Only Human

by Mike Mehalek

Dragons do not cry. They control their emotions. This is what all dragons were taught, but I am now the only one alive to remember this lesson . . .Meet Vincent, a most unusual dragon.For thousands of years he’s been trapped—forced to spend what’s left of his existence among us in the form of a human for a crime in which he was unjustly convicted. When a new love arrives unexpectedly, Vincent discovers that the only way to find happiness is to revisit his violent past and to confront his uncertain future. From a world that’s been hidden from view to a history that if acknowledged would end in torture and death, Vincent’s tale is a timeless one, both epic and intimate—as fierce as a dragon’s breath and as delicate as its tears.Haunting, heartfelt, and sometimes funny, Vincent discovers that even through tragedy, the things we most often try to avoid are those that make us human.

Genres: Dragons, Fantasy, LGBT, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

214 pages, Paperback

First published November 24, 2013

About the author

Mike Mehalek writes fast-paced lyrical books that can be enjoyed with one reading but have enough substance for re-reading. He brings stories to life that demand to be told, regardless of the hopes/dreams/fears/desires of his characters--the Story first--always the Story.




In 2008 Mike earned his masters degree in writing popular fiction from Seton Hill University

Reviews

[Maria V. Snyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will confess that Mike is my friend - we met at the Seton Hill University's MFA writing program and took classes and workshops together. Mike was in the critique session where I'd submitted the first chapter of Inside Out for feedback. At the time the book was titled Inside and everyone thought that was boring so we were brainstorming title ideas when he came up with Inside Out.

Only Human is Mike's thesis novel and debut novel. I really liked the unique premise for the story - a man who had once been a dragon, but was cursed to live his immortal life as a human. The characters were also very likable and I cared what happened to them. The two main protagonists are male and they're in a relationship.

For a debut novel, the writing was rather strong and there are flashes of brilliance tucked in various passages. I wish I was Mike's critique partner or perhaps his mentor because I would have loved to have a crack at this story - lots of potential!

Endings are always tough and you know me, I'm picky about endings. I guessed most of this one (but I'm rather good at that) but there was something that surprised me at the end (kudos for that!). I would have liked more world building details as I couldn't quite get a mental picture of the dragons' world vs. the human world and how they overlapped. And I would have liked more emotional depth from the characters, but that is typical of a new writer - new writers tend to shy away from emotion because they worry their prose would be considered "purple" or their characters "drama queens/kings."

And now I'm sounding like the writing teacher/mentor that I am. I believe fantasy readers will enjoy reading this different take on dragons!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not every day you run across a human who was once a dragon--but, due to a psychotic incident in which the dragon murdered his own mother and sister, he was sentenced to death or an immortal life in a human body. If this is what you're looking for, that book is finally here!

Only Human was original and fun; and I burned through it like a dragon sneezing in a library. I loved the shifts in POV, and the action was done very well. One of the best-written car chases I've read, and a scene where the heroes explored a creepy assassin's apartment decorated with clowns had me on edge. The author did a great job building unique settings and bringing out lots of detail in the descriptions. He's also excellent at metaphors and similes. (One note, though: Sometimes I noticed these too frequently; and it wasn't good to be distracted out of the action when that happened.)

The story really came to life for me in the chapters told from Shylock's POV. The dragon society was fascinating and I wanted to know so much more about it. The love stories involving Nivek and Kevin were beautifully done, too. What a cool twist. And yes, there was a detail I didn't see coming until the very end and can't believe I didn't notice as I read the story. I love when that happens with a story.

I did have a problem getting a feel for Spectre. I couldn't figure out how she looked, for one thing. And then her anger and vengeance somehow didn't pan out for me. I didn't see why she, personally, was so hell-bent on destruction, but it's possible I missed something. She seemed cartoony-evil. (The best way to describe how I pictured her in dragon form was as Mushu from "Mulan," only white.)

Finally, I loved the excerpts of Kevin's research at the end of the book. Scientific explanations into the cellular makeup of a dragon are definitely few and far between! The nerd in me rejoiced.

[Szinna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Volt egy sárkány. Aki elvileg a főhős, de nem túl sokat láttunk a szemszögéből, csak a múltat és a befejezést. A másik főhőst Kevint, meg, aki kevésbé érdekes végigkísérjük egy érzelmi hullámvasúton. Valószínűleg az volt a koncepció, hogy az ő szemén át ismerjük meg Vincentet, az embert, de ez nem igazán sikerült. Ugyan akkor V megmarad sárkánynak, mert sárkány korából látjuk, halljuk a gondolatait és végig sárkányként gondol magára. A történetet töredezettnek éreztem. A példáknak nem mindig volt értelmük. Furcsa könyv volt. Az biztos, hogy unikum a maga műfajában. Bár a főszereplő két férfi szeretők, leírt szexjelenet nincs a könyvben, és romantikusnak sem igazán kategorizálnám. A befejezés pedig nem boldogan éltek típusú.

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nearly DNF. Wish I had. Basically it had a shitty ending. I hate authors that think they can't have a happy ending. Stephen King was that way and that's why I stopped reading him decades ago. Reminds me of so many gay movies where the writer or director seems to think it's not edgy or relevant if it has a happy ending. If that stuff doesn't bother you then I would still only rate it at 3 Stars. It was okay.

[Laiky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rocky start for me in terms of the story, however I found myself flying through it after just a couple of chapters. The writing style encouraged rich imagery in a way that made me feel as though I was watching the story play out rather than reading it - always a positive for me!

The characters were so good! I fell in love with Kevin and Vincent and their development throughout the book. It was a real treat to come across a good fantasy novel with a strong, well written LGBT theme. It flowed so naturally and without that forced 'trying-to-prove-a-point' feeling I have experienced in a book before. It was beautiful.

I'll be looking out for Mike's work in the future :)

[Amy Burk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full Disclosure #1: Mike Mehalek sent me a copy of his novel Only Human, for review.

Full Disclosure #2: I want to thank Mike Mehalek for introducing me to such a wonderful book by a talented author.

Only Human (and its fantastic cover) follows the story of “Vincent”, born a dragon, several worlds ago. Going back and forth in time, the story unfolds, as the reader grows to understand how Vincent started his life as a dragon, and meets the reader at the book’s opening as a human, in a restaurant with the man he loves, searching to find language for his own name.

The novel can be read as a beautiful love story, or a grand action/adventure, from the vantage point of a dragon’s towering height. But Only Human is also layered with insight regarding the internal and external struggles we all face, the contradictions within ourselves that we try to resolve. In his early days as a dragon, the protagonist is treated unjustly, and responds by lashing out; in other moments, he displays an unshakable moral center. As a dragon, he is expected to dismiss emotions; yet, he experiences feelings more deeply than he’d like. His external human appearance is a mismatch for his internal dragon-identity; yet, even as a dragon, he didn’t fully conform to his society’s expectations. As the story progresses, he grapples with his difficult past including his own flaws, trying to find a way to move forward, to love well, to live productively.

In Only Human, Mike Mehalek captures the dilemmas we all face as we grow into different worlds, leave others behind, retain our core identities, own our mistakes, and evolve. I recommend this book to older teens and adults -- to anyone who is only human.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who is this Vincent? Has the dragon Shylock been forced into this role or has he really become Vincent? Is Kevin foolish enough to follow his heart and get close to Vincent? Does he have the stones to play a part in a 4,000 year old battle? What is the real origin of tea? Read this book and you'll know the answers. You may even learn a thing or two about dragons...and people. It took me a while to get hooked on this story but the Tricky Writer continued to give me enough story that I wanted to read more. With 1/3 of the book read, I was sucked into the story and cruised through the rest of the book. Of course, Tricky lived up to his name and pulled off some sleight-of-hand which I didn't see coming. Well played brother, well played.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's lots to love about ONLY HUMAN: action, mystery, secrets revealed and redemption. Add to that dragons (who doesn't love dragons?), wicked bad guys and an all-too-human narrator who will win your heart and you've got a satisfying mix. But the strongest element of this book is the love story, convincing and not cliche, sweet without being sappy. If you've ever fallen into something so far over your head that your whole life is changed you'll recognize the signs here. This is an epic, timeless story and a small intimate one at the same time. Dip your toe in, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

[Jacki King · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a few weeks solid, this was my treadmill book, but then I stopped going to that gym, and it took me a while to get back on track with this one (all my fault, not the story's). This is one that runs the gamut from tense to tender as you're sucked in not only to the present threat to Vincent (and Kevin) but to the past that cursed Vincent to begin with. There are dragons and magics and (most important to me) humor. What I really liked was the variation in details (both big and small) that went into explaining Vince, his family, and his fate. Mehalek really thought this through, and it added to the experience for me.

[GossamerMyst · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story because it does a good job of pulling you into Vincent's world of dragons and humans, that keeps you intrigued from start to finish and will make you cry. I really enjoyed this story immensely.

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a sad, sad story.

[Cody · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave it three stars because the, don’t get me wrong the story was alright but it didn’t go deep enough for me. I didn’t really get to know Kevin which was a bit if a disappointment. Also it was kind of cheesy. But i wouldn’t discourage anybody from reading this book. If you want something that’s entertaining and a fun read i’d suggest it.

[Timothy Pitkin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly this book seems fixed on being dark as it does make ever attempt to make sure the characters are miserable as most of the characters die. It is a brief read and while the flash back parts of the book are ok it really does not seem to want to stop and explain really much about the setting as we only learn the basics of the dragons and never really go into much detail about it.

[J.L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I was Mike Mehalek's critique partner in graduate school and reviewed some sections of the novel as they were being written. I purchased the ebook at full price.

This book combines epic fantasy with urban fantasy flawlessly, intertwining Vincent's early life and current day events. There's equal amounts of action and drama, with a lovely dash of romance. Mehalek's science background shows in the detailed creation of his dragons. This was a quick and enjoyable read.

I would love to go back and give this 5 stars once a more cleaned up version is available for purchase. The editorial and grammatical issues were distracting.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't impressed by this book to begin with. It was interesting, with fascinating characters, but it was very slow paced and got a little boring at times. Then there was the last part of the book and it almost made up for all the slowness of the rest of it. The ending completely surprised me and that bumped it up a star.

[K.N. · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were a few good ideas hidden in here, but hidden between lots of, well, junk. In fact, I was rolling my eyes through a lot of it, and the ending was a little like getting the finger, which makes me sad 'cause I wanted to like this.