a story full of more and more spectacular events.
So… let’s pull out the big guns!
At least, that's what I thought. Provided that I started with metaphors that smell of gunpowder, I could say that when I started to read this novel, I thought I will end up with a machine gun. Instead, it looks like I got a musket. You know, one shot, one chance. And you cannot be sure of this either. Okay, that doesn’t mean we have a poor novel. Away from me this thought. Today's book has all the features to be a successful one. The story starts as and follows the template of the adventure novels that were best-sellers in their time. However, there would be some elements that might clip its wings of success. Let me explain...

Without the worry of giving you spoilers, taking into account the synopsis or simply by looking at the cover, I think I could share some of my opinions. The story is stuffed with scientific and pseudo-scientific elements and details. The pseudo-scientific word has nothing insulting in it; using it, I wanted to refer to unverified data or suppositions on a subject that is reinventing since the man is on Earth: the gods, the deity, or even the ... aliens. At least for me, the first half of the book was like if I have binged with the Ancient Aliens TV series. I do not know how many of you have watched the series on the History Channel, but if so, then you will find in the book Erich von Däniken, David Childress, Giorgio A. Tsoukalos or George Noory’s ideas about humanity and intergalactic visitors that seem they stuck their tail into humans’ business.

Of course, these theories can be seductive, but as love could fool you too, also some ideas can do it at some point. They are interesting, attractive, but only that much ... they will remain only at the supposition stage. I would like to stop here because I have spoken many times in my reviews about the myth of Creation. So, let’s surpass the fantastic realism and step into actual realism: the scientific elements. If 150 years ago, Jules Verne filled his books with scientific explanations, that was due to the time he wrote them. It was an era in which all of the branches of science were in full swing of discoveries, and the world was avid for new information. Now, any dumbass has a smartphone. I’m not saying that there is no need of these explanations, they give credibility to the story, but when they are too many or too complex, some readers may get easily bored. Or if they are too frequent, they could break the flow of the story.

Action. The action of the novel actually starts at about half of it. I don’t want to criticize, but in the novel, there is an inflation of main characters, and this can cause some small inconsistencies or delay of the main story. I am a fan of nonlinear stories, but here is not the case. I understand the author wants to start a series, however, the current subject ends in the pages of this volume. Be happy, there’s no cliffhanger.

As I told you, the novel is based on a successful recipe. That doesn’t mean it's lacking personality. You will get all the elements shown in the first paragraph. Sounds a little negative? Relax, I didn’t want to slam the book. I just wanted to present all in a more analytical light. If you’ll have the curiosity to read other’s reviews, they’ll drive you mad with all sorts of references to different authors and to different books or movies. In this way, for example, no one could still write or make a zombie movie anymore. But the reality proves otherwise.

So, to conclude: the book has its own originality; is well documented (maybe a little too much); the characters are well contoured and introduced carefully to the reader; the book has its own pace, for some could be alert to others a bit less; the action will be intense and will have its climax. More? No, just one phrase: if you are fans of horror SF stories or just curious, it's worth reading the Subhuman.

Enjoy the horror!

This was a scary, grip your seat while reading story. I enjoyed every minute of it and would read more in this series. The cover is what intrigued me and led me to request this e-galley.

Michael Crichton, Matthew Reilly and Erich von Däniken walk into a bar...

It was reasonably entertaining, although it was one info dump after another in the first half of the book. Great tour of all the unexplained megaliths, massive stone henges, temples, pyramids, crop circles and the wild theories surrounding them. I felt very educated. The odd submersible, diving, pyramids, Antarctica, possibly monsters and little grey men kept me reading.

In the second half of the book the action finally picked up and the book developed into a pretty classic horror scenario. The writing wasn‘t terribly good though. I had difficulties to visualize the settings and by the twentieth time someone shined a flashlight at something in the span of a few pages, I was a bit fed up.

So, a book with about 60% of build-up, incessant info dumps on all kinds of topics, mostly telling with very little doing and then a frantic 40% of monster horror in a closed space.

The beginning also had an over-abundance of head hopping. I gave up pretty quickly to try and keep all the characters straight. In this case less would probably have been more. There was just no way to keep up with the myriad of interchangeable characters. In the second half of the book I was still thinking „who‘s that?“ and „have I met that character before?“

If you cut out most of the info dumps, this would make a pretty good horror movie script. Think „The Cave“ or „The Descent“ in the Arctic.

Normally I wouldn‘t give something this unevenly paced more than two stars, but despite that it was still a fairly fluid read, so three stars it is. It is very unlikely though that I will pick up anything else by the author, although this is very clearly the set-up of a series, especially considering the epilogue.

I want a Euro for every time the word „shined“ is used in the latter half of the book.

I received this free e-copy from the publisher/author via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review, thank you!

Take Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Land That Time Forgot Caspak Series and marry it to Crichton’s Jurassic Park and Spielberg’s Close Encounters of a Third Kind and add a slight helping of Sigourney Weaver in Alien and you’ve got some idea of what McBride has cooked up here. There’s a land that time forgot beneath the Antarctic ice connected somehow to the Egyptian pyramids and the crop circles and Stonehenge.

It’s a science fiction thriller that is told from numerous narrative standpoints as scientists from all over the globe are gathered to explore a unique scientific curiosity and learn things that to their horror they wished they never learned. The book starts with a heavy scientific and archeological emphasis and then gradually builds to a terrifying thrilling apex. It is a hard-to-put-down book although the varying viewpoints sometimes made differentiating the characters a little difficult and some may find the beginning too science-heavy.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.

Typically there are two camps of writers: those who do an incredible amount of research but fail to tell a compelling story, and those who can spin a yarn but can't keep it from floating away with a gust of scientifically or factually-based wind. Michael McBride is one of those rare breeds who has somehow mastered both.

In Subhuman, you get the science and research you'd expect from a Michael Crichton novel but wrapped in a story that not only draws you in, but threatens to keep you from coming back out. With some truly ingenious twists, this was a fantastic set up to a series that will have legs for years to come. Recommended for all those who enjoy their thrillers with a little bite.

An adventure capitalist pursuing his interest in extra terrestrial life gathers a team of highly skilled professionals together at a research station in Antarctica. Carefully selected their skills cover communications, seismology, Egyptology, ex Government analyst, archaeologist and a forensic anthropologist. Subhuman remains found at the site appear to have a connection to bones found at various locations around the world. Part of the scientists’ research includes experimenting with sound waves, which triggers the rebirth of a long buried life form and unleashes a horrendous predator on the station. Not all of the humans will make it out alive.
All the characters had distinct personalities but corny as it might sound Speedy the pet mouse was my favourite. Unfortunately, he turned into something more sinister than expected. Around this time, I kept thinking please; do not let anything happen to such a cute little creature. Little did I know what he would become!
An absolutely gripping read and I would love to read the next ie if the author can repeat his success. I was either nervous about turning the light off at night or could not put the book down I was so caught up in the story. This book has plenty of zing and some breathtaking moments.
If you love horror and/or thrillers, with a bit of sci-fi thrown in this one will certainly tick all the boxes. The author has plenty of imagination and he will take you on a ride to the dark side! In addition, I found the collection of books he used for his research a very interesting mix and even more interesting what he discovered during that research.
Thanks to the author for writing such a great story and the publisher for providing a digital copy of the book via Netgalley. Thanks also for the opportunity to provide a review. I hope it does it justice?

A very technical start. Not always bad, but it was cause for what felt like a lot of info-dumping the wasn't what I was looking for in a story!

There are way too many POVs! It was hard to keep rack of at times and just made the story a little more convoluted. You really have to concentrate and remember details!

Subhuman by Michael McBride. Wow! Where to start with this one?? There is so much good stuff going on between the covers of McBride's latest offering, and first in the Unit #51 series. You have various experts in their respective scientific fields anonymously brought together to a location in Antarctica that shows remnants of being at one time an old Nazi outpost. Mega-rich venture capitalist, Hollis Richards has brought them all here to help him unlock the mystery of misshapen humanoid skulls found in an underground lake deep below the ice. These types of remains have been discovered before at locations around the globe and thought to be a genetic mutation. But Richards knows better. He knows that the knowledge to build these ancient pyramids and temples didn't come from man alone. It came from the sky. He knows this because he was visited many years ago when he was a child in the middle of the night, and he's been searching for them ever since. He knows that underneath the Antarctic ice lies the clues to an ancient civilization that predates anything we'be ever discovered before and his assembled band of scientists are going to help him prove it.

Subhuman is an extremely intelligent tale told with heaps of atmosphere and great characters. McBride has really done his homework to create this one. The science is straight out of the History Channel's Ancient Aliens, yet is hard to refute. Fringe? Yes, but completely believable in McBride's expert direction. It has a textbook quality to it, without losing you by talking over your head. Any alien horror story set in Antarctica would be impossible to do without having comparisons to John Carpenter's The Thing, and thats perfectly fine with me. The Thing is easily on my top three of horror movies ever and I welcome a story with some of those same shades that I love so well. McBride delivers. The hostile and lonely location. The fridgid weather that leaves you feeling like you're ten minutes away from freezing to death. The allure of the discoveries waiting to be made underneath the ice. Such great stuff. And the characters don't disappoint either. Richards comes across as the lovable combination of Bill Gates and Richard Attenborough's Dr. Hammond in Jurassic Park. The scientists all feel realistic with their quirks, yet don't come off as a cardboard stereotypes. if you can't tell, I'm pretty geeked about this book. You should be too. It's amazing and I'm excited that it's the first of a series. I can't wait until spring for the next one.


5 Misshaped Skulls out of 5


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I have heard good things about Michael McBride's books, so when this popped up as available for review, I jumped right on it. The story premise sounded a lot like The Thing with a bit of Alien mixed in. Just the sort of scary, red mist horror I love in a monster thriller!

I am glad to say that I was not disappointed!

I got the same vibe from this book that I do from many of Michael Crichton's books. The first part of the book is heavy on set-up and science-y stuff. Then that lovely, complicated science does wickedly cool things, causing the monstrous horror to pop in for the last half of the book. It really is a lovely, suspenseful build, incorporating one of my favorite settings for this sort of story....Antarctica. How isolated and totally screwed can you be when you are stuck in a research center in freaking Antarctica....one of the most unfriendly environments on the planet. It's even more unfriendly when you add violent, crazy monsters to the subzero temps, ice and snow.

I don't know enough about sound, magnetic waves, DNA, etc to know if the science in this book is completely legitimate, but the bits here and there that I did look up were basically factual. If I had stopped each time McBride mentioned some sort of science fact or discovery, I would have spent more time on Google searches than reading. So I kept my curiousity under control and only stopped a few times to look things up. The science is incorporated into the story in an interesting way. I didn't feel like complicated facts were constantly zinging over my head. It wasn't confusing, but helped build the plot and introduce the characters that were about to meet a very monstrous, nasty, ancient set of messed-up humanoids with temper issues. Lovely!! Bravo! Awesome!

All in all, a great scary monster romp! I am so glad I finally read a book by McBride. I am definitely going to be reading more of his books! Fans of Crichton, the Alien series and similar stories will definitely love this book!

To learn more about the author and his books, check out his website: https://author.michaelmcbride.net/

Anyone who knows me knows that I love Michael McBride. He is always my go-to author when I want something to read and I don't want to have to worry about whether I will like it or not; I always like it. I read it the moment it hits my Kindle. I really can't say that about very many other authors, including Stephen King, whom I love. This is definitely my favorite newer novel from Mr. McBride.

A research facility in the antarctic. A cross-breeding lifeform with no trace of humanity. A group of scientific nerds all packed into a station below the earth in one of the least hospitable climates in the world. What could possibly go wrong? Other than everything, and not at all what you're expecting.

The only thing wrong with Subhuman is that I don't have a sequel for it. Where's my sequel?!

Subhuman reads like a weird mixture of sci-fi horror and science camp, starting with the latter and developing into the first. The author takes his time (and I really mean lots of it!) introducing the characters, and in doing so explores and explains a multitude of scientific stuff. But, and that makes the difference, he does so without ever getting boring or condescending, so that the reader is not only eager, but also able to follow his lead. Thus, the reader is perfectly prepared for what is waiting at the Antarctic research station.

With growing tension, we participate in the discovery of something very ancient. Layer by layer, the origin of this alien, 'subhuman' species is revealed, and not at all does it come in peace. Suddenly, this scientific expedition turns into a fight for survival. The harsh weather conditions add to the already raised-to-their-peaks goosebumps and the only question is: who will still be alive at the end?

Fortunately, my favorite characters are still in (of course I will not tell who) and I can't wait to read what awaits them next in the already announced sequel. Highly recommended!

This is simply a good story.

Note that it takes a little bit before the action starts. There's a ton of build up in the first 3rd of the book or so. But once it starts...wow!

Will was a challenge, but he eventually grew on me and I liked many of our supporting characters immensely.

Expect violence, heartbreak, and some pulse pounding moments.

Will happily read the author again in the future!

Thrilling first installment in what promises to be an intriguing new series. Scientists find the ruins of a lost civilization in Antarctica, and are faced with solving what seems to be a whole new species, savage and intent on taking over the Earth.

Great Character representation which helped a lot in the multiple pov aspect of the book. Though it took some time to get into the book due to the science explanations that went over my head. I understood the gist of it. The horror, blood and death added with the mystery of the deformed creatures was perfect for me.

Would definitely add this into Horror series to track and read,

“Once you pass through this door,” he said, “your lives will never be the same. Welcome to AREA 51."

This is another thriller that takes us to Antarctica, which I love. A group of scientists are brought rather unwillingly together and flown to an abandoned Nazi camp on Antarctica.

There is a secret lake underneath the ice plus more that ties in with strange occurrences that all of the scientists have experienced at different spots all around the world.

The excitement ratchets up quickly as sound waves cause immediate changes underneath the ice and the scientists face an extraordinary danger that not all will escape from.

This was a quick moving scientific thriller that had just the right amount of science scattered throughout its pages.

I received this book from Kensington Books through Net Galley in exchange for my unbiased review.

Subhman by Michael McBride was received direct from the publisher. Michael has been around a while and his books rarely, if ever, disappoint his readers. Subhuman takes place in Antartica, a place very few will ever visit but many imagine going to. Anyway the book started out strong and then, in my opinion, got a little dialogue heavy but still moving along. The book ends with Unit 51, which is a series or a new set of connected books. Maybe not new but I had never heard of them. If you or someone you buy books for likes stories of Antartica, monster stories or creature books, that rarely slow down, certainly give this book a read.

4 stars

Michael McBride has crafted a well-written thriller that had me going right til the end. The story begins by chronicling the finds of shocking and misshapen humanoid remains in different parts of the world, hidden well and accompanied by dire warnings to those who disturbed them. Fast forward to the present, as a team heads to some mysterious underground ruins in Antarctica that the Nazis once sought to exploit and weaponize.

What the scientists find is an ancient organism that survives even in extreme climates, and some strange humanoid DNA. As they venture further into the ruins to unpack the secrets contained therein, their group is torn- some are fascinated by the ancient remains and want to push forward, others counsel caution amid fears that they could unleash hell upon themselves and the outside world. Though it takes the group some time to reach the endgame, there are some great creepy twists and turns here, with a good mix of ancient archaeology and exotic locales, combined with some apocalyptic-level creature horror. Felt a little like "The Thing" or "Alien" as the scientists search the underground caverns, and I really enjoyed it, which is why I'm giving it 5 stars. The novel left open the need for a sequel, and I look forward to it.

This book was awesome! It made me think of early James Rollins & Michael Crichton. I'm talking Jurassic Park and Ice Hunt. I'm talking a perfect blend of historical tidbits and cutting-edge science. I'm talking the start of a fantastic series. I absolutely loved the way the reader is introduced to the "team" and of course at the time the reader doesn't know they are going to be a team, but holy molly by the end of this book you sure do know it! This author understands the importance of story development. He did a fantastic job with the release of information to both the characters and the reader. This made for a very thrilling read. This title will be published on Oct 31, 2017. I received this from Netgalley. And if you like a smart, thriller with a dash of science fiction thrown in for good measure then mark your calendars for this title and then you will join me in eagerly awaiting the next title in the Unit 51 series.