Human

by S.M. Carrière

At the behest of the vampiric Shadow Council, Aleksandar Svetoslav, Prince of his House, moves to America to re-establish their foothold there. It was a territory lost when opportunistic vampire hunters laid waste to the hedonistic House Üstrel. He did not expect to find the assets of House Üstrel in such shambles.

Nor did he expect that this tedious mission would lead to the beautiful police officer Alicia Wilde, who resurrects feelings in him that he had long thought dead. He certainly did not anticipate her partner, Detective Stephen Brody, who not only knows what Aleksandar is but has vowed revenge on all his kind.

Things spiral quickly out of control as Aleksandar is drawn into a cat and mouse game with a deranged kidnapper targeting those closest to him. Betrayal draws Aleksandar and Detective Brody together in a frantic battle to save Alicia and the city from a true monster.

346 pages, Paperback

First published October 31, 2015

About the author

When S.M. Carrière isn't brutally killing your favourite characters, she spends her time teaching martial arts, live streaming video games, and cuddling her cats. In other words, she spends her time teaching others to kill, streaming her digital kills, and cuddling furry murderers.

Author bio helpfully provided by Éric Desmarais.

Reviews

[Bill Eggleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This latest story from S.M Carriere is another page turner! I've known S.M. Carriere for a number of years and have enjoyed all of her works. However, I started this novel with a bit of trepidation as I'm not a big fan of vampire stories, or supernatural one for that matter, but wow! S.M. Carriere captures you with the first sentence and holds you until the very last word. I had difficulty putting putting the novel down to get other things done, like going to work! Yes the protagonist is a vampire but you really want get to know him. There are some very interesting plot twists right up to the end to keep a reader interested. However, in grand S.M. Carriere be prepared for a bit of a tear jerker.

One small complaint is that one character's story seems somewhat incomplete by the last page. But that is what sequels are for, right? There will be a sequel right? The cover hints at a series of novels...bring it on!

Anyone who can leave me wanting more, particularly with a vampire story, deserves a 5-star rating!

[Robert Dowsett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I ordered a copy of "Human" because I greatly enjoyed the two Seraphime Saga books by the same author and because of the snazzy book trailer that spoke to the Thriller aspects of the plot. To be fair, this book exists in the genres of Vampire Fiction and Urban Supernatural Stuff, neither of which are big hits with me personally, so there was a bit of an uphill battle from the start.

On the whole, I liked it (partial star ratings don't seem to be a thing on Goodreads, but consider this a solid 3.5), but I do feel as though both: a) I like SM Carriere's writing more when it's not in a modern setting and b) I might have appreciated this book more had I not spent many years avoiding the crap that modern vampire stories have become. Make no mistakes - these are are old-school vampires - eastern-european origins, horrifying predatory presence, unsettling mind-control, warts and all.

Things I Liked:

-old-school vampires (predators - no sparkles), reminded me of the good old days of consuming Vampire the Masquerade-related fiction
-steamy sex scenes
-good buildup of tension with Aleksandar throughout the book (surely THIS time he'll lose his cool and flip out, vampire-style...won't he?)
-the ending, which at first I assumed was proceeding to a cheesy conclusion but ended up being surprisingly satisfying

Things I Didn't Like:

-I found the thriller elements a bit slow to get rolling, but the pacing improved greatly as the novel went on
-during the final thriller/climactic bits I felt that some of the exposition here would have been better served being presented earlier in the story, rather than slowing down more tense scenes (there were also a few items that I'm sure were already covered earlier in the backstory)

Overall, if you like Vampires and/or Modern Supernatural/Urban stuff more than I do, this will be right up your alley.

I'm eager and excited to see what SM Carriere writes next.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to contemplate for a minute how I'm going to write this review...And I'm vague enough that this is not a spoiler, but I'll mark it that way just to be safe...

I find that I'm at a complete loss for words. Mainly that is because I was expecting a certain kind of ending, one that I never received. Then I expected a different ending, which I also didn't receive. Finally at the end, I was filled with some form of rage. Yes. Rage. But my reasons are likely not even close to what people would assume... Also, this is not because I'm angry at the author, I'm really not. I respect her work and I don't believe that *my* happiness, nor any one readers happiness, should sway the direction of their work (I feel as though I horribly butchered what I was trying to say there...) I found myself angry with what was implied by the ending. But don't worry... you should formulate your own thoughts.

Her work is brilliant.

As a vampire fanatic I can say that there are certain things that should be avoided and other things that should be included when looking at a genre that is repeatedly revisited. S.M. Carriere masterfully writes this tale in such a way that you cannot simply put it down. What you are expecting is nowhere near the truth and what she includes from the lore really fits together. The pacing is excellent and the detail is enough to be horrific to the reader. These vampires are brutal. Their enemies are equally so. The character development is built up rather well and I'm very sad at the losses. :'(

The only negative point I could say would be that there was a little bit of sharpness in the ending chapters, almost as though it was hurried...

With all of that said, I can definitively say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I only gave it a four because of that ending... as gripping as it was, as well done as it was, as horrifying as the thought was, I still suffer from some kind of whiplash. In a genre that has been retold many times over centuries, I have to say it's my most favourite vampire book. Truly.

Let this be a lesson. If you are having a hard time with something, push through it because you can end up with a wonderful product. ;)

[Nick Rossi · Rating 4 out of 5]

We can all agree that pop culture's fascination with Vampires is waning, right? I know I'm not the only one who thinks that the mystery and intrigue that once characterized the undead has literally been erased by the onslaught of Vampirism in the media (I'm looking at you, Twilight).

However, there are still a few bits of originality and uniqueness being added the representation of these blood-thirsty creatures in modern literature. One such welcome addition to the Vampire pantheon is "Human" written by S.M. Carriere.


Human is a no-holds barred piece of work. It is violent and gritty, and at times, quite explicit. But it is these above characteristics that set it apart from the sensitized vampire-lite books that seems to leave bookstores as soon as they enter.

The book finds an immigrated Vampire who's looking to re-start their presence in America. This epic journey introduces out lead vampire, Alelsander, to the enigmatic Alicia Wilde. Alicia proves to awaken feelings long dormant within Aleksander. Alicia, a police officer, has a partner who inherent dislikes Aleksandar and his kind, thus propelling the narrative into a commentary on xenophobia.

Ripe with tenacity, bravery, action and, best of all, a return-to-form of the portrayal of the Vampire, Human is a welcome read for those who still enjoy fangs with their reading entertainment.

Like this review? Read more like it at www.readingotherpeople.com

[Eric Desmarais · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can count on one hand the Vampire novels I’ve enjoyed. Most of the time they are filled with angst ridden, brooding, Lestat clones. It’s obvious that S.M. Carrière has done research on the history and mythology of vampires. These vampires are cursed and deadly not huggable puppies.

The romance in this novel is intriguing in its lack of cringe worthy moments and highly enjoyable for its blush worthy sex scenes.

The story is a wonderful mix of political intrigue, monsters, romance, mystery, and action. It seriously has something for everyone. S.M Carrière has a strong, clear, and concise voice that is laced with wonderful prose.

Be warned, a side effect of vampires being monsters is a high death toll and the author doesn’t pull any punches. Be prepared to ball your eyes out at least four times.

[Kenneth Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as a Goodreads Giveaway

I've tried modern day takes on vampire stories and haven't really got on with them, so I approached this one with a little caution. This, however, is one of those books that I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish. A solid tale of horror, yet a story of love. Great characters with whom I easily related.

By the time it came to the last quarter of the book I was totally immersed. By the end I was breathless and the tension was palpable. A solid finale without a shred of disappointment.

A couple of steamy sex scenes superbly illustrated the contrast between two worlds and the size of the void between them. They also added to the depth of the book's climax.

I'd recommend this to anyone. Approach it with an open mind and prepare to be entertained.

[Cait Gordon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has me completely "enthralled". Superbly written tale of Aleksandar Zograf, who becomes prince of House Svetoslav, a clan of vampires known as Opyri. He’s a savvy businessman, philanthropist, with an old-world charm that is crazy sexy. Honestly, I found myself wanting him to bite me more than once. This book is steamy, gritty, full of intrigue, and so smartly crafted. Completely converted me from a vampire-story doubter to a total fan of the genre!

[Alexhalebooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fairly decent read. I didn't love it, but I certainly enjoyed it. As Vampire fiction goes, it has a lot to recommend it. The vampires are depicted as menacing and actually scary, for one. Even if they don't do much, the potential for violence and horror is constant and palpable around them. The prose is good, if bland, and the dialogue has a good sense of voice, though there are a few jarring britishisms that seem out of place in a story set in some nebulous area of the United States. The characters are, for the most part, relateable and well-drawn. For anyone who would like a nicely told vampire romance tale that isn't ridden with modern Twilight-based and Anti-Twilight-based tropes, this is a good pick.

That said, there are some less good aspects to it. The worst, for me, was that the main character is a Gary Stu, and a bit of a walking cliche. He's super-handsome, super-rich, kind to his employees and inferiors (who he treats like friends), loving, very intelligent, hard working, and a total badass. He wiped out an entire vampire clan in a night, not through guile or clever use of allies and politics, but by kicking down the door and single-handedly knifing them all. He also bemoans the 'curse' of vampirism and gets all weepy over drinking blood. Not even killing his victims, just sucking down a pint. If he opened a detective agency I would have just stamped "Angel" wherever his name appears. Except Angel had some deep flaws, the only flaw this guy has is the standard-issue communication difficulties of protagonists in romantic stories.

The second nitpick I have is with the repetition. Things that we are told in one scene we will be told again, as if it's the first time the information is being presented to us. Not by characters, but by the narration itself. This happens multiple times.

Third, there are some annoying inconsistencies. In an early scene an evil vampire is killed by his bretheren for breaking an all-important 'covanent'. This is around the 12 or 13th century. Later, we're told the 'covanent' didn't exist until after the Russian Revolution. I could be wrong, and they could be referring to a different revolution, but that was early 20th century.

Also, in those early scenes we are given no indication that vampires have a problem with sunlight. In fact, from what they are described doing, it was reasonable to assume they could walk around in daylight no problem, they just looked super-pale and weird. Later, they're seen walking around in the day in modern times, reinforcing this idea. The only mention we get of sunlight is that it would be uncomfortable for them. Then, over halfway through the book, we're suddenly told that sunlight (even simulated sunlight) burns vampires hollywood-style.

In fact, a lot of information about vampires is given to us as plot points right at the end of the book with zero foreshadowing. I'm especially irked by the diabolus ex machina of 'dead man's blood'. Nowhere in the book is it stated that a dead person's blood is poisonous to vampires, until it suddenly becomes important that one character has been injected with it. Note this isn't an early scene to establish this weakness, this is right at the climax of the book. We don't even get a throwaway line to the newly-vampirized main character. A simple "hey, Alex, don't drink from dead people or you'll die" would have been good. This little plot point comes straight from, of all places, Anne Rice. Human was a better story than that, and it feels like this was shoved in there to force the ending.

Overall, though, a good read and a decent vampire romance.

[Laurie Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Human is the story of Aleksandar Svetoslav, a centuries old vampire from Eastern Europe. He’s sent to America to rebuild the territory of the last Prince and his House, after he and his entire line are slaughtered by vampire hunters.
The story begins with Aleksandar’s rescue and conversion in the face of the Mongol invasion in Eastern Europe. It then lightly touches on the ensuing centuries, to cast a brief but glowing eye on pre-war Europe in 1910. Then jumps straight to present day.
But things are not as simple as they seem, and someone is hunting Aleksandar’s nearest and dearest. Something scarier than an 800 year old bloodsucker. Something that just might even scare him.

The rest of the review can be read at www.apartment613.com

Overall; 4.5/5; strongly recommended

[Willow · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too many stories started and only one being finished...I don't get it...