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Beyond Human #1
Hellfire
For many, the United States is a land of opportunity and new beginnings – unless you happen to be ‘different’ from everyone else. Hadi Shahir is one of those people, different in more ways than one. Hadi can manipulate fire; he is ‘Evolved’. All he wants is a new life and new adventures in this land of opportunity. His dreams become endless nightmares, however, that begin with an inexplicable hate crime that leaves the young man traumatized and untrusting of the world around him. A chance encounter with a pretty face cracks that shell, showing him that not everyone in Chicago is out to get him until a rash of violent, deadly fires breaks out around the city.Suddenly, all eyes focus on Hadi when too many coincidences bring his abilities to the forefront. In a matter of moments, Hadi jumps to the top of the AEC’s most-wanted list. His quiet life as a bartender quickly turns into a tangled mess of chaos, lies, and murder that drag the entire city of Chicago down in flames with the remnants of Hadi’s ruined life.
166 pages, Paperback
Published April 5, 2018
3 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Michelle Schad
12 books3 followersFrom a young age, there have been voices inside of Michelle’s head. No, not those kinds of voices – or, maybe they are; who really knows? Rather than fear those voices, Michelle wrangled them like wild mustangs on the prairie, make each one bend to her will in its own time. Well, what does that mean?
It means that Michelle has been writing stories of the fantastic, the horrific, and the mysterious for as long as her little fingers have been able to hold a pen and probably longer, but memory only goes back so far. In a world that passes for ‘normal’, she is all of the ‘normal’ things one might expect: mother, wife, keeper of fur-babies. She is also a student of life, meaning if there is something to learn, she will learn it, thus making her a veritable font of only partially useful knowledge.
The whimsy and ChAoS that actually controls the rest of Michelle’s existence has earned her a place in two different arenas so far: Bards and Sages Quarterly and Corrugated Sky Publishing. While wielding the unwieldiness of words is her primary function, she is also an avid crafter, collector of “creepy” ball-jointed dolls, and can run through a Target in under an hour with only two extra items from her intended list. Talent!
It means that Michelle has been writing stories of the fantastic, the horrific, and the mysterious for as long as her little fingers have been able to hold a pen and probably longer, but memory only goes back so far. In a world that passes for ‘normal’, she is all of the ‘normal’ things one might expect: mother, wife, keeper of fur-babies. She is also a student of life, meaning if there is something to learn, she will learn it, thus making her a veritable font of only partially useful knowledge.
The whimsy and ChAoS that actually controls the rest of Michelle’s existence has earned her a place in two different arenas so far: Bards and Sages Quarterly and Corrugated Sky Publishing. While wielding the unwieldiness of words is her primary function, she is also an avid crafter, collector of “creepy” ball-jointed dolls, and can run through a Target in under an hour with only two extra items from her intended list. Talent!
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 26, 2021
At times intense, dark and painful.
My heart goes out to Hadi, our main character. He's a good guy with a special gift that could (and does!) cause him a lot of problems. He's already been through an awful experience and as the story unfolds things brighten up for him only to take a turn for the worse. He tries to help others and is generally really nice.
James 'Falcon' is pretty decent too. He's a doer, cares deeply for his people (family/friends/Gen - his dog) and doesn't let things hold him back. A proper top bloke.
Of the other characters......I'd say that 'Duck' (gotta love code names) is an ass-hat, definitely a bloke that deserves a good crack in the chin, minimum!!
Hellfire isn't for the faint hearted or sensitive folk....It's for an adult audience, with themes of death, drug use and pain. My heart started cracking throughout and the ending made sure I couldn't put it back together.
I'm so happy it's the start of a series!!
My heart goes out to Hadi, our main character. He's a good guy with a special gift that could (and does!) cause him a lot of problems. He's already been through an awful experience and as the story unfolds things brighten up for him only to take a turn for the worse. He tries to help others and is generally really nice.
James 'Falcon' is pretty decent too. He's a doer, cares deeply for his people (family/friends/Gen - his dog) and doesn't let things hold him back. A proper top bloke.
Of the other characters......I'd say that 'Duck' (gotta love code names) is an ass-hat, definitely a bloke that deserves a good crack in the chin, minimum!!
Hellfire isn't for the faint hearted or sensitive folk....It's for an adult audience, with themes of death, drug use and pain. My heart started cracking throughout and the ending made sure I couldn't put it back together.
I'm so happy it's the start of a series!!
July 26, 2021
I read Hellfire because it was on my library's "quick reads" shelf and I needed a quick read! I am predisposed to like this kind of story—superpowers, trying to hide/control said superpowers, shadowy agencies that monitor superpowered individuals—and I thought it was okay. I guess my best description would be: fanfic-flavored story with original characters.
It's an enjoyable enough way (if the above is your sort of thing) to spend an hour if you need a short read. The pacing's uneven and the copy I read could have used an/other editor, but it seemed like an indie pub so I wasn't as bothered by it as I normally would be—added to the vibe. The characterizations were kinda shallow but so I guess that worked out.
Lastly, Hellfire is clearly a set-up for a series; I don't regret reading it, but I'm good with stopping here.
(two and a half stars)
It's an enjoyable enough way (if the above is your sort of thing) to spend an hour if you need a short read. The pacing's uneven and the copy I read could have used an/other editor, but it seemed like an indie pub so I wasn't as bothered by it as I normally would be—added to the vibe. The characterizations were kinda shallow but so I guess that worked out.
Lastly, Hellfire is clearly a set-up for a series; I don't regret reading it, but I'm good with stopping here.
(two and a half stars)
March 13, 2022
Chicago is burning and a human with special abilities is being blamed. The Evolved are humans with abilities that can make them dangerous enough they need to be tracked by a special government agency. Hadi is one such man, innocent but thrown into a dangerous game of wills between the agency and a mortal enemy. James, an agent coming to Chicago to help, gets more than he bargained for when he is stuck in the middle. I enjoyed the fast paced, adventure storyline and hope the next book wraps up some of the unresolved tension between James and Hadi.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews