Bonn Maddox is ambivalent toward the massive ill-gotten fortune he inherited, but he does prize a water-stained document that hangs in his father’s study. It’s generations-old … a black market treasure. Inspiration turns to obsession. The butcher considers his calling a societal reckoning: a deep moral debt owed for his family’s predatory greed.
The maimed vigilante enlists a pair of eccentric Germans to grow his operation. Discreet, reptile-like savants, they are financial gurus but have their own secrets. When Henna Maxwell, a toxicologist with a rare passion for venom, seeks refuge, Bonn may have risked his freedom.
The death count soars. New York City’s top homicide team has profiled an inhumanly strong and opportunistic loner who’s always a step ahead. Has the hunter graduated to Brownsville? The detectives—an ex-boxer and his pregnant partner—have unknowingly assumed terrible risks. They couldn’t guess how personal the killer’s hunt has become. Now, more than just thugs are in trouble … those who consider themselves untouchable are next.
The first was a medal I received in high school. I was a finalist in a national essay competition I hadn't entered. My English teacher sent my essay in—when she pressed the dime-sized award into my palm I was dumbfounded. I threw it into a small wooden box with a bar along the bottom to lock it, on top of a stack of small-denomination (but colorful) foreign paper money my uncle had sent when in the military overseas, iron-on patches—one proving I'd attended "hunter's safety." Another for pedaling my dirt bike thirty miles for multiple sclerosis while wearing a straw cowboy hat and a denim jacket—a wineskin full of gatorade strapped across my chest, snake-bite kit deep in my jeans pocket. (It didn't say all of that on the patch of course—but I knew—and now you do.)
The medal clanked around for years in that box, useless and hidden, against a silver dollar my dad had given me. A tiny totem of denial that what I really wanted to do … was WRITE.
The second award? An apron with mushroom designs: an award for "best fungi haiku" written as an egg timer clicked on a table in a wine-soaked festival crowd. I don't wear the two together … the medal and the apron: I don't like to show off.
I've been a nurse for 20 years, and bits of humor have allowed me, (and my patients) to better cope with pain, death, and terror. "You should write a book!" I heard, dozens of times.
Henna and Bonn are our two main characters that we follow from early childhood. Both are gifted individuals but one has sociopathic tendencies, so he thinks. His family life is definitely dysfunctional.
They grow up to become interesting individuals. Bonn ends up inheriting a huge fortune. His passion is becoming a near expert in his various interests. Henna turns an intense fascination with toxicity in nature to a career as esteemed toxicologist.
What I find interesting about this book is both have distinct lives and their stories are told concurrently without any obvious plan of intersecting. It almost seems after the fact.
I enjoy these kind of books that aren't single mindedly focused on a central plot. The characters and the story flow usually feels more organic as real lives are more than just one chain of events.
My favorite thing about this book turned out to be the Germans. Two very odd and very tactuirn men who excel in getting things done. Anything done. White, black or grey.
Bonus... there's some mad scientist action. DNA is not play doh but tell that to them (not any of the above mentioned characters).
This and its sequel have made my "best reads of 2016" list.
I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.
In a lifetime of love for literature, spanning four and a half decades, I have only ever doled out two 5 star ratings; "Inhumanum" will be the third recipient!
I can honestly say that I have never read anything quite like it; Ernst's tale is unique, bursting with originality, and at no point will you find a lull in the story! To engage a reader from start to finish in such a manner is the work of a master storyteller who has perfected his craft. I, for one, am envious of this skill.
There are two protagonists at play, and no clear cut antagonist to speak of, which might seem odd, but it's a recipe that works quite well for this author. And what protagonists they are indeed; trying to decide whether you love Bonn or Henna more than the other is like trying to decide which one of your children is your favorite. While their individual stories are fascinating for the first two acts, it's incredibly gratifying when their paths finally cross. Even lesser characters (for lack of a better term), like Henna's grandfather, Alvar, and Bonn's father figure, Manny, are endearing and fully fleshed out. And we can't forget the Germans, of course, mysterious entities that are deliciously strange.
Ernst's writing style is impeccably flawless with meticulous attention to detail and extensive research in his subject matter. This is a great, shining, new voice in the world of literature and I can't wait to dive into his follow-up book, "Made Men."
I'm still trying to put my head back together because this book blew my mind.
In a secret location deep in the Alaskan wilderness, a man sits down at his keyboard and begins to relate a story so ASTONISHING that it takes two volumes to contain it. So weird it must be true.
Meet Bonn, a precocious but socially awkward child. He is destined to do good by doing bad.
Meet Henna, orphaned and abandoned by her selfish grandmother; she finds her life's purpose in the study of exotic venoms.
When their worlds collide--it will knock your world right off its axis.
Breathtaking in its imagination, sly wit and killer prose, Inhumanum (and its companion, Made Men) went straight to the top of my lifetime best reads list. The Law of Retaliation duology belongs on your shelf beside absurdist classics like John Irving's The World According to Garp, and Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five.
Inhumanum 42 By Bradley Ernst Genre – Thriller 105,000 Words Rating 3 or 5 out of 5 Posted 6/4/16
Inhumanum has been extremely difficult for me to rate. If read as a Thriller, as the author intended, it's farcical and I see it as a 3.0. Judged as a satire I rate it a 5.0.
Bonn Maddox was a weird but brilliant child who felt and expressed no emotion. He was a misunderstood quantity in his own home. His mother hated him and shot him in the head when he was nine. His father mostly ignored him and didn't understand why Bonn constantly caused problems in any endeavor he undertook. When Bonn was grown he had a strong commitment to protect people and wanted to live by the articles of the US Constitution. So he became an assassin dedicated to killing the bad guys. The bad guys included a large number of corrupt New York City policemen.
Henna Maxwell was also a brilliant child with a cold grandmother who abandoned her. She was raised by her blind grandfather, a hermit who lived in a forest in Finland. He taught Henna biology and she became intrigued by the toxins found in plant and animal life. After she was raped by four men and her life put in danger, she killed all four of them before she was rescued. Then when a close friend of hers was attacked by white supremacist because they thought he was gay, she killed the entire group of forty or so with fast acting mustard gas she created. So far the story could be an extremely violent thriller.
Now to a few issues that caused me to look at the story as satire. Start with Bonn's inheritance of several hundred billion, not million but BILLION dollars. That would make him the richest person in the world. Then there are Rickard and Ryker two reptilian looking and acting Germans who eat bugs and foods normally fed to fishes and lab animals. Both of them are also brilliant, even smarter and more talented than Bonn and Henna. Henna's best friend, Stephen is a 6' 7" rabbi who likes to dress in women's clothing so he'll fit in with other weird people he likes. People think he's a gay transvestite but he's not only straight he's also celibate, and he's in love with Henna.
The editing and sentence structure are far above average, not perfect but very good. The writing style is crisp, descriptive and intense. Attention to detail is evident in the amount of research needed to name all of the plants and animals mentioned plus the effects of the various toxins found in many. The plot is complex as it deals with both main character's childhoods and their reactions to stimuli around them. By the time the children are adolescents, the characters are well developed and readers have a clear understanding of who these strange people are.
For readers who don't lean toward blatant, perverted anal sex, there is one kinky scene of that.
I enjoyed the story and feel it is more satire than thriller. I even chuckled out loud at a few of the scenes.
This review was provided in exchange for a free book. Vigilant Reader Book Reviews.
I had not heard of this author previously, and came to find out that this is his first book. The Amazon description was appealing based on the diversity of characters described, as well as the over-riding theme of justice. I was pleasantly surprised by the plot development and level of research into such diverse topics and countries. Although the main characters are appealing, I found that I was much more drawn to the two Germans - fundamental to the development of the story, but enigmatic and leaving me somewhat frustrated that more was not revealed. I think that this is an amazing inaugural effort and look forward to more works by the author, hoping that my curiosity about the Germans is satisfied.
This is a great thriller book if you happen to be a fan of this genre then this book should certainly be added to your collection! Firstly the story is AMAZING! Well done to Bradley! It was mind blowing to me I did not know where the story was going to turn to next and ah! The build up! I do not want to give the story away! The character development in this story is also mind blowing awesome! I loved all of the characters I could not decide which character was more developed... they were all equal. Again I recommend Inhumanum to those who are into this type of genre and who is into a great storyline and believe me the story is more than what it seems!
I enjoy the mystery of who and why these characters exist and am glad the story will continue soon. I found some of the passages difficult to read, in that the phrasing wasn't quite accurate enough to give a clear picture of the story at that moment. I wanted to take a pen to the story and clean up those passages.
3.5 stars "Inhumanum” by Bradley Ernst is a great piece of literary fiction no one should miss reading if they are looking for a thrilling, darkly brilliant and entertaining read that has unforgettable characters and an intelligent, complex and unpredictable plot… If you're looking for a work that is completely believable and lacking in cliché then I must say that you might have a bone to pick with this, as there were many elements that made me almost feel at times that it stretched the bounds of credibility or that I had read it before (I haven’t). But I believe the author's job is not to be completely original (for is there such a thing as true originality, especially in the thriller and suspense game?) here but rather to tell a powerful, authentic story that stays with you and affects you somehow. For I believe that the true future for the genre lies not in becoming ‘newer’ but rather by taking old tropes and telling them better. This is done nicely here and I am impressed with the way that Bradley Ernst can tell a story in his own way with characters that we love, or love to hate. I looked forward to my reading time each evening and was disappointed when it was over. Recommend for mature readers only.
In the words of Bette Davis, ‘fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy ride’. Bradly Ernest’s debut novel is certainly a ride. From the first sentence you let yourself be carried by a gale-force narrative thrust that takes you to unknown, wondrous places. While the book comes with the ‘thriller’ label, any attempt to define its genre is limiting rather than illuminating. Sure, there’re thriller elements, and some ‘police procedural’, too; then you’ve got your fantasy-scify-y angle, a bit of National Geographic travelogue as well as some supernatural and body horror. And it’s funny in places. Laugh-out funny. In short, Inhumanum is a genre in itself. The prose is thick, intense and urgent. The style runs the gamut from the grotesque via the absurd and back again, and it never strays far from the baroque. At the beginning my analytical brain came up with comparisons to other authors. I thought James Ellroy meets John Irving, with Lewis Carroll thrown in for seasoning purposes. But soon it became obvious that all comparisons were vain, and thankfully that part of my brain switched off. Since it was impossible to second-guess the storyline I lied back and enjoyed the ride. I will say one more thing. If the start of the book is arguably a tad overdescriptive it’s because Bradly Ernst is taking a deep in-breath. He has big lungs and his out-breath takes you on a narrative ride that catches a long wind. Stretch out the wings of your imagination and cruise along. I hear part two is coming out this autumn - :)))))
This book “Inhumanum” by Bradley Ernst seems to have something of everything… seriously. Action, suspense, drama, personal struggles, family life, Intelligence, and mystery… good guys and bad…….but I was impressed by the seamless narrative and various POV transitions with the different characters, and while I’m not usually a fan of stories told from frequently different character perspectives, it didn’t bother me here much as I enjoyed Mr. Ernst’s skillful setup for each one and the way that the characters did a great job of progressing their individual roles to form a cohesive story. This book had more tangents and sub plots than many others I’ve read lately. Such a dynamic cast of characters who have their own stories to tell and conflicts to overcome and are wickedly brilliant and even a bit disturbed—makes for some interesting reading. Always found myself reading for longer than I planned to, as there was never a place I’d get to and then wanted to “stop”. This is good too. This book will have wide ranging appeal and I can see (adult) fans of psychological suspense and literary thrillers gobbling it up.
I found myself wavering around while reading “Inhumanum” by Bradley Ernst. At first I was immediately grabbed into the story, and became immersed in the dramatic and enticing opening and the overall plot development with each successive character. But there were times I felt the story wasn’t as focused as I’d like, with some conversations and scenes maybe weren’t necessary and perhaps could have been eliminated to tighten the narrative some (some characters/subplots felt unnecessary… just too much drama). But at the same time, the pacing was usually fast (liked the shorter chapters and alternating character POVs)) and there was pretty much nonstop action and some *definitely* crazy developments there toward the end. It felt unique and unpredictable, always a nice experience, especially in a genre that is fraught with copycats. Would be interested in reading more from Ernst in the future, and would recommend to anyone who wants an intelligently constructed, entertaining read that has thriller, chills, and even a little humor.
As one who does not usually enjoy fiction I found this story difficult to tear away from. Quite the page turner. The content was obviously developed with meticulous research. The characters are complex, deep, and their background stories are flawless. This is a story of vigilante justice which paints a very real picture of the turmoils and failings of modern society, it also presents the reader with two modern day superheroes (albeit not to an overly exaggerated extent) in Bonn and Henna. The background stories of Bonn and Henna, as well as several supporting characters, are very well developed through out the book. The few graphic scenes presented in this book are tastefully represented, so those with sensitive stomachs should not have any issue enjoying the story. A must read for those who enjoy suspense, crime, and dark superhero books. The story is easy to follow but not overly simplified. I am going to start Book II tonight!
A well-written page turner. There is something unique, creepy and intriguing about Bonn. The story is a journey into something very different from other stories I've read. "Yes, I'm a child. I think of superheroes often. Most likely it appeals to my powerlessness..." and this is just the beginning. This is the author's debut novel, and I most certainly look forward to more from this author. The characters are well connected, and there is more than just one story within this grand story. something about Bonn and his incredulous power. This is more than just a hunt for a killer! Highly recommended
Overall, Inhumunam is an intricately constructed, layered and immersive novel with a look into the makings and the mind of a killer who is convinced of his moral right to right the wrongs of the world.