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Scales: FINALIST FOR THE PHILIP K. DICK AWARD 2026
An electrifying thriller about species re-engineering run amok, Scales is a great, fast-paced read perfect for fans of Jurassic Park.
Eddie Boka’s first combat mission is a success... until he’s overwhelmed by a raging compulsion and eats an enemy soldier! His cannibalism threatens to derail the plans of Blayvine Industries, whose secret project has genetically enhanced Eddie and three other prototypes with reptilian DNA. The corporation needs Eddie’s urges brought under control before it can introduce its dino-humans to the world and begin selling armies of them.
Facing a deadline for the big media unveiling, the corporation hires unorthodox therapist Adelaide “Addi” LaTour to treat Eddie’s cannibalism. Disparagingly known as the Electrobitch, Addi uses shock collars and severe behavioral conditioning to overcome compulsions. Eddie is revolted by her methods and the two of them clash... violently.
But she overcomes his resistance and he learns self-control, leading to the dino-humans’ successful public unveiling. Things soon fall apart, however. A retrovert – a vicious saurian predator – escapes its
enclosure and goes on a lethal rampage. Worse chaos erupts when Eddie and Addi, in violation of the rules, start an affair, triggering a devastating chain of events that threatens to bring down the entire project...
Eddie Boka’s first combat mission is a success... until he’s overwhelmed by a raging compulsion and eats an enemy soldier! His cannibalism threatens to derail the plans of Blayvine Industries, whose secret project has genetically enhanced Eddie and three other prototypes with reptilian DNA. The corporation needs Eddie’s urges brought under control before it can introduce its dino-humans to the world and begin selling armies of them.
Facing a deadline for the big media unveiling, the corporation hires unorthodox therapist Adelaide “Addi” LaTour to treat Eddie’s cannibalism. Disparagingly known as the Electrobitch, Addi uses shock collars and severe behavioral conditioning to overcome compulsions. Eddie is revolted by her methods and the two of them clash... violently.
But she overcomes his resistance and he learns self-control, leading to the dino-humans’ successful public unveiling. Things soon fall apart, however. A retrovert – a vicious saurian predator – escapes its
enclosure and goes on a lethal rampage. Worse chaos erupts when Eddie and Addi, in violation of the rules, start an affair, triggering a devastating chain of events that threatens to bring down the entire project...
- GenresScience FictionThriller
432 pages, Paperback
First published April 8, 2025
10 people are currently reading
226 people want to read
About the author
Christopher Hinz
53 books75 followersChristopher Hinz is an author of science fiction thrillers – novels, comic books, screenplays and more.
Born in 1951 in Reading, PA, USA, his early passion for all things SF led to the writing of his first “book” in elementary school. A four-page epic, it featured a giant monster brought back from Mars who escapes and climbs the tallest building in Chicago, only to be blasted from that perch with a nuclear cannon. The inevitable fallout, along with other youthful digressions, steered Hinz away from science fiction writing – and Chicago – for many years.
His first mature work,LIEGE-KILLER, was originally published in 1987 by St. Martin’s Press. ANACHRONISMS, ASH OCK and THE PARATWA soon followed. The latter two novels, together with LIEGE-KILLER, form “The Paratwa Saga.”
A subsequent foray into comic books led to a number of publications, including creator-owned GEMINI BLOOD (with artist Tommy Lee Edwards) and DEAD CORPS (with artist Steve Pugh) for DC Comics, and BLADE for Marvel Comics, also with Pugh. An evolution into screenwriting resulted in the sale of BINARY, a script based on LIEGE-KILLER.
In addition to other SF projects, he has worked a variety of Earth-based jobs, including picture framer, turret-lathe operator, TV technical director and newspaper staff writer. He has played in rock bands, modeled dioramas and designed and marketed an auto racing board game. He currently creates new stories from the semi-seclusion of a wooded realm in Berks County, Pennsylvania.
Born in 1951 in Reading, PA, USA, his early passion for all things SF led to the writing of his first “book” in elementary school. A four-page epic, it featured a giant monster brought back from Mars who escapes and climbs the tallest building in Chicago, only to be blasted from that perch with a nuclear cannon. The inevitable fallout, along with other youthful digressions, steered Hinz away from science fiction writing – and Chicago – for many years.
His first mature work,LIEGE-KILLER, was originally published in 1987 by St. Martin’s Press. ANACHRONISMS, ASH OCK and THE PARATWA soon followed. The latter two novels, together with LIEGE-KILLER, form “The Paratwa Saga.”
A subsequent foray into comic books led to a number of publications, including creator-owned GEMINI BLOOD (with artist Tommy Lee Edwards) and DEAD CORPS (with artist Steve Pugh) for DC Comics, and BLADE for Marvel Comics, also with Pugh. An evolution into screenwriting resulted in the sale of BINARY, a script based on LIEGE-KILLER.
In addition to other SF projects, he has worked a variety of Earth-based jobs, including picture framer, turret-lathe operator, TV technical director and newspaper staff writer. He has played in rock bands, modeled dioramas and designed and marketed an auto racing board game. He currently creates new stories from the semi-seclusion of a wooded realm in Berks County, Pennsylvania.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
April 27, 2025
Weird story but definitely an entertaining audiobook
May 11, 2025
Near-future thriller, in which
Bio-Augmented
Super-Soldiers
become pawns in the conspiracies of their
Villain with Good Publicity
creators.
Bio-Augmented Super Soldiers, this one not as handsome as Boka
My dead tree copy was 427 pages. It had a 2025 US copyright.
Christopher Hinz is an American writer of science fiction and graphic novels. He is the author of at least 10 novels in one series and standalone. I've read several books by the author, the last being Binary Storm (my review).
I’ve been a fan of Hinze's 35-year old Paratwa Series, a series that I first read long ago. He's not a very prolific author of novels. Graphic novels are more of his focus. When I come upon one of his books on a store shelf, I typically pick it up. This particular store's proprietor, saw me and gave this book a hard sell.
TL;DR
Eddie Boka, an incarcarated US soldier gets An Offer You Can't Refuse . He and others in the same situation "volunteer" to be the subjects of corporate doctors Playing with Syringes working for the Government to produce prototype super soldiers. However, the Beast Men's Instincts Start Showing . A controversial, woman psychiatrist was brought in to fix them. The Florence Nightingale Effect flourishes between Boka and his therapist.
Meanwhile, internal dissent within the the Corporate Conspiracy causes the whole program to unravel and the principals to be Hoist By Their Own Petard .
This was an action-heavy story. Pacing was languid, until the wheels fell-off in the last hundred pages. There was a rush to and overly melodramatic ending with both an anticipated and an very unlikely reveal.
The Review
Hinz is an OK author. The prose was OK. In some places it was good. In others it was a tad awkward. Descriptive prose was OK. Although, Hinz didn't uniformly use the proper Army-lingo for helicopter and tactical operations. Dialog was likewise OK. However, the Boka protagonist had some sappy dialogue that could have been better. Action was frantic in places and well choreographed. In addition, there was a healthy, amount of exposition in the narrative. Most if it was related to future biotech. Some of it was very good.
There were two main POVs, and a couple of minor ones. Eddie Boka was the nominal protagonist, with Adelaide LaTour his love interest in close support. Boka was a Ridiculously Average Guy who made some wrong choices. He becomes a beast man and finds that he could become bestial in the heat of combat. (Not a good look.) Frankly, I would have preferred Ft. Leavenworth (military prison), with time-off for good behavior, than the self-mutilation of permanently becoming a bestial super soldier? I'm also familiar with non-commissioned members of the US Army. Boka's dialog and inner dialog was not consistent with being one. LaTour was a psychiatrist with Beauty, Brains, and Brawn , hired to sooth the savage in the beasts through Behavioral Conditioning . (I'm surprised she still had her license?) I'm familiar with mental health professionals too. LaTour's dialog and inner dialog was not consistent with being one. The switching between the two main characters was well done.
Other POVs were provided by Wesk, an omnipotent AI, and Pierre Fortier, LaTour's elderly, disabled, Cajun, father's carer. Wesk's never voiced observations on humanity, could be amusing. Although, I'd have expected it to have obeyed Isaac Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics" ? Why Fortier had a POV given his limited part in the story was a mystery to me.
Antagonists were a: Mad Scientist , Corrupt Corporate Executive , and You Are What You Hate bigots.
The other characters (soldiers, scientists, medical professionals, journos, and rural Americans) were thick-enough for their limited roles.
There were two plot threads in the story. The ‘A’ Plot was the secret super-soldier project contracted by the Army to a corrupt corporation. The project's principals didn't have the volunteer's or the Army's best interests as a primary concern. The ‘B’ Plot was the rise, fall and rise of the Boka and LaTour Beauty and the Beast relationship. I had a real problem with the ending. It was too Graphic Novel-esque. First, a regular, almost stately pacing turned into a sprint at the end. Then Hinz tied-off all the hanging sub-plots in the last 60-pages of 425. This included an amping-up of melodrama, a Hidden Badass , and a You Can't Thwart Stage One ending. By pages alone, I thought Hinz looked to be heading for a HFN that would segue this book into another book? The end was a too obvious muddle.
The story contained: sex, drugs, no Rock ‘n Roll and ultra-violence.
The protagonists have consensual, inter-species, sex. Sexual assault and rape were threatened. All sex was of the fade to black type with a not overly descriptive pre-amble. Non-hetrosexual sex appeared in the narrative. Alcohol was consumed in moderation. No tobacco or illegal drugs were consumed. (This was atypical of special forces soldiers, who thrive on nicotine and caffeine.) Live music venues were visited, but the music was not discussed.
Violence was ultra-violence. It was physical (including tooth and claw), edged-weapons, and military-grade firearms. Both of the protagonists were Action-type characters, proficient with firearms and made liberal use of them. Boka's transformation left him remarkably resilient and near bulletproof. Resulting trauma from violence was moderately descriptive. Body count was high.
World building was good. This being a near-future story, nothing, except for the bio-technology to perform the Zoomorphism required any hand-waving. There was a liberal use of lazy Hollywood Hacking . Fortunately, the Wesk AI's capability likely won't exist for awhile yet?
Location of the story was: Central American, rural West Virginia, and the Louisiana bayou. The exact locations were obfuscated to avoid identification. Whilst there is an Axton, Virginia, there is not an Axton, West Virginia, which along with its environs was the site of most of the story.
Summary
The story was a graphic novel in novel form with an over-abundance of old chestnutty tropes . The pacing was a bit 'off' too. However, it was not a difficult read.
Hinz’s comic book chops shown through too brightly in places. Well known, daisy-chained, thinly disguised tropes abounded. My suspension of belief was severely challenged with several of them. I kept being reminded of the book's marketing promised Jurassic Park's (1993) world building. (If that wasn't derivative enough?) In addition, Boka and LaTour had problems staying in character. The rush to the end was a rout. The end result was mixed. This wasn’t a bad read, but it was not as good as I had expected it to be.
Bio-Augmented Super Soldiers, this one not as handsome as Boka
My dead tree copy was 427 pages. It had a 2025 US copyright.
Christopher Hinz is an American writer of science fiction and graphic novels. He is the author of at least 10 novels in one series and standalone. I've read several books by the author, the last being Binary Storm (my review).
I’ve been a fan of Hinze's 35-year old Paratwa Series, a series that I first read long ago. He's not a very prolific author of novels. Graphic novels are more of his focus. When I come upon one of his books on a store shelf, I typically pick it up. This particular store's proprietor, saw me and gave this book a hard sell.
TL;DR
Eddie Boka, an incarcarated US soldier gets An Offer You Can't Refuse . He and others in the same situation "volunteer" to be the subjects of corporate doctors Playing with Syringes working for the Government to produce prototype super soldiers. However, the Beast Men's Instincts Start Showing . A controversial, woman psychiatrist was brought in to fix them. The Florence Nightingale Effect flourishes between Boka and his therapist.
Meanwhile, internal dissent within the the Corporate Conspiracy causes the whole program to unravel and the principals to be Hoist By Their Own Petard .
This was an action-heavy story. Pacing was languid, until the wheels fell-off in the last hundred pages. There was a rush to and overly melodramatic ending with both an anticipated and an very unlikely reveal.
The Review
Hinz is an OK author. The prose was OK. In some places it was good. In others it was a tad awkward. Descriptive prose was OK. Although, Hinz didn't uniformly use the proper Army-lingo for helicopter and tactical operations. Dialog was likewise OK. However, the Boka protagonist had some sappy dialogue that could have been better. Action was frantic in places and well choreographed. In addition, there was a healthy, amount of exposition in the narrative. Most if it was related to future biotech. Some of it was very good.
There were two main POVs, and a couple of minor ones. Eddie Boka was the nominal protagonist, with Adelaide LaTour his love interest in close support. Boka was a Ridiculously Average Guy who made some wrong choices. He becomes a beast man and finds that he could become bestial in the heat of combat. (Not a good look.) Frankly, I would have preferred Ft. Leavenworth (military prison), with time-off for good behavior, than the self-mutilation of permanently becoming a bestial super soldier? I'm also familiar with non-commissioned members of the US Army. Boka's dialog and inner dialog was not consistent with being one. LaTour was a psychiatrist with Beauty, Brains, and Brawn , hired to sooth the savage in the beasts through Behavioral Conditioning . (I'm surprised she still had her license?) I'm familiar with mental health professionals too. LaTour's dialog and inner dialog was not consistent with being one. The switching between the two main characters was well done.
Other POVs were provided by Wesk, an omnipotent AI, and Pierre Fortier, LaTour's elderly, disabled, Cajun, father's carer. Wesk's never voiced observations on humanity, could be amusing. Although, I'd have expected it to have obeyed Isaac Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics" ? Why Fortier had a POV given his limited part in the story was a mystery to me.
Antagonists were a: Mad Scientist , Corrupt Corporate Executive , and You Are What You Hate bigots.
The other characters (soldiers, scientists, medical professionals, journos, and rural Americans) were thick-enough for their limited roles.
There were two plot threads in the story. The ‘A’ Plot was the secret super-soldier project contracted by the Army to a corrupt corporation. The project's principals didn't have the volunteer's or the Army's best interests as a primary concern. The ‘B’ Plot was the rise, fall and rise of the Boka and LaTour Beauty and the Beast relationship. I had a real problem with the ending. It was too Graphic Novel-esque. First, a regular, almost stately pacing turned into a sprint at the end. Then Hinz tied-off all the hanging sub-plots in the last 60-pages of 425. This included an amping-up of melodrama, a Hidden Badass , and a You Can't Thwart Stage One ending. By pages alone, I thought Hinz looked to be heading for a HFN that would segue this book into another book? The end was a too obvious muddle.
The story contained: sex, drugs, no Rock ‘n Roll and ultra-violence.
The protagonists have consensual, inter-species, sex. Sexual assault and rape were threatened. All sex was of the fade to black type with a not overly descriptive pre-amble. Non-hetrosexual sex appeared in the narrative. Alcohol was consumed in moderation. No tobacco or illegal drugs were consumed. (This was atypical of special forces soldiers, who thrive on nicotine and caffeine.) Live music venues were visited, but the music was not discussed.
Violence was ultra-violence. It was physical (including tooth and claw), edged-weapons, and military-grade firearms. Both of the protagonists were Action-type characters, proficient with firearms and made liberal use of them. Boka's transformation left him remarkably resilient and near bulletproof. Resulting trauma from violence was moderately descriptive. Body count was high.
World building was good. This being a near-future story, nothing, except for the bio-technology to perform the Zoomorphism required any hand-waving. There was a liberal use of lazy Hollywood Hacking . Fortunately, the Wesk AI's capability likely won't exist for awhile yet?
Location of the story was: Central American, rural West Virginia, and the Louisiana bayou. The exact locations were obfuscated to avoid identification. Whilst there is an Axton, Virginia, there is not an Axton, West Virginia, which along with its environs was the site of most of the story.
Summary
The story was a graphic novel in novel form with an over-abundance of old chestnutty tropes . The pacing was a bit 'off' too. However, it was not a difficult read.
Hinz’s comic book chops shown through too brightly in places. Well known, daisy-chained, thinly disguised tropes abounded. My suspension of belief was severely challenged with several of them. I kept being reminded of the book's marketing promised Jurassic Park's (1993) world building. (If that wasn't derivative enough?) In addition, Boka and LaTour had problems staying in character. The rush to the end was a rout. The end result was mixed. This wasn’t a bad read, but it was not as good as I had expected it to be.
April 8, 2025
Review originally on JamReads
Scales is a fast-paced sci-fi thriller, written by Christopher Hinz, and published by Angry Robot Books. A fun and absorbing read, perfect for fans of Jurassic World, which cleverly plays with the premise of the first dino-human soldiers, with plenty of action and some unexpected twists that kept me reading until the end.
Eddie Boka is one of the first four dino-human hybrid soldiers; all is going smoothly with the project until Boka feels a compulsion to eat an enemy combatant during a mission, threatening to derail the whole project. With the public unveiling on the horizon, Blayvine Industries hires Addie LaTour, an unconventional therapist, to keep his cannibalistic tendencies at bay; but not only we will have complications as other experiments go wrong, as a spark will ignite the relationship between Addie and Boka, a forbidden attraction that can't happen.
While it is true that characterization suffers a bit in benefit of the pacing, Hinz manages to give us enough brushstrokes about each one of the characters; Addie herself is a complicated character, with her unconventional methods that put other professionals against her, but we also have an intelligent and brave character. Eddie fits a bit in the prototypical hero archetype, struggling with his condition, but also trying to do the best he can to help. The romance between them is fitting, even if can be seen as a bit wrong due to the relationship between patient and doctor.
The villain is a bit cartoonish, especially after all is revealed, but he adequately fulfills the role as the antagonist in the shadows.
The pacing is excellent. There's a great mix between action and slower scenes, and seriously, Hinz shows his skill when writing tense moments: while it is a bit on the gory side, it feels like a movie, allowing you to follow all without any kind of complication.
Scales is a fun, action packed sci-fi thriller, perfect if you are looking for a fast read that keeps you hooked until the very last page; a really enjoyable book that I totally recommend if you are a fan of Jurassic World!
Scales is a fast-paced sci-fi thriller, written by Christopher Hinz, and published by Angry Robot Books. A fun and absorbing read, perfect for fans of Jurassic World, which cleverly plays with the premise of the first dino-human soldiers, with plenty of action and some unexpected twists that kept me reading until the end.
Eddie Boka is one of the first four dino-human hybrid soldiers; all is going smoothly with the project until Boka feels a compulsion to eat an enemy combatant during a mission, threatening to derail the whole project. With the public unveiling on the horizon, Blayvine Industries hires Addie LaTour, an unconventional therapist, to keep his cannibalistic tendencies at bay; but not only we will have complications as other experiments go wrong, as a spark will ignite the relationship between Addie and Boka, a forbidden attraction that can't happen.
While it is true that characterization suffers a bit in benefit of the pacing, Hinz manages to give us enough brushstrokes about each one of the characters; Addie herself is a complicated character, with her unconventional methods that put other professionals against her, but we also have an intelligent and brave character. Eddie fits a bit in the prototypical hero archetype, struggling with his condition, but also trying to do the best he can to help. The romance between them is fitting, even if can be seen as a bit wrong due to the relationship between patient and doctor.
The villain is a bit cartoonish, especially after all is revealed, but he adequately fulfills the role as the antagonist in the shadows.
The pacing is excellent. There's a great mix between action and slower scenes, and seriously, Hinz shows his skill when writing tense moments: while it is a bit on the gory side, it feels like a movie, allowing you to follow all without any kind of complication.
Scales is a fun, action packed sci-fi thriller, perfect if you are looking for a fast read that keeps you hooked until the very last page; a really enjoyable book that I totally recommend if you are a fan of Jurassic World!
May 6, 2025
Thank you to Angry Robot for the physical review copy!
A group of four have been genetically and surgically modified with traits and scales from our prehistoric apex predators. This is meant to be the next step in warfare, a way to up the ante, but also a way to ultimately protect lives. Naturally, there are some rather strange side effects when you attempt to turn humans into something else.
As the blurb mentions, the novel opens up with a bit of a mishap. Eddie Boka, the poster boy for Project Saurian, has accidentally given into his T-Rex-infused DNA and cannibalized an enemy solider during his first live mission. In the fear of the information leaking, or the project missing its launch date, extreme therapist Addi LaTour is brought in. The hope is that her method of shock therapy will be enough to train Eddie out of it. But Eddie’s upbeat, overcome-it-all attitude has created a spark that transcends typically patient-doctor transference. There’s something more between them, and although romance isn’t the focal point, it does propel this journey.
To be honest, other than the use of dino DNA, I think the “perfect for fans of Jurassic Park” may be a bit out there. It doesn’t go so heavy on the actual science it took to get the dino-humans to the stage they’re at, so this falls more into the realm of thriller. Although the later fights definitely have the vibe. But also, how do you even classify something like this? It doesn’t even really follow the natural flow of a novel at times either, and yet I found it works. It is intriguing enough that even when it isn’t fast it’s good, and when it took off it didn’t stop until it ended. Fast, brutal, and with intriguing deception I really was not expecting.
A military thriller meets science fiction. A blend of billionaire gone wrong and medical/scientific advancement. I really wondered how the science would make it all work. Like wouldn’t their bodies refuse the foreign changes? Never a bad job when a book intrigues you!
This novel also opened up the debate of cannibalism. The dino-humans started as naturally born human males, but since the transfusions and surgeries, they are kind of classified as something other. That includes in the public eye, with many labeling them as freaks. So it just kept standing out every time I read the word—if they aren’t being considered humans anymore, is it even really cannibalism? While it remains disturbing and unacceptable regardless, I wondered what it would be called otherwise. Where does science take that step past alteration and actual end up making something new?
https://fanfiaddict.com/review-scales...
A group of four have been genetically and surgically modified with traits and scales from our prehistoric apex predators. This is meant to be the next step in warfare, a way to up the ante, but also a way to ultimately protect lives. Naturally, there are some rather strange side effects when you attempt to turn humans into something else.
As the blurb mentions, the novel opens up with a bit of a mishap. Eddie Boka, the poster boy for Project Saurian, has accidentally given into his T-Rex-infused DNA and cannibalized an enemy solider during his first live mission. In the fear of the information leaking, or the project missing its launch date, extreme therapist Addi LaTour is brought in. The hope is that her method of shock therapy will be enough to train Eddie out of it. But Eddie’s upbeat, overcome-it-all attitude has created a spark that transcends typically patient-doctor transference. There’s something more between them, and although romance isn’t the focal point, it does propel this journey.
To be honest, other than the use of dino DNA, I think the “perfect for fans of Jurassic Park” may be a bit out there. It doesn’t go so heavy on the actual science it took to get the dino-humans to the stage they’re at, so this falls more into the realm of thriller. Although the later fights definitely have the vibe. But also, how do you even classify something like this? It doesn’t even really follow the natural flow of a novel at times either, and yet I found it works. It is intriguing enough that even when it isn’t fast it’s good, and when it took off it didn’t stop until it ended. Fast, brutal, and with intriguing deception I really was not expecting.
A military thriller meets science fiction. A blend of billionaire gone wrong and medical/scientific advancement. I really wondered how the science would make it all work. Like wouldn’t their bodies refuse the foreign changes? Never a bad job when a book intrigues you!
This novel also opened up the debate of cannibalism. The dino-humans started as naturally born human males, but since the transfusions and surgeries, they are kind of classified as something other. That includes in the public eye, with many labeling them as freaks. So it just kept standing out every time I read the word—if they aren’t being considered humans anymore, is it even really cannibalism? While it remains disturbing and unacceptable regardless, I wondered what it would be called otherwise. Where does science take that step past alteration and actual end up making something new?
https://fanfiaddict.com/review-scales...
April 20, 2025
A multilayered thriller that highlights how psychopaths shouldn't be at the elm of anything, especially projects that involve DNA hybridisation with dinosaurs!
I have to admit that I expected something different and it took me a little while to get into the story and to warm up to the characters, but after the first half things got really interesting when the different layers of this novel surfaced.
I think this novel not only underlines that humans really shouldn't be messing with nature, but also why psychopaths are not the right choice of leaders for anything!
On top of that we have another thread, the fear of the “different” and the “unknown” and how this can be overcome by knowledge instead of ignorance.
This is a thriller that gets better and better the more the story unfolds, until one of the very last scenes, one of my favourites. I can still picture it and it makes my skin crawl.
If you're a fan of Jurassic Park, you might enjoy this one, although expect something different as well.
Thanks to the author and Angry Robot Books for a copy and this is my honest opinion.
I have to admit that I expected something different and it took me a little while to get into the story and to warm up to the characters, but after the first half things got really interesting when the different layers of this novel surfaced.
I think this novel not only underlines that humans really shouldn't be messing with nature, but also why psychopaths are not the right choice of leaders for anything!
On top of that we have another thread, the fear of the “different” and the “unknown” and how this can be overcome by knowledge instead of ignorance.
This is a thriller that gets better and better the more the story unfolds, until one of the very last scenes, one of my favourites. I can still picture it and it makes my skin crawl.
If you're a fan of Jurassic Park, you might enjoy this one, although expect something different as well.
Thanks to the author and Angry Robot Books for a copy and this is my honest opinion.
April 13, 2025
Thank you to Angry Robot for a copy of this novel. Here are my thoughts!
Four soldiers are bioengineered with dinosaur DNA as a test case. Everything seems to be going well, until Eddie Boka gives in to his cannibalistic urges and suddenly everyone at Blayvine Industries is trying to cover it up. Slowly, the corruption behind the project unravels and the four soldiers don’t know who to trust. Perhaps the therapist, Adelaide, will be able to help them, or maybe she will make everything worse? Either way, you’re in for a wild ride.
This is one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I love Jurassic Park, and I feel you can’t go wrong with dinosaurs. And it was wildly entertaining but different from what I was expecting! I thought this was going to be an insane, action-packed read. There are some chunks that are very exciting and thrilling but there is also an incredible plot. I was much more intrigued by the internal conflicts than I was expecting. It was very well written and despite its length, it read quite quickly.
I liked all the soldiers and the therapist character. They were all unique and had vulnerabilities that made them feel human, despite being partially dinosaur. There is also a big twist about 80% of the way that I absolutely did not see coming. I was so excited by the twist, and it will probably be one of the better unexpected plot twists I’ll read this year.
There are some horror aspects, such as cannibalism and violence but overall, it is much more about government corruption type stuff than full out gruesome horror. For this reason, I think it’s very approachable for people who like to read action but don’t love the spooky bits.
Couldn’t be happier with how this one turned out!
Four soldiers are bioengineered with dinosaur DNA as a test case. Everything seems to be going well, until Eddie Boka gives in to his cannibalistic urges and suddenly everyone at Blayvine Industries is trying to cover it up. Slowly, the corruption behind the project unravels and the four soldiers don’t know who to trust. Perhaps the therapist, Adelaide, will be able to help them, or maybe she will make everything worse? Either way, you’re in for a wild ride.
This is one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I love Jurassic Park, and I feel you can’t go wrong with dinosaurs. And it was wildly entertaining but different from what I was expecting! I thought this was going to be an insane, action-packed read. There are some chunks that are very exciting and thrilling but there is also an incredible plot. I was much more intrigued by the internal conflicts than I was expecting. It was very well written and despite its length, it read quite quickly.
I liked all the soldiers and the therapist character. They were all unique and had vulnerabilities that made them feel human, despite being partially dinosaur. There is also a big twist about 80% of the way that I absolutely did not see coming. I was so excited by the twist, and it will probably be one of the better unexpected plot twists I’ll read this year.
There are some horror aspects, such as cannibalism and violence but overall, it is much more about government corruption type stuff than full out gruesome horror. For this reason, I think it’s very approachable for people who like to read action but don’t love the spooky bits.
Couldn’t be happier with how this one turned out!
February 5, 2025
This book has a fun and interesting sci fi premise that it delivers on nicely. The characters are engaging and realistic in their choices and motivations. The pacing is excellent. There is plenty of action, and some surprising twists I didn't see coming. This was a fun book to read and it avoided some common pitfalls that genre fiction can fall into.
Once of my favorite aspects was the way the author introduced and described the characters just enough to flesh them out and didn't go into every little detail. They all had distinct believable personalities and motives that made sense. None of them felt like stereotypes.
I also felt the pacing was excellent. The story moved forward and flowed nicely, but it wasn't over too quickly. It was fun to keep reading just to see what would happen next, and have that to look forward too whenever I took a break from reading.
Once of my favorite aspects was the way the author introduced and described the characters just enough to flesh them out and didn't go into every little detail. They all had distinct believable personalities and motives that made sense. None of them felt like stereotypes.
I also felt the pacing was excellent. The story moved forward and flowed nicely, but it wasn't over too quickly. It was fun to keep reading just to see what would happen next, and have that to look forward too whenever I took a break from reading.
Read
September 4, 2025DNF at 40% - just really poorly paced and written. It has a great concept, and almost gets there, but the tone is so academic and serious. It doesn’t fit at all with the premise, which sucks all the potential humor out of it. I was gonna finish for the hell of it, but the romance that the author decided to throw in? Yeah, literally skipped over the weeks of developing feelings. Just went to the next chapter and said “a few weeks later, he had completely changed his mind about her and now he was developing feelings.” Literally.
November 25, 2025
Super-duper-dinosaur/human-soldiers? Evil Leader and Evil Scientist working together? Sign me the hell up.......... Oh gosh, I loved this book! So much! It was cheesy, action packed, unbelievable goodness with a bit of weird science thrown in. It was just so much fun. The characters were great and I love a good villain to rally against. The twist with one of the characters towards the end was brilliant, I genuinely never guessed that it was coming. And dang if it didn't have the little side romance and sexual confusion that I never knew that I needed in my life. I didn't want this book to end to be honest.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
June 5, 2025
3 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2025/06/05/...
Before I get into the meat of this review, I’ll admit I feel a little bit duped. When I first saw the book’s blurb pitching Scales as a perfect read for fans of Jurassic Park, I’d initially pictured rampaging dinos. The truth is actually something quite different. While I would still classify this novel as a techno-thriller, and there was no doubt some bioethical questions involved, its premise nonetheless puts it more in line with military sci-fi, super soldiers, and covert ops fiction. That said, once expectations are readjusted, you may yet find a certain appeal to this high-octane action thriller.
The story follows Eddie Boka, a U.S. soldier turned genetically modified superhuman as part of a classified military experimental program fusing human and dinosaur DNA. After going through the genetic modifications, he and three other volunteers for the program are gifted with enhanced strength, more acute senses, and scaly armor, making them deadly and durable combatants on the battlefield. However, these newfound talents also come with an unfortunate side effect. Dubbed the bloodburn, it is a primal compulsion that takes over during combat, and it strikes Eddie during his first mission. While carrying out an attack on a guerilla camp, he loses control, giving in to a violent and animalistic urge to devour one of his victims. Alarmed, the researchers behind the program realize they must address this gruesome development before introducing their dino-human hybrids to the public. After all, it would be extremely difficult to generate support if people were to find out Eddie and his peers harbor a tendency towards cannibalism.
Thus, enter Adelaide LaTour. A controversial psychotherapist, Addi is the inventor of an effective but much maligned treatment process involving conditioning with what is essentially a very powerful shock collar. By inviting her to the research complex to work with Eddie, his handlers hope that her unorthodox methods will help tamp down the bloodburn and its undesirable urges. And yet, what neither Addi nor Eddie anticipated was the bond that forms between them, one that eventually deepens into something more. Meanwhile, as their forbidden romance grows even more complex, the facility’s darker secrets are also beginning to surface. Hidden experiments that have been kept buried by the megalomaniacal scientist behind the program are ultimately exposed, threatening the future and lives of human-dino hybrid soldiers like Eddie.
From the jump, this story throws readers into a fast-paced adventure that rarely lets up. Hinz is in his element and appears most comfortable when he’s writing action like covert mission detail and close-quarter combat situations, appearing to have a strong grasp of the genre’s expectations. The book is also most compelling when it explores Eddie’s physical transformation and the bioengineering experimentation that happens behind the scenes, and there’s a subtle yet intriguing thread of ethical questions underlying this premise, exploring the issues of control, consent, and institutional overreach.
However, beyond this is where the novel starts to falter. As much fun as I had with the action, something felt missing: depth. For one, there is a distinct lack of emotional substance as characters rarely show much of themselves underneath the surface, acting more like archetypes than real people. Eddie is the tortured and noble soldier, who is good at heart but made some mistakes in his youth. Addi is the brilliant but morally ambiguous therapist, who is more concerned about her reputation than she lets on. Sure, these labels are easy enough to apply, but what led them to be this way? We don’t really know, because the story never goes deeper. Side characters are even more roughly sketched, filling cookie cutter roles like “mad scientist” or “hard-ass military commander.”
To be honest, this is all fine if you’re okay with a book equivalent of a mindless summer Hollywood blockbuster, but Scales really pushed its luck when it came to the romance between Eddie and Addi. Not surprisingly, when you put two thinly developed characters together, the result is you get zero chemistry and an unnatural, unconvincing relationship that ultimately feels like a rush job. And it’s a shame, really. It’s as though Hinz’s instincts told him his novel needed a love story, but he couldn’t quite write one in with genuine feeling.
Needless to say, the book also requires you to suspend your disbelief, though to be fair, that’s a pretty standard prerequisite when it comes to sci-fi thrillers of this type. Much of it is also entertaining, but in many ways makes it feel more like reading a comic book or watching a movie rather than a novel, and no doubt the author’s comics and screenplay writing background plays into this. Everything might feel bold and loud, yet the words are missing that special ingredient that gives the prose presence and polish.
In the end, Scales was a decent read. It’s popcorn fiction in every sense of the term, featuring big ideas, big stakes, and big action, even if it doesn’t fully commit to exploring much beyond the surface. There’s no doubt a lot of entertainment to be found here, especially if you don’t mind a bit of genre absurdity. For me, this was a perfectly average read, though I did appreciate the diversion.
Before I get into the meat of this review, I’ll admit I feel a little bit duped. When I first saw the book’s blurb pitching Scales as a perfect read for fans of Jurassic Park, I’d initially pictured rampaging dinos. The truth is actually something quite different. While I would still classify this novel as a techno-thriller, and there was no doubt some bioethical questions involved, its premise nonetheless puts it more in line with military sci-fi, super soldiers, and covert ops fiction. That said, once expectations are readjusted, you may yet find a certain appeal to this high-octane action thriller.
The story follows Eddie Boka, a U.S. soldier turned genetically modified superhuman as part of a classified military experimental program fusing human and dinosaur DNA. After going through the genetic modifications, he and three other volunteers for the program are gifted with enhanced strength, more acute senses, and scaly armor, making them deadly and durable combatants on the battlefield. However, these newfound talents also come with an unfortunate side effect. Dubbed the bloodburn, it is a primal compulsion that takes over during combat, and it strikes Eddie during his first mission. While carrying out an attack on a guerilla camp, he loses control, giving in to a violent and animalistic urge to devour one of his victims. Alarmed, the researchers behind the program realize they must address this gruesome development before introducing their dino-human hybrids to the public. After all, it would be extremely difficult to generate support if people were to find out Eddie and his peers harbor a tendency towards cannibalism.
Thus, enter Adelaide LaTour. A controversial psychotherapist, Addi is the inventor of an effective but much maligned treatment process involving conditioning with what is essentially a very powerful shock collar. By inviting her to the research complex to work with Eddie, his handlers hope that her unorthodox methods will help tamp down the bloodburn and its undesirable urges. And yet, what neither Addi nor Eddie anticipated was the bond that forms between them, one that eventually deepens into something more. Meanwhile, as their forbidden romance grows even more complex, the facility’s darker secrets are also beginning to surface. Hidden experiments that have been kept buried by the megalomaniacal scientist behind the program are ultimately exposed, threatening the future and lives of human-dino hybrid soldiers like Eddie.
From the jump, this story throws readers into a fast-paced adventure that rarely lets up. Hinz is in his element and appears most comfortable when he’s writing action like covert mission detail and close-quarter combat situations, appearing to have a strong grasp of the genre’s expectations. The book is also most compelling when it explores Eddie’s physical transformation and the bioengineering experimentation that happens behind the scenes, and there’s a subtle yet intriguing thread of ethical questions underlying this premise, exploring the issues of control, consent, and institutional overreach.
However, beyond this is where the novel starts to falter. As much fun as I had with the action, something felt missing: depth. For one, there is a distinct lack of emotional substance as characters rarely show much of themselves underneath the surface, acting more like archetypes than real people. Eddie is the tortured and noble soldier, who is good at heart but made some mistakes in his youth. Addi is the brilliant but morally ambiguous therapist, who is more concerned about her reputation than she lets on. Sure, these labels are easy enough to apply, but what led them to be this way? We don’t really know, because the story never goes deeper. Side characters are even more roughly sketched, filling cookie cutter roles like “mad scientist” or “hard-ass military commander.”
To be honest, this is all fine if you’re okay with a book equivalent of a mindless summer Hollywood blockbuster, but Scales really pushed its luck when it came to the romance between Eddie and Addi. Not surprisingly, when you put two thinly developed characters together, the result is you get zero chemistry and an unnatural, unconvincing relationship that ultimately feels like a rush job. And it’s a shame, really. It’s as though Hinz’s instincts told him his novel needed a love story, but he couldn’t quite write one in with genuine feeling.
Needless to say, the book also requires you to suspend your disbelief, though to be fair, that’s a pretty standard prerequisite when it comes to sci-fi thrillers of this type. Much of it is also entertaining, but in many ways makes it feel more like reading a comic book or watching a movie rather than a novel, and no doubt the author’s comics and screenplay writing background plays into this. Everything might feel bold and loud, yet the words are missing that special ingredient that gives the prose presence and polish.
In the end, Scales was a decent read. It’s popcorn fiction in every sense of the term, featuring big ideas, big stakes, and big action, even if it doesn’t fully commit to exploring much beyond the surface. There’s no doubt a lot of entertainment to be found here, especially if you don’t mind a bit of genre absurdity. For me, this was a perfectly average read, though I did appreciate the diversion.
April 11, 2025
A 3.5 starrer (GR you genuinely need to do something about this half star)
This is a really fun book that channels Michael Crichton in a thrilling story. It has shades of Jurassic Park & Terminal man and the narrative is rocket powered. Dino-humans with a side of cannibalism is the genre I never knew I needed. The pyschotherapy angle introduced a layer of eroticism this book needed and the author is cognizant enough that he doesnt spend much time on the process and let the deed directly happen. The action sequences are fun and urgent and the thrills keep coming a mile a minute. For a book dealing with monsters, it makes sense that the real monsters are human beings.
That said, I do think the characters are just a little more than skin-deep but that is to be expected. While this is quite a solid book, I am a bit disappointed given this could have been so much more given the premise. There were so many ways where the author could have gone genuinely wild or expanded the scope, and while it doesnt detract from the current book, there is a fabulously wild book
in there which is left on the table. A tad more embrace of ambition and scope could have elevated this from a buy-in-the-airport-and-forget book to something special
**********************************************************************
I am thankful to Angry Robot and NetGalley for my review copy of Scales. Below are my honest thoughts on the same
Colin Trevorrow’s proposed follow-up to the Jurassic World movie explored ideas of human hybrid dinosaurs that could be weaponised and trained for military applications. While the franchise chose to go into the Fallen Kingdom route, Christopher Hinz’s conception of militarily engineered Dino-humans is a thrilling, exciting, action-packed novel that could have moved the Jurassic Park franchise in a completely new direction. It presents possibilities and is packed to the brim with some big ideas and isn’t afraid to take some big swings, making this the perfect airport novel
“Genius and Bizarre ideation often go hand in hand”
Eddie Boka’s first mission as a Dino-human results in success but also has unexpected side effects when Eddie chomps off an enemy combatant. With the official launch of the secret project just a few weeks away, the corporation behind Eddie and 3 other similar reptilian DNA-infused prospects decides to bring in an unorthodox therapist, Addi LaTour, to treat this cannibalism. This decision is rubber-stamped by the corporation’s military partners as well. Addi LaTour is controversial for her reliance on electrotherapy to condition behaviour, and this naturally upsets the scientists and therapists associated with the project. With the therapist on board and launch plans set in motion, complications arise as Eddie and Addi start developing feelings towards each other. The exposure of the base’s other forbidden experiments is the inciting element for non-stop mayhem with the usual hidden biases, secrets, and military and corporations’ incompetence coming into play
“Nothing is more detrimental to the cohesion of the social fabric than a human ego run amok”
Scales takes the Jurassic Park concept of the Dino DNA further into humans, and the opening of the book sets the tone for what follows. The book just plows through the plot while adding a lot of very interesting elements and big ideas. There is an AI (that is almost close to an AGI) that monitors the facility. There are hidden experiments that Eddie and the other don’t know that are also happening. Addi’s presence introduces elements of competition and jealousy among the other psychotherapists on the base. Eddie’s companions have secrets of their own, and he shares a particularly antagonistic relationship with one of the other Dino-humans. There is also a mysterious entity that seems to supply information to Eddie about happenings that the powers that be try to hide. This is a book that doesn’t have a dull moment through its run time
“Addi had imagined a host of psychological ailments she’d been recruited to treat. Cannibalism had not made the list.”
Addi, the electro-therapist is the catalyst even as Eddie gets increasingly attached to her. While relationships with Dino-humans are forbidden and have challenges, this new relationship development brings in significant challenges of its own. Even as Addi’s experiments show signs of success and Eddie prepares for a life assimilated with the society, the other experiments on the base go rogue, leading to several escalations across. At this point, the author makes an interesting choice - he chooses to go small and intimate here instead of going for a splash. This allows for the focus to lie on the lead characters and has a couple of claustrophobic action moments and choices - and it makes for an interesting read.
“They could not risk the dino-humans developing active libidos”
That said, given everything that the author had thrown in and introduced in terms of ideas, the choice to go small and limit the scope wasn’t a decision I agree with. This is a book that needed to go big and go hard. I felt there was just so much that the author could have done, but by limiting the scope, he narrows down the possibilities of some of the big ideas in the book. Some of these ideas die a rather premature death, while others are not given the impact that they possibly deserved. I found that rather frustrating - given that there was so much untapped potential. A cool idea only goes that far, but the author had built up the cool idea into several exciting possibilities only to choose a relatively safer one. For a book that swings hard almost till the mid-point of the book, it needed to swing even harder - ultimately, the absurdness dialled up further was just what this book needed and deserved
“Throughout history, those achieving the greatest financial success tend to be the most ethically and morally challenged.”
Again, I don’t want my expectations to play down what this book is - it is a fun, exciting, thrilling read that doesn’t have pages to waste nor breath to spare. It goes for the jugular directly and is pretty damn entertaining all the way. It could have been even better, even more blockbustery, if it had continued to go for swing for the fences rather than dialing down
Rating - 3.5 enhanced hybrids on 5
Full RTC
***************************************
This is a really fun book that channels Michael Crichton in a thrilling story. It has shades of Jurassic Park & Terminal man and the narrative is rocket powered. Dino-humans with a side of cannibalism is the genre I never knew I needed. The pyschotherapy angle introduced a layer of eroticism this book needed and the author is cognizant enough that he doesnt spend much time on the process and let the deed directly happen. The action sequences are fun and urgent and the thrills keep coming a mile a minute. For a book dealing with monsters, it makes sense that the real monsters are human beings.
That said, I do think the characters are just a little more than skin-deep but that is to be expected. While this is quite a solid book, I am a bit disappointed given this could have been so much more given the premise. There were so many ways where the author could have gone genuinely wild or expanded the scope, and while it doesnt detract from the current book, there is a fabulously wild book
in there which is left on the table. A tad more embrace of ambition and scope could have elevated this from a buy-in-the-airport-and-forget book to something special
**********************************************************************
I am thankful to Angry Robot and NetGalley for my review copy of Scales. Below are my honest thoughts on the same
Colin Trevorrow’s proposed follow-up to the Jurassic World movie explored ideas of human hybrid dinosaurs that could be weaponised and trained for military applications. While the franchise chose to go into the Fallen Kingdom route, Christopher Hinz’s conception of militarily engineered Dino-humans is a thrilling, exciting, action-packed novel that could have moved the Jurassic Park franchise in a completely new direction. It presents possibilities and is packed to the brim with some big ideas and isn’t afraid to take some big swings, making this the perfect airport novel
“Genius and Bizarre ideation often go hand in hand”
Eddie Boka’s first mission as a Dino-human results in success but also has unexpected side effects when Eddie chomps off an enemy combatant. With the official launch of the secret project just a few weeks away, the corporation behind Eddie and 3 other similar reptilian DNA-infused prospects decides to bring in an unorthodox therapist, Addi LaTour, to treat this cannibalism. This decision is rubber-stamped by the corporation’s military partners as well. Addi LaTour is controversial for her reliance on electrotherapy to condition behaviour, and this naturally upsets the scientists and therapists associated with the project. With the therapist on board and launch plans set in motion, complications arise as Eddie and Addi start developing feelings towards each other. The exposure of the base’s other forbidden experiments is the inciting element for non-stop mayhem with the usual hidden biases, secrets, and military and corporations’ incompetence coming into play
“Nothing is more detrimental to the cohesion of the social fabric than a human ego run amok”
Scales takes the Jurassic Park concept of the Dino DNA further into humans, and the opening of the book sets the tone for what follows. The book just plows through the plot while adding a lot of very interesting elements and big ideas. There is an AI (that is almost close to an AGI) that monitors the facility. There are hidden experiments that Eddie and the other don’t know that are also happening. Addi’s presence introduces elements of competition and jealousy among the other psychotherapists on the base. Eddie’s companions have secrets of their own, and he shares a particularly antagonistic relationship with one of the other Dino-humans. There is also a mysterious entity that seems to supply information to Eddie about happenings that the powers that be try to hide. This is a book that doesn’t have a dull moment through its run time
“Addi had imagined a host of psychological ailments she’d been recruited to treat. Cannibalism had not made the list.”
Addi, the electro-therapist is the catalyst even as Eddie gets increasingly attached to her. While relationships with Dino-humans are forbidden and have challenges, this new relationship development brings in significant challenges of its own. Even as Addi’s experiments show signs of success and Eddie prepares for a life assimilated with the society, the other experiments on the base go rogue, leading to several escalations across. At this point, the author makes an interesting choice - he chooses to go small and intimate here instead of going for a splash. This allows for the focus to lie on the lead characters and has a couple of claustrophobic action moments and choices - and it makes for an interesting read.
“They could not risk the dino-humans developing active libidos”
That said, given everything that the author had thrown in and introduced in terms of ideas, the choice to go small and limit the scope wasn’t a decision I agree with. This is a book that needed to go big and go hard. I felt there was just so much that the author could have done, but by limiting the scope, he narrows down the possibilities of some of the big ideas in the book. Some of these ideas die a rather premature death, while others are not given the impact that they possibly deserved. I found that rather frustrating - given that there was so much untapped potential. A cool idea only goes that far, but the author had built up the cool idea into several exciting possibilities only to choose a relatively safer one. For a book that swings hard almost till the mid-point of the book, it needed to swing even harder - ultimately, the absurdness dialled up further was just what this book needed and deserved
“Throughout history, those achieving the greatest financial success tend to be the most ethically and morally challenged.”
Again, I don’t want my expectations to play down what this book is - it is a fun, exciting, thrilling read that doesn’t have pages to waste nor breath to spare. It goes for the jugular directly and is pretty damn entertaining all the way. It could have been even better, even more blockbustery, if it had continued to go for swing for the fences rather than dialing down
Rating - 3.5 enhanced hybrids on 5
Full RTC
***************************************
April 9, 2025
Thank you to Angry Robot Books for the finished copy in exchange for an honest review.
Eddie Boka and three other soldiers have been selected to participate in highly classified Project Saurian, where they've been genetically enhanced with dinosaur DNA. On his first combat mission, Eddie is overcome with "bad yen" and gives in to a compulsion to eat an enemy soldier. Only three weeks away from the media unveiling of the project, Blayvine Corporation and the DoD hire unorthodox therapist Adelaide LaTour to ensure Eddie's cannibalistic compulsions are under control. Despite his initial resistance to Addi's shock therapy methods and his supposed inability to perform sexual activity due to his genetic enhancements, Eddie finds himself emotionally (and sexually) drawn to Addi.
I loved the premise of this one, and the story and pace felt engaging. Hinz gives enough explanation to the scientific experiments and advances to make it not feel completely made up but not so much that it felt like you were getting pulled into the weeds.
The reader gets the chance to see into the POV of a number of different characters, including Wesk, an AI who may or may not have developed some level of actual intelligence/sentience. I loved the incorporation of Wesk's "algorithmic speculations" throughout the book, adding to the appearance that he may be more than he was programmed to be.
I do wish there had been more on-page development of some of the characters and the relationships throughout the book. Although Eddie and Addi both experience an early attraction with each, we don't get to see much of their working sessions or the development of that initial attraction into something stronger. There also wasn't a lot of development given to Gideon and Julio, even though they play an important role in the last part of the book.
Read if you like:
Inter-species experiments
Artificial intelligence
Forbidden romance
Multi-POV
Queer rep
Eddie Boka and three other soldiers have been selected to participate in highly classified Project Saurian, where they've been genetically enhanced with dinosaur DNA. On his first combat mission, Eddie is overcome with "bad yen" and gives in to a compulsion to eat an enemy soldier. Only three weeks away from the media unveiling of the project, Blayvine Corporation and the DoD hire unorthodox therapist Adelaide LaTour to ensure Eddie's cannibalistic compulsions are under control. Despite his initial resistance to Addi's shock therapy methods and his supposed inability to perform sexual activity due to his genetic enhancements, Eddie finds himself emotionally (and sexually) drawn to Addi.
I loved the premise of this one, and the story and pace felt engaging. Hinz gives enough explanation to the scientific experiments and advances to make it not feel completely made up but not so much that it felt like you were getting pulled into the weeds.
The reader gets the chance to see into the POV of a number of different characters, including Wesk, an AI who may or may not have developed some level of actual intelligence/sentience. I loved the incorporation of Wesk's "algorithmic speculations" throughout the book, adding to the appearance that he may be more than he was programmed to be.
I do wish there had been more on-page development of some of the characters and the relationships throughout the book. Although Eddie and Addi both experience an early attraction with each, we don't get to see much of their working sessions or the development of that initial attraction into something stronger. There also wasn't a lot of development given to Gideon and Julio, even though they play an important role in the last part of the book.
Read if you like:
Inter-species experiments
Artificial intelligence
Forbidden romance
Multi-POV
Queer rep
April 6, 2025
Scales is a scifi thriller about a dinosaur-human hybrid soldier. Eddie Boka is one of only four of the military and Blayvine Industries’ secret new experimental super-soldiers. When he is overcome with a compulsion to eat an enemy combatant during his first otherwise successful mission, the corporation hires unconventional therapist Addi LaTour to manage his cannibalistic tendencies before the upcoming public media unveiling. Complications arise when sparks fly between them and further experiments are going awry. The powers-that-be aren’t afraid of doing damage control including eliminating those that aren’t going along with their plan.
This was just a really fun, action-packed read. As a comparison, I’d describe this as more Jurassic World than Jurassic Park (yes, there is a difference) meets an offbeat romance. The story is steadily paced and always entertaining, and I can totally see this being a movie. It does not go exactly where you expect with the pieces it set up while simultaneously also delivering exactly what it promises with its premise—a dino-human hero who beats up bad guys, rescues his friends, and gets the girl. There’s just way more gore with the action, quirkiness with the media blitz campaign, and a forbidden romance that comes with a side of electroshock therapy.
Eddie Boka is the likable everyman with his upbeat charm and geniality so he is easy to root for. Addi is the tough gal with a lot going on. Their romance, while forbidden, never actually feels too taboo with the patient-therapist relationship. I thought it fit well in between the action sequences, and the romance never fell far from the thriller aspect. There are also some interesting side characters who I do wish we got more of, but I think they may play bigger roles should there ever be any sequels.
Scales is a fun action-heavy scifi thriller that feels very Jurassic World with a more military bend.
*Thank you to Angry Robot Books for the early copy
This was just a really fun, action-packed read. As a comparison, I’d describe this as more Jurassic World than Jurassic Park (yes, there is a difference) meets an offbeat romance. The story is steadily paced and always entertaining, and I can totally see this being a movie. It does not go exactly where you expect with the pieces it set up while simultaneously also delivering exactly what it promises with its premise—a dino-human hero who beats up bad guys, rescues his friends, and gets the girl. There’s just way more gore with the action, quirkiness with the media blitz campaign, and a forbidden romance that comes with a side of electroshock therapy.
Eddie Boka is the likable everyman with his upbeat charm and geniality so he is easy to root for. Addi is the tough gal with a lot going on. Their romance, while forbidden, never actually feels too taboo with the patient-therapist relationship. I thought it fit well in between the action sequences, and the romance never fell far from the thriller aspect. There are also some interesting side characters who I do wish we got more of, but I think they may play bigger roles should there ever be any sequels.
Scales is a fun action-heavy scifi thriller that feels very Jurassic World with a more military bend.
*Thank you to Angry Robot Books for the early copy
February 19, 2025
*4.5 stars*
Scales is a great book for Jurassic Park fans looking for something new! I’m a big fan of the sci-fi creature feature, and this story checked all the boxes I was hoping for.
Blayvine Industries is secretly injecting soldiers with dinosaur DNA to create “super soldiers”, and it seems to be going well until one of their test subjects begins displaying cannibalistic tendencies. Desperate to figure out the issue so they can start selling their new “product”, Blayvine hires a therapist to treat the soldier. You can’t control nature, even if it’s been genetically modified; but Blayvine is determined to try anyways. What could go wrong?
This book is a really fun read. It’s fast-paced, with everything I enjoy about these types of stories: science gone wrong, capitalistic hubris exposed, and the inevitable fall out that occurs when man tries to control or mess with nature. Stories like this feel more relevant today than ever before, and I appreciated that the author didn’t pull any punches in his depiction of the corporation that puts money and profit over both human lives and the natural world. The main characters in the story aren’t always as developed as they could be, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story at all; I’ll be real, I was here to read about humans being injected with dinosaur DNA, and that’s what I got, so I’m perfectly happy with the story the way it is.
I would recommend Scales to any readers who love Jurassic Park and similar stories, as well as fans of sci-fi thrillers and creature features.
Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot Books for the arc! All thoughts & opinions in the review are my own.
Scales is a great book for Jurassic Park fans looking for something new! I’m a big fan of the sci-fi creature feature, and this story checked all the boxes I was hoping for.
Blayvine Industries is secretly injecting soldiers with dinosaur DNA to create “super soldiers”, and it seems to be going well until one of their test subjects begins displaying cannibalistic tendencies. Desperate to figure out the issue so they can start selling their new “product”, Blayvine hires a therapist to treat the soldier. You can’t control nature, even if it’s been genetically modified; but Blayvine is determined to try anyways. What could go wrong?
This book is a really fun read. It’s fast-paced, with everything I enjoy about these types of stories: science gone wrong, capitalistic hubris exposed, and the inevitable fall out that occurs when man tries to control or mess with nature. Stories like this feel more relevant today than ever before, and I appreciated that the author didn’t pull any punches in his depiction of the corporation that puts money and profit over both human lives and the natural world. The main characters in the story aren’t always as developed as they could be, but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story at all; I’ll be real, I was here to read about humans being injected with dinosaur DNA, and that’s what I got, so I’m perfectly happy with the story the way it is.
I would recommend Scales to any readers who love Jurassic Park and similar stories, as well as fans of sci-fi thrillers and creature features.
Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot Books for the arc! All thoughts & opinions in the review are my own.
Read
April 16, 2025SCALES was an immersive and fast-paced sci-fi thriller that hooked me within the first few pages. Eddie, the MC, is one of the first of his kind—an engineered human/dinosaur super soldier. His scales provide built-in armor while his dino nature makes him a fearsome foe.
Many people aren’t too thrilled with the dino-human experiment, and Eddie experiences their distaste firsthand in the form of offhand comments, snubs, and general standoffishness. A large part of the story also focuses on Eddie’s control, or lack thereof, in certain instances. Due to his hybrid nature, the human side often takes a backseat to his animalistic side, and he feels a lot of guilt because he can’t always control it. He is working with a therapist and she plays a very important role through in both Eddie’s life and the overall story.
The pacing is quick with this one as there’s a lot of action and adventure, which made the pages fly by for me. There is also plenty of gruesome bits, as we are dealing with a man who’s also half-carnivorous dinosaur, and you can probably imagine how those scenes played out. My favorite bits though were the scenes with Eddie and his therapist as she helps him grapple with his newfound abilities and is able to give him some tools he can use to control his urges. Whether or not those tools are effective is an altogether different matter.
All told, this was a fun, often dark, and unique story that will please readers of several genres, mainly sci-fi tales with human crossbreeds and war/military thrillers. This is one I’ll be thinking of for a while, and it’s one I definitely recommend to anyone who likes a good story.
Many people aren’t too thrilled with the dino-human experiment, and Eddie experiences their distaste firsthand in the form of offhand comments, snubs, and general standoffishness. A large part of the story also focuses on Eddie’s control, or lack thereof, in certain instances. Due to his hybrid nature, the human side often takes a backseat to his animalistic side, and he feels a lot of guilt because he can’t always control it. He is working with a therapist and she plays a very important role through in both Eddie’s life and the overall story.
The pacing is quick with this one as there’s a lot of action and adventure, which made the pages fly by for me. There is also plenty of gruesome bits, as we are dealing with a man who’s also half-carnivorous dinosaur, and you can probably imagine how those scenes played out. My favorite bits though were the scenes with Eddie and his therapist as she helps him grapple with his newfound abilities and is able to give him some tools he can use to control his urges. Whether or not those tools are effective is an altogether different matter.
All told, this was a fun, often dark, and unique story that will please readers of several genres, mainly sci-fi tales with human crossbreeds and war/military thrillers. This is one I’ll be thinking of for a while, and it’s one I definitely recommend to anyone who likes a good story.
June 1, 2025
This is a 3 out of 5 story that only gets an additional star simply for the directions its going.
When I first started this book, I was expecting a Rejected Jurassic Park 4 Script with the idea of Human Dinosaur Hybrids and, later, Dinosaur Human hybrids built for military purposes… As soon as Eddie starts crushing on his psychologist, I was almost expecting this to be a Romantic Thriller between a Human woman and her Scaly Boyfriend. The story is so damn strange that I was actually invested in what it was trying to do.
I might be making mountains out of mole hills but, for a moment, I thought the book may have been digging down on the themes of Toxic Masculinity,especially at thr start with regards to Julio and Gideon being shown to embody these toxic traits (stoicism for one and macho aggression the other.) The fact that the procedure is meant to be sterilized is meant to show this tough guy “no ho gonna get in the way of the grind” being enforced by the company and the military. But as the story progresses, we get to see that there’s more to these guys and the appearance they give off, especially with Julio and Gideon being revealed as Gay.
I feel like the story has a pacing issue where it rushes by the important stuff and barely gives us time to sit down with these characters. We get glimpses of that with Addi and Eddie and All I want is to see is how they got there, what do they see in each other and so on.
I also think Samson’s Hyper intelligence couldve been foreshadowed a bit harder, but that’s just me.
All in all, its a decent little… romantic scifi thriller? Is that what I should call it?
Yeah, good enough.
3+1/5
When I first started this book, I was expecting a Rejected Jurassic Park 4 Script with the idea of Human Dinosaur Hybrids and, later, Dinosaur Human hybrids built for military purposes… As soon as Eddie starts crushing on his psychologist, I was almost expecting this to be a Romantic Thriller between a Human woman and her Scaly Boyfriend. The story is so damn strange that I was actually invested in what it was trying to do.
I might be making mountains out of mole hills but, for a moment, I thought the book may have been digging down on the themes of Toxic Masculinity,especially at thr start with regards to Julio and Gideon being shown to embody these toxic traits (stoicism for one and macho aggression the other.) The fact that the procedure is meant to be sterilized is meant to show this tough guy “no ho gonna get in the way of the grind” being enforced by the company and the military. But as the story progresses, we get to see that there’s more to these guys and the appearance they give off, especially with Julio and Gideon being revealed as Gay.
I feel like the story has a pacing issue where it rushes by the important stuff and barely gives us time to sit down with these characters. We get glimpses of that with Addi and Eddie and All I want is to see is how they got there, what do they see in each other and so on.
I also think Samson’s Hyper intelligence couldve been foreshadowed a bit harder, but that’s just me.
All in all, its a decent little… romantic scifi thriller? Is that what I should call it?
Yeah, good enough.
3+1/5
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2025
I had so much fun with this book — it’s fast-paced, entertaining, unique, and features sincere character dynamics.
We're reading about bioengineered dinosaur/human hybrids, created with the goal of eventually developing an unstoppable army of Dna modified soldiers. Eddie, the perfect poster child of the hybrids, to show an unexpected display cannibalism, a condition referred to as the Blood burn.
weeks before the hybrids are expected to be made public, harsh measures are put into place to ensure everything goes smoothly- That’s when Addie comes in, With her unorthodox methods, she aims to keep Eddie’s urges at bay.
The book is being compared Jurassic park— I mean, with dinosaurs involved it’s not that far-fetched. However, as I read it, I found myself drawing more comparisons to a T.J. Klune book.
I went into Scales expecting more action, we do start with a rescue mission, and we’re dealing with dinosaur hybrids being created for an army. But instead, I found the heart of this novel is just living life with Eddie and experiencing his humanity.
We watch how he’s expected to act as nothing more than a product or soldier, and how things change when he has a bit more freedom, only to experience prejudice from the outside world.
We explore his growth as an individual, self discovery and protectiveness over his other hybrids.
There are still plenty of great action-packed scenes throughout, which were well-executed and thrilling to read.
Thank you Angry Robot for the review copy, this book is a solid 4.5-star read for me!
We're reading about bioengineered dinosaur/human hybrids, created with the goal of eventually developing an unstoppable army of Dna modified soldiers. Eddie, the perfect poster child of the hybrids, to show an unexpected display cannibalism, a condition referred to as the Blood burn.
weeks before the hybrids are expected to be made public, harsh measures are put into place to ensure everything goes smoothly- That’s when Addie comes in, With her unorthodox methods, she aims to keep Eddie’s urges at bay.
The book is being compared Jurassic park— I mean, with dinosaurs involved it’s not that far-fetched. However, as I read it, I found myself drawing more comparisons to a T.J. Klune book.
I went into Scales expecting more action, we do start with a rescue mission, and we’re dealing with dinosaur hybrids being created for an army. But instead, I found the heart of this novel is just living life with Eddie and experiencing his humanity.
We watch how he’s expected to act as nothing more than a product or soldier, and how things change when he has a bit more freedom, only to experience prejudice from the outside world.
We explore his growth as an individual, self discovery and protectiveness over his other hybrids.
There are still plenty of great action-packed scenes throughout, which were well-executed and thrilling to read.
Thank you Angry Robot for the review copy, this book is a solid 4.5-star read for me!
May 31, 2025
Perfect storm of science, greed and desire
—
When a dinosaur-gene-infused human soldier goes a little off the rails, a maverick therapist is brought on board the hush-hush public-private science project as there’s a public unveiling coming up and nobody can afford a delay. Complications, however, abound, with results of more secret experiments and further machinations from on high, as well as growing feelings between the soldier and the therapist. When this perfect storm of science, greed and desire come to a head, who exactly comes out on top?
It feels like a movie, which is not a compliment, especially as it’s billed as one for Jurassic Park fans (and Jurassic Park the novel and the film are both excellent); I’m sure that this is a screenplay treatment somewhere, and sadly, not a very good one. Derivative of every and all movie/SF novel on cross-species DNA in service of militaristic ends, the beats are predictable in a brute force novel by numbers, with the humans in charge learning how bad it is to mess with nature, because nature is bound to mess back.
Two and a half stars
—
When a dinosaur-gene-infused human soldier goes a little off the rails, a maverick therapist is brought on board the hush-hush public-private science project as there’s a public unveiling coming up and nobody can afford a delay. Complications, however, abound, with results of more secret experiments and further machinations from on high, as well as growing feelings between the soldier and the therapist. When this perfect storm of science, greed and desire come to a head, who exactly comes out on top?
It feels like a movie, which is not a compliment, especially as it’s billed as one for Jurassic Park fans (and Jurassic Park the novel and the film are both excellent); I’m sure that this is a screenplay treatment somewhere, and sadly, not a very good one. Derivative of every and all movie/SF novel on cross-species DNA in service of militaristic ends, the beats are predictable in a brute force novel by numbers, with the humans in charge learning how bad it is to mess with nature, because nature is bound to mess back.
Two and a half stars
December 14, 2025
"Dino-humans, meet world; world, meet dino-humans."
Eddie Boka. A man, a soldier, a dino-human. Yes, you read that right. Who knows what is going on in those military facilities.😉
He is on his first mission. Things go sideways. Still, Eddie is doing very well. Until it is discovered that he was.. ehm… well, perhaps not as much snacking on a body… as having it for a protein refill?
For a couple of evenings, I went to a compound in the jungle, military sites, and abandoned towns.
I got to know the Dino-humans better, hid everywhere I could find, and I have been on the run.
Will the new Doctor LaTour be able to "cure" Eddie of his cannibalism and save the project?
Will it even matter? Getting to know Eddie, I came to admire the guy.
I mean, how badly can possibly this end when there are private companies involved as well as the military?
Even though there are serious topics at hand, we get a good dose of humour. I quite like that humour. 😂
With action, laughter, and humanity on the line, this was a great read for me.😊💙📚
Eddie Boka. A man, a soldier, a dino-human. Yes, you read that right. Who knows what is going on in those military facilities.😉
He is on his first mission. Things go sideways. Still, Eddie is doing very well. Until it is discovered that he was.. ehm… well, perhaps not as much snacking on a body… as having it for a protein refill?
For a couple of evenings, I went to a compound in the jungle, military sites, and abandoned towns.
I got to know the Dino-humans better, hid everywhere I could find, and I have been on the run.
Will the new Doctor LaTour be able to "cure" Eddie of his cannibalism and save the project?
Will it even matter? Getting to know Eddie, I came to admire the guy.
I mean, how badly can possibly this end when there are private companies involved as well as the military?
Even though there are serious topics at hand, we get a good dose of humour. I quite like that humour. 😂
With action, laughter, and humanity on the line, this was a great read for me.😊💙📚
April 5, 2025
Scales is a fast paced Sci-fi creature feature, perfect for fans of Jurassic Park and the like.
The premise is quite new to me, genetically enhansed humans with reptillian DNA, creating Dino-Humans, add more than a dash or two of cannibalism, and you get an engaging, science gone wrong thriller with believable characters, lashings of action, and some great twists and turns.
It's a fun read, while still remaining serious, with a main theme we'll all be familiar with, a corporation putting profit before all else, including human life, with the results being quite disarerous.
I must say though, some if the characters aren't exactly as fully developed as I would have like, but there's just enough there for them to feel real.
All in all, an enjoyable read.
4 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.
The premise is quite new to me, genetically enhansed humans with reptillian DNA, creating Dino-Humans, add more than a dash or two of cannibalism, and you get an engaging, science gone wrong thriller with believable characters, lashings of action, and some great twists and turns.
It's a fun read, while still remaining serious, with a main theme we'll all be familiar with, a corporation putting profit before all else, including human life, with the results being quite disarerous.
I must say though, some if the characters aren't exactly as fully developed as I would have like, but there's just enough there for them to feel real.
All in all, an enjoyable read.
4 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.
September 21, 2025
This maybe bit off more than it could chew if it wanted to explore all the issues in detail, but it was a fun and unexpected techno-thriller. Even knowing the premise,it was shocking to read some of the descriptions of the altered humans, and this did a great job making me think what their lives could be like when they were so different from other people.
When normal soldiers meet adversity,they have training and weapons. The soldiers here may try to eat their enemies. Is that less moral than just killing someone who's already trying to kill you?
This was such an interesting idea and there was a lot of action.
When normal soldiers meet adversity,they have training and weapons. The soldiers here may try to eat their enemies. Is that less moral than just killing someone who's already trying to kill you?
This was such an interesting idea and there was a lot of action.
January 21, 2026
This was just awful. The PKD committee is on crack to nominate trash like this. Not only is the story a utterly by-the-numbers action bottom shelf action thriller, the writing is so laugablly cringe and bad. I need to go back and raise all my other 1* to 2* to make sure this occupies a proper place in the hierarchy.
August 20, 2025
Enjoyable fun.
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