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Humanity Lost
The gruesome writing debut of Meghan Douglass.
The fate of humanity rests on their shoulders, but when the crew of the Valhalla awaken prematurely from stasis, things go horribly wrong.
What must they all sacrifice to save the rest of humanity?
Desperate times call for deadly measures.
The fate of humanity rests on their shoulders, but when the crew of the Valhalla awaken prematurely from stasis, things go horribly wrong.
What must they all sacrifice to save the rest of humanity?
Desperate times call for deadly measures.
67 pages, Paperback
Published September 27, 2021
48 people are currently reading
962 people want to read
About the author
Meghan Douglass
4 books13 followersMeghan Douglass is a newly established author of horror and science fiction. Before she became a writer, she was a medical research scientist with multiple scientific publications. Her primary focus was in the field of neuroscience. When she isn’t writing, Meghan looks after her son in South Australia, spending time with her dogs and reading any chance she can get. Her debut novella Humanity Lost is now available.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
October 6, 2021
This one will make you think twice about jumping on a spaceship and heading for deep space! Its a short story, but it packs a pretty hard punch. Believable characters and a believable storyline make this an easy, and fun read for horror fans. I would rate this 4.5/5.0 stars.
August 23, 2022
An interesting short story adventure, in a very dark setting. It was interesting, with an almost Twilight Zone feel. But I have to admit it's kinda dark tone left me feeling a bit down, maybe even a bit depressing tone at the end. I guess if you like dark tales / mysteries and the like this would sit better with you but I am not sure it was my style. Still an interesting story and my Twilight Zone comparison was a compliment as I loved the show.
April 10, 2023
I want to begin my review by saying that I don’t ever intend to disparage an author or the effort they put into what they write when I compose a negative book review. I understand just how much effort and time goes into writing a novel, or even a short story, and I would never dream of telling an author that they’ve wasted their time by composing and publishing a piece of work. That being said, I also have to evaluate whether or not a story fundamentally works, as well as whether the author has succeeded in crafting a narrative that successfully navigates whatever themes they may be trying to explore. With all that preamble in mind, I can’t say that Humanity Lost succeeds as a story, despite the clear effort that was put forth by its author.
This story represents the fiction debut of Mrs. Douglass, who’s had plenty of experience writing non-fiction as well as academic material, so the sentence structure, grammar, and syntax are all immaculate. However, the aspects of writing a novella, as opposed to technical writing, are where the overall piece is clearly a freshman effort. There’s very little action description in dialogue scenes, the characterization is simplistic, one-note and almost completely done through direct exposition to the reader, character motivations aren’t always logical, and the pivotal moments in the narrative feel far too short.
The story follows a crew of astronauts who are returning from a pivotal trip to collect fuel for a fleet of generation ships that are going to bring humanity out into interstellar space in order to search for a new home world. If the crew fails to return home, then the entire human race will die. These stakes are set up well enough by Mrs. Douglass, and the implication of what must be done when the crew runs out of food is properly conveyed to the reader far before any of the characters come out and say it.
The fact that Mrs. Douglass is able to properly establish the importance of the mission, and how that gives her characters the license to do anything in order to see it completed, is nothing short of excellent. Cannibalism is probably one of the most difficult things to insert into a narrative, but Mrs. Douglass manages to pull it off perfectly by creating a situation where the reader is forced to agree with the crew's decision because there’s genuinely no other option for the characters. This aspect of the narrative is by far the most impressive thing that Mrs. Douglass does with her story, and it’s a good sign that she could develop into an incredible writer.
The bigger problem, however, is that Mrs. Douglass speeds through moments where more time needs to be devoted in order to properly elucidate the text of the novella. When the characters wake up out of suspended animation there’s no mention of how this feels to each of the crew members, they recover instantly and the whole wake-up sequence is less than a paragraph. No real discussion takes place when they realize that they’ll have to engage in cannibalism, all of them just accept that it’s what they have to do. Nor is there ever any real explanation as to why the villain of the story chooses to behave in the way that he does. I understand the motivation that the crew needed food, but there was no reason given as to why he was willing to go to such disturbing lengths to attain it. Nor why he would continue doing what he had done after the end of the story.
In fact, I would argue that the story would be significantly more impactful if there was no villain in the story at all. Since the reader knows that this mission has to be completed for the entirety of the human race to survive it would be far more interesting to make the reader wonder if there's an individual cost that wouldn't be worth paying even if it did mean that far more people would survive. It's a novella that could have been a meditation on humanity and sacrifice, but instead it devolves into a story about one man's gory desires for flesh and fame. Which is a story that could have been interesting, but it isn't well set up or explained enough in order to have the impact that it should. Instead, the twist comes so close to the end that I largely found myself feeling confused.
These issues are additionally disappointing because I believe that this story could have been intensely interesting. Mrs. Douglass establishes the stakes of her world very well, and she succeeds in pulling the reader into an environment where they have no choice but to watch in silent horror as the narrative plays out. Where the story fails is in the finer details: How things feel, the motivations behind the actions of individual characters, how environments look, the history and relationships between characters, the feel of individual voices in dialogue, and a deeper look at the morality of what they're doing.
Overall, Humanity Lost is simply too short to exist in the thematic realm that it’s trying to operate in. For a story like this to really work, the reader has to have a well-established relationship with the characters, and those characters have to be well-developed enough in order for the impact of the story to be fully felt by its reader. I don’t, by any means, believe that Mrs. Douglass is a bad writer, I simply believe that this is her first effort. Despite the flaws in the narrative of this piece, it’s not hard to see that there’s an interesting mind at work, it just needs some more time to develop.
This story represents the fiction debut of Mrs. Douglass, who’s had plenty of experience writing non-fiction as well as academic material, so the sentence structure, grammar, and syntax are all immaculate. However, the aspects of writing a novella, as opposed to technical writing, are where the overall piece is clearly a freshman effort. There’s very little action description in dialogue scenes, the characterization is simplistic, one-note and almost completely done through direct exposition to the reader, character motivations aren’t always logical, and the pivotal moments in the narrative feel far too short.
The story follows a crew of astronauts who are returning from a pivotal trip to collect fuel for a fleet of generation ships that are going to bring humanity out into interstellar space in order to search for a new home world. If the crew fails to return home, then the entire human race will die. These stakes are set up well enough by Mrs. Douglass, and the implication of what must be done when the crew runs out of food is properly conveyed to the reader far before any of the characters come out and say it.
The fact that Mrs. Douglass is able to properly establish the importance of the mission, and how that gives her characters the license to do anything in order to see it completed, is nothing short of excellent. Cannibalism is probably one of the most difficult things to insert into a narrative, but Mrs. Douglass manages to pull it off perfectly by creating a situation where the reader is forced to agree with the crew's decision because there’s genuinely no other option for the characters. This aspect of the narrative is by far the most impressive thing that Mrs. Douglass does with her story, and it’s a good sign that she could develop into an incredible writer.
The bigger problem, however, is that Mrs. Douglass speeds through moments where more time needs to be devoted in order to properly elucidate the text of the novella. When the characters wake up out of suspended animation there’s no mention of how this feels to each of the crew members, they recover instantly and the whole wake-up sequence is less than a paragraph. No real discussion takes place when they realize that they’ll have to engage in cannibalism, all of them just accept that it’s what they have to do. Nor is there ever any real explanation as to why the villain of the story chooses to behave in the way that he does. I understand the motivation that the crew needed food, but there was no reason given as to why he was willing to go to such disturbing lengths to attain it. Nor why he would continue doing what he had done after the end of the story.
In fact, I would argue that the story would be significantly more impactful if there was no villain in the story at all. Since the reader knows that this mission has to be completed for the entirety of the human race to survive it would be far more interesting to make the reader wonder if there's an individual cost that wouldn't be worth paying even if it did mean that far more people would survive. It's a novella that could have been a meditation on humanity and sacrifice, but instead it devolves into a story about one man's gory desires for flesh and fame. Which is a story that could have been interesting, but it isn't well set up or explained enough in order to have the impact that it should. Instead, the twist comes so close to the end that I largely found myself feeling confused.
These issues are additionally disappointing because I believe that this story could have been intensely interesting. Mrs. Douglass establishes the stakes of her world very well, and she succeeds in pulling the reader into an environment where they have no choice but to watch in silent horror as the narrative plays out. Where the story fails is in the finer details: How things feel, the motivations behind the actions of individual characters, how environments look, the history and relationships between characters, the feel of individual voices in dialogue, and a deeper look at the morality of what they're doing.
Overall, Humanity Lost is simply too short to exist in the thematic realm that it’s trying to operate in. For a story like this to really work, the reader has to have a well-established relationship with the characters, and those characters have to be well-developed enough in order for the impact of the story to be fully felt by its reader. I don’t, by any means, believe that Mrs. Douglass is a bad writer, I simply believe that this is her first effort. Despite the flaws in the narrative of this piece, it’s not hard to see that there’s an interesting mind at work, it just needs some more time to develop.
September 23, 2025
Good, quick and entertaining book
"Every one of them felt an odd shift deep inside their souls. After tonight, they would all be changed in a way they could never explain to anyone back on Earth. Things that no person should ever consider doing had now become necessary, reasonable, and entirely justifiable."
"Every one of them felt an odd shift deep inside their souls. After tonight, they would all be changed in a way they could never explain to anyone back on Earth. Things that no person should ever consider doing had now become necessary, reasonable, and entirely justifiable."
September 11, 2023
Coming in at around the 50-page mark, I blasted through Humanity Lost really rather quickly. You might think that’s not enough time for a story to make your skin crawl, but, oh boy, this did exactly that.
In short, Humanity Lost is a delightfully disturbing debut sci-fi horror. The plot centres around the crew of the Valhalla, who are awakened from stasis months too early on their return trip to Earth, carrying a precious cargo that will save humanity. Initially I thought the book would go in a similar direction to Dead Space, with the cargo being an artefact which drives them all mad—but this is not the case at all. In fact, the cargo is inconsequential, but I loved the way the book shattered my expectations. Instead, the direction it took was arguably so much more horrifying. Even a few weeks later I still shudder to think about it. I feel like human horror which examines the depths of depravity people are capable of in an emergency, and how malleable morality and ethics become in those situations, can be more unsettling than an external force.
There’s a small cast of characters to play with here—fitting for such a short book—but they’re all well-realised and distinct. The author does a fantastic ob getting your invested in them and sympathising with them. I loved how the initial descent into depravity was handled, as it made pragmatic sense. They only needed to buy themselves enough time to get back into stasis. Their mixed feelings about what they had to do; the guilt, the discomfort, the rationalising, maintaining a semblance of their humanity and professionalism while secretly beginning to enjoy it. All brilliantly unnerving. Fantastically handled. Extremely dark. The twists and turns and betrayals were excellent.
The only thing that pulled me out of the story a little was the timeline. The stated timing made it seem like they weren’t making the best use of the resources at their disposal, which was a bigger deal than it seemed, given they were supposed to have carefully and meticulously planned what they were doing. Though, honestly, the way that the book has made me try to think about this in a pragmatic and dispassionate manner makes me feel queasy, so I can’t help but think it was intentional.
The pacing of Humanity Lost is perfect for its length. There was no wasted space at all, and being so short you can read through it very quickly indeed—I think I managed it in just over an hour. I love those kinds of books that stick with you long after they’ve finished, and this is definitely one of them! The ending was so horrible, and satisfyingly inevitable. It really kept me off balance throughout.
If you’re a sci-fi horror fan who doesn’t mind an extraordinarily bleak tale, then you absolutely cannot go wrong with Humanity Lost. Pick it up. Highly recommended.
In short, Humanity Lost is a delightfully disturbing debut sci-fi horror. The plot centres around the crew of the Valhalla, who are awakened from stasis months too early on their return trip to Earth, carrying a precious cargo that will save humanity. Initially I thought the book would go in a similar direction to Dead Space, with the cargo being an artefact which drives them all mad—but this is not the case at all. In fact, the cargo is inconsequential, but I loved the way the book shattered my expectations. Instead, the direction it took was arguably so much more horrifying. Even a few weeks later I still shudder to think about it. I feel like human horror which examines the depths of depravity people are capable of in an emergency, and how malleable morality and ethics become in those situations, can be more unsettling than an external force.
There’s a small cast of characters to play with here—fitting for such a short book—but they’re all well-realised and distinct. The author does a fantastic ob getting your invested in them and sympathising with them. I loved how the initial descent into depravity was handled, as it made pragmatic sense. They only needed to buy themselves enough time to get back into stasis. Their mixed feelings about what they had to do; the guilt, the discomfort, the rationalising, maintaining a semblance of their humanity and professionalism while secretly beginning to enjoy it. All brilliantly unnerving. Fantastically handled. Extremely dark. The twists and turns and betrayals were excellent.
The only thing that pulled me out of the story a little was the timeline. The stated timing made it seem like they weren’t making the best use of the resources at their disposal, which was a bigger deal than it seemed, given they were supposed to have carefully and meticulously planned what they were doing. Though, honestly, the way that the book has made me try to think about this in a pragmatic and dispassionate manner makes me feel queasy, so I can’t help but think it was intentional.
The pacing of Humanity Lost is perfect for its length. There was no wasted space at all, and being so short you can read through it very quickly indeed—I think I managed it in just over an hour. I love those kinds of books that stick with you long after they’ve finished, and this is definitely one of them! The ending was so horrible, and satisfyingly inevitable. It really kept me off balance throughout.
If you’re a sci-fi horror fan who doesn’t mind an extraordinarily bleak tale, then you absolutely cannot go wrong with Humanity Lost. Pick it up. Highly recommended.
November 29, 2021
Humanity Lost by Meghan Douglass needs to be a full-length novel. As a reader, I enjoy twists. I enjoy multiple twists. I want to be surprised, and I want to keep guessing. I want that hold-your-hand-to-your-heart moment. Douglass did all this, but there was something missing. There was a lot of background information at the start yet, by the end, I felt like I didn't know the characters at all and felt little sympathy for them. With more concise language, the opening pages could have been greatly summed up leaving room for more of the action. With a longer story, the characters could be fleshed out and awarded the space they deserve because there's one hell of a twist in this story and I very much much wanted to savour it. Overall, it was a great, short read, and I'm looking forward to more books by Meghan Douglass.
January 12, 2022
I wasn't quite sure what I was getting into when I started this. Because I figured I knew where it was going.
The opening was a reworked opening scene from Alien, and dammit, I knew...I absolutely knew what came next.
Yeah, I didn't know. Didn't even guess that was the direction.
I'm not going to spoil this for anyone. This is a great, quick read that jangles the nerves in exactly the right ways.
I took one star off because, quite frankly, I would have rather this had been double the length. A story like this? It deserves that.
The opening was a reworked opening scene from Alien, and dammit, I knew...I absolutely knew what came next.
Yeah, I didn't know. Didn't even guess that was the direction.
I'm not going to spoil this for anyone. This is a great, quick read that jangles the nerves in exactly the right ways.
I took one star off because, quite frankly, I would have rather this had been double the length. A story like this? It deserves that.
June 30, 2023
A great premise, but needed a ruthless editor.
October 15, 2021
“Things that no person should ever consider doing had now become necessary, reasonable, and entirely justifiable.”
With conditions on Earth making it uninhabitable, the 6 person crew of the spacecraft Valhalla sets off on a mission to save humanity in this debut novella by Meghan Douglass. Events quickly progress after the crew awakens from stasis and is faced with making some unthinkable choices.
I sometimes struggle with shorter works, wanting more character development and longer scenes, in order for the story to feel complete. That wasn’t the case with Humanity Lost. Although it has fewer than 60 pages, the tale felt finished. Douglass makes the most of every page, creating memorable characters and packing several shocking twists in this horrific story that leaves a lasting impression.
With conditions on Earth making it uninhabitable, the 6 person crew of the spacecraft Valhalla sets off on a mission to save humanity in this debut novella by Meghan Douglass. Events quickly progress after the crew awakens from stasis and is faced with making some unthinkable choices.
I sometimes struggle with shorter works, wanting more character development and longer scenes, in order for the story to feel complete. That wasn’t the case with Humanity Lost. Although it has fewer than 60 pages, the tale felt finished. Douglass makes the most of every page, creating memorable characters and packing several shocking twists in this horrific story that leaves a lasting impression.
October 17, 2021
This is a very good horror story taking place in deep space. I was hooked from the start and has a great twist at the end. Be prepared to scream.
October 17, 2021
I normally would not give a book with this subject matter a strong rating, but despite dealing with cannibalism, it was a book I wanted to finish.
October 10, 2021
"Every one of them felt an odd shift deep inside their souls."
Humanity Lost by Meghan Douglass chronicles the journey of the six member crew of the Valhalla, a ship described as "Earth's last hope." During this journey we discover why everyone of the crew feels the shift in their souls. It is a short journey for the reader, a scant fifty plus pages, but every page is more unsettling than the last.
In her previous works, Douglass has shown an uncanny ability to convey tension in an efficient manner and this book is no exception. It is a book that you won't want to put down until you are finished. I can't wait to read what she writes next.
Humanity Lost by Meghan Douglass chronicles the journey of the six member crew of the Valhalla, a ship described as "Earth's last hope." During this journey we discover why everyone of the crew feels the shift in their souls. It is a short journey for the reader, a scant fifty plus pages, but every page is more unsettling than the last.
In her previous works, Douglass has shown an uncanny ability to convey tension in an efficient manner and this book is no exception. It is a book that you won't want to put down until you are finished. I can't wait to read what she writes next.
October 1, 2021
I'm always a fan of stories where the bad guy wins. In this story, I didn't even know there was a bad guy until the twist happened, so that was well done. I thought the premise of the story was fantastic. It was one of those stories where you really think, "can I honestly say I wouldn't do what they did in that situation?" And I was truly appalled by some of the things they did. If this story was ever adapted to the screen, it would give a lot of people nightmares.
If I had to point out negatives, I felt the book was too short for the story it had to tell. There wasn't enough time to connect with the characters. There was a lot of narrative and very little dialog, so we were told how disgusted or scared the characters were, but I would have liked to see more emotional dialog scenes to show this. I think this story could easily be a full length novel by expanding some of the scenes and adding dialog. The poker scene, for instance, could probably have been a full chapter alone. As could a few others, like some of the dinner scenes, or even spending a few chapters delving into the characters backstories.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book. I thought it flowed well, and I liked the prose. I was also very polished. The only reason it's not 5 stars is because the character development was hampered by the short length of the book. If the author ever decided to re-release a longer version, I would definitely pick it up.
If I had to point out negatives, I felt the book was too short for the story it had to tell. There wasn't enough time to connect with the characters. There was a lot of narrative and very little dialog, so we were told how disgusted or scared the characters were, but I would have liked to see more emotional dialog scenes to show this. I think this story could easily be a full length novel by expanding some of the scenes and adding dialog. The poker scene, for instance, could probably have been a full chapter alone. As could a few others, like some of the dinner scenes, or even spending a few chapters delving into the characters backstories.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book. I thought it flowed well, and I liked the prose. I was also very polished. The only reason it's not 5 stars is because the character development was hampered by the short length of the book. If the author ever decided to re-release a longer version, I would definitely pick it up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 13, 2021
Dark as all hell and just as bleak. My only gripe was how brief it was. It’s a very solid and nasty debut and I enjoyed it very much.
July 5, 2022
Godawful writing
It’s rare for me to give up on a book. The ones I do, it’s usually due to gradually losing interest in the book and simply fading the book out. This book was an exception.
It’s bad writing. Something a nine grade student would write. The next sentence describes the captain of the ship: “His fitness, strength, and bravery were outdone only by his intelligence.”
This cringy sentence is something my 12 years old son would write to describe his D&D character, not how a grown person would write and the story is riddled with similar literature abominations. I managed to survive till roughly half the book but it came to a point I’d rather eat my own foot just to make the pain go away so I gave up.
In space, no one can hear you cringe.
It’s rare for me to give up on a book. The ones I do, it’s usually due to gradually losing interest in the book and simply fading the book out. This book was an exception.
It’s bad writing. Something a nine grade student would write. The next sentence describes the captain of the ship: “His fitness, strength, and bravery were outdone only by his intelligence.”
This cringy sentence is something my 12 years old son would write to describe his D&D character, not how a grown person would write and the story is riddled with similar literature abominations. I managed to survive till roughly half the book but it came to a point I’d rather eat my own foot just to make the pain go away so I gave up.
In space, no one can hear you cringe.
October 3, 2021
A surprisingly good depraved journey
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. The characters were convincingly developed for such a short read, and the pace was fast. It never lagged. Creepy and thematic, I’d definitely recommend it for those that enjoy a good story about the failure of humanity in space
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. The characters were convincingly developed for such a short read, and the pace was fast. It never lagged. Creepy and thematic, I’d definitely recommend it for those that enjoy a good story about the failure of humanity in space
October 3, 2021
Short but deliciously scary tale
Lost in Space meets… oh, I don’t want to spoil this for you. It’s a short novella which I hope the author will flesh out into a fuller work. Horror stories are not my normal taste, but this one left me hungry for more.
Lost in Space meets… oh, I don’t want to spoil this for you. It’s a short novella which I hope the author will flesh out into a fuller work. Horror stories are not my normal taste, but this one left me hungry for more.
March 6, 2022
Something to chew on
There are old sea stories about clipper ships lost in the middle of a vast ocean for months, leaving the crews and passengers to resort to extreme measures in order to fend off starvation. Douglass's novella reads like one of those tales with a side helping of Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" . Set in space on a lost ship that holds cargo that will save humanity, the crew finds themselves at odds with each other and thier own consciences. The writing is taunt and swift and by the end we're left to wonder if the humanity lost is even worth finding.
There are old sea stories about clipper ships lost in the middle of a vast ocean for months, leaving the crews and passengers to resort to extreme measures in order to fend off starvation. Douglass's novella reads like one of those tales with a side helping of Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" . Set in space on a lost ship that holds cargo that will save humanity, the crew finds themselves at odds with each other and thier own consciences. The writing is taunt and swift and by the end we're left to wonder if the humanity lost is even worth finding.
October 25, 2021
Oh was this bad, downright terrible. Not only was it disgusting, it was silly. Yes, I get it, this was by a new young author; was it her entry in the Fifth Grade writing contest? The problem with this story is that when you make it about the extremes, all you have is the extremes to write about. The old tired SF saw that the earth is dying and only the scientific minds that go into space can save us, reaches a new and horrible low. Oh, and don't eat this while eating lunch, blech.
December 30, 2021
The TL:DR is go ahead and read it, it’s just the right kind of gruesome fun that really sticks with you and makes for a very cool read. Douglass comes out swinging and manages to keep her misses to a minimum.
For those of you who want more information, I will give you more information. The basic plot concept is we’re following the crew of a spaceship tasked with delivering crucial supplies to Earth. Because of a malfunction taking place on board the ship, the crew has to find a way to survive for two months despite not technically having the means to do so. I won’t go into detail as to how they do it, but I will mention a hint: Wendigo. Yes, really.
This concept is explored in a refreshing degree of variety and depth as the characters struggle with the ramifications of their choices, and the toll they take on them. Other things that make this story stand out is the attention given to plotting, and all the narrative twists and turns Meghan manages to introduce. It’s not a lot per se, but every detail she brings up, the stakes of the mission, the friction among crew members, how their motivations lead them to clashes, adds upon a variety of others and makes for a compelling and tense thriller.
Other aspects of the story are more of a mixed bag. The worldbuilding is basically “our world except the parts the author needs to be different,” my least favourite type, but it is presented in such a way that you find out all you need to know for the sake of the story, and it keeps the narrative compelling and focused. It’s actually surprising how much the reader finds out about how Earth has changed, or of the environment the characters come from and care about, just from what we are told. It renders my typical criticisms of such worldbuilding moot.
There is one aspect of the story, however, that I can still put up a valid criticism of, and that is the characterisation. For the most part, actually, the characterisation is pretty effective, the introductions as well as the ways various characters respond to the twists in the narrative are well-done, and in keeping with their established personalities. In certain areas, however, it becomes more complex than it really needs to be. The novella really wants you to believe it is an ensemble piece, but its confines don’t really allow for everyone to be as developed as they need to be. It is only the captain of the crew that receives the definition that makes him memorable in and of himself, and most other characters only have a brief descriptor to which they adhere, but, to their own detriment, don’t go beyond that. Instead of third person omniscient, the story really could’ve gone third person limited, or even first person, and not much would’ve been lost. If anything, it would’ve added some plausible deniability that could’ve amped up the stakes.
I guess Meghan wanted to keep her dialogue to a minimum, but she really didn’t need to. From what I’ve seen, a lot of the dialogue was actually a good fit to the situation, she could’ve added more of it and not harm the quality of her work at all. Oh well, that’s how she wanted to tell her story, that’s how she did it.
Overall, Humanity Lost is a very engaging and exciting sci-fi story, tackling a unique premise in a memorable fashion.
For those of you who want more information, I will give you more information. The basic plot concept is we’re following the crew of a spaceship tasked with delivering crucial supplies to Earth. Because of a malfunction taking place on board the ship, the crew has to find a way to survive for two months despite not technically having the means to do so. I won’t go into detail as to how they do it, but I will mention a hint: Wendigo. Yes, really.
This concept is explored in a refreshing degree of variety and depth as the characters struggle with the ramifications of their choices, and the toll they take on them. Other things that make this story stand out is the attention given to plotting, and all the narrative twists and turns Meghan manages to introduce. It’s not a lot per se, but every detail she brings up, the stakes of the mission, the friction among crew members, how their motivations lead them to clashes, adds upon a variety of others and makes for a compelling and tense thriller.
Other aspects of the story are more of a mixed bag. The worldbuilding is basically “our world except the parts the author needs to be different,” my least favourite type, but it is presented in such a way that you find out all you need to know for the sake of the story, and it keeps the narrative compelling and focused. It’s actually surprising how much the reader finds out about how Earth has changed, or of the environment the characters come from and care about, just from what we are told. It renders my typical criticisms of such worldbuilding moot.
There is one aspect of the story, however, that I can still put up a valid criticism of, and that is the characterisation. For the most part, actually, the characterisation is pretty effective, the introductions as well as the ways various characters respond to the twists in the narrative are well-done, and in keeping with their established personalities. In certain areas, however, it becomes more complex than it really needs to be. The novella really wants you to believe it is an ensemble piece, but its confines don’t really allow for everyone to be as developed as they need to be. It is only the captain of the crew that receives the definition that makes him memorable in and of himself, and most other characters only have a brief descriptor to which they adhere, but, to their own detriment, don’t go beyond that. Instead of third person omniscient, the story really could’ve gone third person limited, or even first person, and not much would’ve been lost. If anything, it would’ve added some plausible deniability that could’ve amped up the stakes.
I guess Meghan wanted to keep her dialogue to a minimum, but she really didn’t need to. From what I’ve seen, a lot of the dialogue was actually a good fit to the situation, she could’ve added more of it and not harm the quality of her work at all. Oh well, that’s how she wanted to tell her story, that’s how she did it.
Overall, Humanity Lost is a very engaging and exciting sci-fi story, tackling a unique premise in a memorable fashion.
May 22, 2022
Meghan Douglass has apparently blended two genres, science fiction and horror, in an unexpected way. I have not experienced the novella form since college and I ordered the electronic version of the book, so it was a little jarring at first and I expected longer character development. But then I began to focus not just in her splendid prose, but on the real meaning of the book.
There are three themes here that will be unsurprising to readers of the selected genres. The cover art features a spaceship and sitting in the story is a spacecraft flying through interstellar space. Hardcore science fiction fans may be disappointed with the lack of alien beings; the absence of any conflict or cooperation with other spaceships; the lack of any really advanced technology. Aside from apparently cryogenic freezing and warp drive which we all grew up understanding, there is nothing particularly high-tech. So in that sense, this really is not a science fiction work after all. Space travel simply gives us the vehicle (pun intended) to move the story forward.
There is a second, much more subtle theme: Earth destruction. The protagonists of the story are traveling to rescue Earth, which has been nearly destroyed by man-made damage and climate change. The environmental reader might be a bit disappointed with the lack of detail of Earth's destruction. All that is known is that the planet has been destroyed to the point that it must now be abandoned, and the trip featured in the book was designed to go mind the necessary fuel for powering enough starships to rescue Earth's population, and bring it back to earth. There is much to be said here about climate change, the destruction of the Earth through the mining of limited natural resources, and a dozen other related topics. The combination of what is by then ubiquitous space travel and the mission to other worlds to begin extracting critical natural resources there is also right for discussion. But it's not really an environmental work either, the problem on Earth simply gives us the reason d'tra for the story.
So we come to the third genre, horror, and the real theme of the book. I used the word "apparently" in the first sentence this review because the book is much more than a blend of two genres. Meghan Douglass is not writing about spaceships; she's writing about the moral and psychological limits that people have, and how they might be pushed past them under extreme duress. While chronicling one man's descent into madness, she also records the incremental moral adjustments each person makes under the duress of starvation, ultimately leading to the unspeakable: cannibalism. How much can a human being take before he or she loses basic humanity? What is the nature of humanity..... Survival by any means or a moral threshold that cannot be crossed? Does Humanity Lost refer to the changes in the species wrought by willful destruction of its own planet? Does it refer to the ultimate end of the mission? Does it refer to the changes in human nature under extreme duress? You decide.
Like longer works of great fiction, this novella gives the reader the reason to think deeper about larger issues. Meghan Douglass does what all writers hope to do: she leaves the reader wanting more. I'm looking forward to her next one.
There are three themes here that will be unsurprising to readers of the selected genres. The cover art features a spaceship and sitting in the story is a spacecraft flying through interstellar space. Hardcore science fiction fans may be disappointed with the lack of alien beings; the absence of any conflict or cooperation with other spaceships; the lack of any really advanced technology. Aside from apparently cryogenic freezing and warp drive which we all grew up understanding, there is nothing particularly high-tech. So in that sense, this really is not a science fiction work after all. Space travel simply gives us the vehicle (pun intended) to move the story forward.
There is a second, much more subtle theme: Earth destruction. The protagonists of the story are traveling to rescue Earth, which has been nearly destroyed by man-made damage and climate change. The environmental reader might be a bit disappointed with the lack of detail of Earth's destruction. All that is known is that the planet has been destroyed to the point that it must now be abandoned, and the trip featured in the book was designed to go mind the necessary fuel for powering enough starships to rescue Earth's population, and bring it back to earth. There is much to be said here about climate change, the destruction of the Earth through the mining of limited natural resources, and a dozen other related topics. The combination of what is by then ubiquitous space travel and the mission to other worlds to begin extracting critical natural resources there is also right for discussion. But it's not really an environmental work either, the problem on Earth simply gives us the reason d'tra for the story.
So we come to the third genre, horror, and the real theme of the book. I used the word "apparently" in the first sentence this review because the book is much more than a blend of two genres. Meghan Douglass is not writing about spaceships; she's writing about the moral and psychological limits that people have, and how they might be pushed past them under extreme duress. While chronicling one man's descent into madness, she also records the incremental moral adjustments each person makes under the duress of starvation, ultimately leading to the unspeakable: cannibalism. How much can a human being take before he or she loses basic humanity? What is the nature of humanity..... Survival by any means or a moral threshold that cannot be crossed? Does Humanity Lost refer to the changes in the species wrought by willful destruction of its own planet? Does it refer to the ultimate end of the mission? Does it refer to the changes in human nature under extreme duress? You decide.
Like longer works of great fiction, this novella gives the reader the reason to think deeper about larger issues. Meghan Douglass does what all writers hope to do: she leaves the reader wanting more. I'm looking forward to her next one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 12, 2023
Humanity Lost was a gripping short read with a pretty straight forward plot. Earth has become toxic and borderline uninhabitable, and the massive ships built to take humans to different parts of the galaxy for survival do not have the fuel to complete the journey. A specialized crew is put together to go out into the deeps of the universe to harvest and bring back the fuel needed for those ships, and therefore save humanity.
The mission of gathering the fuel is successful, and the story picks up on the Valhalla's return home. The ship is struck by a small meteor, causing the small crew to be awakened from their stasis two months earlier than scheduled. With the stasis pods now inoperable, the crew begins to realize they have a weeks supply of food tops; nowhere near the amount needed to survive the two months needed to return to Earth. If they do not survive the trip, all of humanity will be lost.
The crew begins to ration their remaining supplies as best as possible, but when a freak accident causes one of the crew members to lose a leg, well...that's a lot of meat that would just go to waste, right? We now find ourselves in a Donner Party scenario in deep space.
Coming in at 53 pages, this quick read explores the lengths the crew will go to in order to survive and the mental struggles, or lack thereof, of each crew members as they grapple with their new meals, the fact that it still won't be enough food, and what their next steps and...um, sacrifices will be.
The amount of character studies on each crew members was very well done in such a short read. A longer piece of work could have given us a lot more of each individual character and how they either come to terms with their new reality or not, but when considering the size of this story for what it is, it was very well done.
As mentioned before, I'm not a sci-fi fan at all, but the dark, horror elements kept me reading just to know what would happen next, and even thought the suspense that built throughout the last part of the story had me predicting much of it, the final ending reveal had a very satisfying horror or Twilight Zone feel to it.
All in all, this was an enjoyable little read. I'm not one to have an organized, set in stone to-be-read pile, so short breaks such as this one are my go to type of reads between longer pieces of work. If you are in that same boat, or just a lover of shorter stories, I highly recommend Humanity Lost by Meghan Douglass. And with this being the author's debut work, I look forward to what type of stories she produces in the future.
The mission of gathering the fuel is successful, and the story picks up on the Valhalla's return home. The ship is struck by a small meteor, causing the small crew to be awakened from their stasis two months earlier than scheduled. With the stasis pods now inoperable, the crew begins to realize they have a weeks supply of food tops; nowhere near the amount needed to survive the two months needed to return to Earth. If they do not survive the trip, all of humanity will be lost.
The crew begins to ration their remaining supplies as best as possible, but when a freak accident causes one of the crew members to lose a leg, well...that's a lot of meat that would just go to waste, right? We now find ourselves in a Donner Party scenario in deep space.
Coming in at 53 pages, this quick read explores the lengths the crew will go to in order to survive and the mental struggles, or lack thereof, of each crew members as they grapple with their new meals, the fact that it still won't be enough food, and what their next steps and...um, sacrifices will be.
The amount of character studies on each crew members was very well done in such a short read. A longer piece of work could have given us a lot more of each individual character and how they either come to terms with their new reality or not, but when considering the size of this story for what it is, it was very well done.
As mentioned before, I'm not a sci-fi fan at all, but the dark, horror elements kept me reading just to know what would happen next, and even thought the suspense that built throughout the last part of the story had me predicting much of it, the final ending reveal had a very satisfying horror or Twilight Zone feel to it.
All in all, this was an enjoyable little read. I'm not one to have an organized, set in stone to-be-read pile, so short breaks such as this one are my go to type of reads between longer pieces of work. If you are in that same boat, or just a lover of shorter stories, I highly recommend Humanity Lost by Meghan Douglass. And with this being the author's debut work, I look forward to what type of stories she produces in the future.
November 3, 2022
Humanity Lost was an interesting take at the Psychological Horror Genre. There was a lot of intrigue and mystery set up from the get go, however—in my opinion—a lot of this fell flat.
The general plot of the story is as follows: Humanity is on the brink of disaster having run out of fossil fuels. Humanity has banded together it’s brightest minds (in the form of this crew) and sent them to the farthest reaches of space looking for fuel and habitable planets for humanity to settle on. An indeterminate period of time into their trip, they are struck by what the author calls ‘micro meteorites’ which damage the systems and force the crew out of stasis. The crew then has to work towards fixing the pods while dealing with the new issue that has arisen—they do not have enough food to make it the 1-2 months left to earth. After an accident which resulted in the loss of a crew mates leg, Ramirez, the ships doctor, proposes resorting to cannibalism in order to sustain themselves for the remainder of the trip. Things quickly go downhill as Ramirez begins to seemingly orchestrate accidents resulting in more crew injuries and deaths in order to describe what is portrayed as an insatiable need for flesh on the part of those who have taken to cannibalism—described as an utter loss of humanity.
The first thing that jumped out to me was that all of the characters felt rather surface level. None of them had first names—all going by either last names or simply “the captain”—and many of them stood out as Mary Sue type characters who didn’t exactly operate outside of their supposed role in the story.
Second, for as smart as the characters are explained to be—the brightest minds on earth—they seem to act rather illogically in most of the decisions they make (squandering resources by throwing a party at the ‘midpoint’ of their journey, not packing enough food or planning for anything to potentially go wrong, gorging themselves on available food rather than rationing the crew mates body).
In all, it feels like this story suffered from a lack of research into how cannibalism affects the mind. The author describes Ramirez’s descent into madness as due to his consumption of human flesh. While this is a real thing, it takes years to develop (not months) and, even then, presents as symptoms similar to palsy rather than insanity.
All in all, I found it a decently enjoyable story. However, I think it could have possibly used a few more eyes during the editing process to really shine.
The general plot of the story is as follows: Humanity is on the brink of disaster having run out of fossil fuels. Humanity has banded together it’s brightest minds (in the form of this crew) and sent them to the farthest reaches of space looking for fuel and habitable planets for humanity to settle on. An indeterminate period of time into their trip, they are struck by what the author calls ‘micro meteorites’ which damage the systems and force the crew out of stasis. The crew then has to work towards fixing the pods while dealing with the new issue that has arisen—they do not have enough food to make it the 1-2 months left to earth. After an accident which resulted in the loss of a crew mates leg, Ramirez, the ships doctor, proposes resorting to cannibalism in order to sustain themselves for the remainder of the trip. Things quickly go downhill as Ramirez begins to seemingly orchestrate accidents resulting in more crew injuries and deaths in order to describe what is portrayed as an insatiable need for flesh on the part of those who have taken to cannibalism—described as an utter loss of humanity.
The first thing that jumped out to me was that all of the characters felt rather surface level. None of them had first names—all going by either last names or simply “the captain”—and many of them stood out as Mary Sue type characters who didn’t exactly operate outside of their supposed role in the story.
Second, for as smart as the characters are explained to be—the brightest minds on earth—they seem to act rather illogically in most of the decisions they make (squandering resources by throwing a party at the ‘midpoint’ of their journey, not packing enough food or planning for anything to potentially go wrong, gorging themselves on available food rather than rationing the crew mates body).
In all, it feels like this story suffered from a lack of research into how cannibalism affects the mind. The author describes Ramirez’s descent into madness as due to his consumption of human flesh. While this is a real thing, it takes years to develop (not months) and, even then, presents as symptoms similar to palsy rather than insanity.
All in all, I found it a decently enjoyable story. However, I think it could have possibly used a few more eyes during the editing process to really shine.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 30, 2022
✨Review time✨ - Humanity Lost
This is an amazing debut, even though it has some misses in my opinion. To start with I love cosmic horror and body horror, and by love I mean it makes me extremely afraid, uncomfortable and I hate it.
The Earth is dying, there is no more resources to fuel humanities survival. Valhalla, the last hope for humanity, a ship that is to find enough fuel to return and make it possible for people to board ships and leave for better planets. However, during its return flight there is a fault with the stasis pods and the crew has to survive on the food they have left. To save humanity, they will have to make sacrifices...
The premise is great, and the introduction gives you just enough context for you to get immersed into the book. I would say that the first 50 pages of this are amazing, some of the best horror I've read. It had me very squeamish and I can still feel physical pain from just how much discomfort is in there. Simply amazing, this very real and horrid tale.
However, and here there be spoilers, it suddenly falls flat at the end as everything is orchestrated by one eviiiiiil guy. That twist at the end just stopped all terror for me. Up until then it was all about how far humanity can go if the stakes are high enough, what we are willing to do to save ourselves. It also made the cosmic horror of it all so much more hitting as if they don't get to Earth everyone dies. But no it was all one guy who is bad. Even when the captain finds out they're not out in the middle of nowhere the terror inside me immediately went away.
This is a great novella, even though the ending disagrees with me personally. I'd give it around 3.5 but gonna put it up to 4 since this is a debut novel. I'm also gonna follow the author, wanna see what they come up with next. Pick it up if you hate body horror.
This is an amazing debut, even though it has some misses in my opinion. To start with I love cosmic horror and body horror, and by love I mean it makes me extremely afraid, uncomfortable and I hate it.
The Earth is dying, there is no more resources to fuel humanities survival. Valhalla, the last hope for humanity, a ship that is to find enough fuel to return and make it possible for people to board ships and leave for better planets. However, during its return flight there is a fault with the stasis pods and the crew has to survive on the food they have left. To save humanity, they will have to make sacrifices...
The premise is great, and the introduction gives you just enough context for you to get immersed into the book. I would say that the first 50 pages of this are amazing, some of the best horror I've read. It had me very squeamish and I can still feel physical pain from just how much discomfort is in there. Simply amazing, this very real and horrid tale.
However, and here there be spoilers, it suddenly falls flat at the end as everything is orchestrated by one eviiiiiil guy. That twist at the end just stopped all terror for me. Up until then it was all about how far humanity can go if the stakes are high enough, what we are willing to do to save ourselves. It also made the cosmic horror of it all so much more hitting as if they don't get to Earth everyone dies. But no it was all one guy who is bad. Even when the captain finds out they're not out in the middle of nowhere the terror inside me immediately went away.
This is a great novella, even though the ending disagrees with me personally. I'd give it around 3.5 but gonna put it up to 4 since this is a debut novel. I'm also gonna follow the author, wanna see what they come up with next. Pick it up if you hate body horror.
December 27, 2021
Short and Sweet but failed to engage as it should have.
I don't want to give this anything below a 4 star review but it didn't quite hit high enough. I still liked it and still enjoyed the story, but it took about 2/3rds before it started ticking the right boxes for me personally.
The story is solid, but I felt the execution was a bit lacking. I wanted to see more from the characters but didn't get it.
The biggest issue for me was that there was an awful lot of telling rather than showing. Now I'm not one of those "show don't tell" religious observers. I honestly think books are best with a bit of both. But Humanity Lost was dominated by telling rather than showing and it lost some of the depth because of that. Now it worked at times, it helps keep the storyline snappy and to point, but too often I was left wanting more. I wanted to know the crew, I wanted to see some dialogue between them, see them inside and outside of work. But we get next to none of that. What we do get is more of a "this is what happened" it felt like the bare bones of a story. I'm not sure if that's what was intended here. I mean, it's a very easy read and that's good, but it you want more meat (lol meat) in your story than you might be a little disappointed.
I don't want to give this anything below a 4 star review but it didn't quite hit high enough. I still liked it and still enjoyed the story, but it took about 2/3rds before it started ticking the right boxes for me personally.
The story is solid, but I felt the execution was a bit lacking. I wanted to see more from the characters but didn't get it.
The biggest issue for me was that there was an awful lot of telling rather than showing. Now I'm not one of those "show don't tell" religious observers. I honestly think books are best with a bit of both. But Humanity Lost was dominated by telling rather than showing and it lost some of the depth because of that. Now it worked at times, it helps keep the storyline snappy and to point, but too often I was left wanting more. I wanted to know the crew, I wanted to see some dialogue between them, see them inside and outside of work. But we get next to none of that. What we do get is more of a "this is what happened" it felt like the bare bones of a story. I'm not sure if that's what was intended here. I mean, it's a very easy read and that's good, but it you want more meat (lol meat) in your story than you might be a little disappointed.
February 2, 2022
An Absolutely Delicious Sci-Fi Horror Story!
I actually purchased this book from a recommendation on Twitter and I'm really glad I did. This isn't my primary genre but after reading "Humanity Lost" I will have to check out more of this type of book. I really enjoyed learning about each character on the mission in turn as they were needed to move the story forward. The tension and desperation of the characters as the story progresses is palatable... I mean palpable. The main benefit of a 54 page novel: no filler writing whatsoever! I simply could not put this book down and gobbled it up in one day. Only problem with a short novel like this is I could have easily read 200 more pages expanding on the events preceding and after this story. Perhaps Meghan will revisit this not so distant world with a prequel or sequel in the future. Bottom line... if you are a Sci-Fi fan and like horror elements I fully recommend this book!
I actually purchased this book from a recommendation on Twitter and I'm really glad I did. This isn't my primary genre but after reading "Humanity Lost" I will have to check out more of this type of book. I really enjoyed learning about each character on the mission in turn as they were needed to move the story forward. The tension and desperation of the characters as the story progresses is palatable... I mean palpable. The main benefit of a 54 page novel: no filler writing whatsoever! I simply could not put this book down and gobbled it up in one day. Only problem with a short novel like this is I could have easily read 200 more pages expanding on the events preceding and after this story. Perhaps Meghan will revisit this not so distant world with a prequel or sequel in the future. Bottom line... if you are a Sci-Fi fan and like horror elements I fully recommend this book!
September 19, 2022
A quick sci-fi horror
An interesting, short sci-fi horror. Akin to stories of sailors lost at sea and the horrific things they do to survive, it's a gruesome read for an afternoon.
Interestingly, it's written in third person omniscient, which doesn't happen as much anymore in genre fiction. While this may be good in the sense it kept some distance between the more gruesome scenes, allowing for the book to stay palatable (Haha), it also made for a tell-not-show story. A lot of times, very pivotal scenes would happen in the span of a paragraph and then off to the next thing. A quick sentence or two of what people were feeling, and no suspense. I found myself thinking, "oh, OK then, I guess" a lot. As a result, the horror elements never really elevated beyond an "ew" reaction from me.
However, I enjoy sci-fi horror and this was a quick and easy read.
An interesting, short sci-fi horror. Akin to stories of sailors lost at sea and the horrific things they do to survive, it's a gruesome read for an afternoon.
Interestingly, it's written in third person omniscient, which doesn't happen as much anymore in genre fiction. While this may be good in the sense it kept some distance between the more gruesome scenes, allowing for the book to stay palatable (Haha), it also made for a tell-not-show story. A lot of times, very pivotal scenes would happen in the span of a paragraph and then off to the next thing. A quick sentence or two of what people were feeling, and no suspense. I found myself thinking, "oh, OK then, I guess" a lot. As a result, the horror elements never really elevated beyond an "ew" reaction from me.
However, I enjoy sci-fi horror and this was a quick and easy read.
October 6, 2022
I was hooked . . .
I love the claustrophobia of well done space stories. And this one gets that part right. I read the sample pages and was instantly hooked. The strength of Douglass' writing here, is the STORY. It's yarn that will keep you turning pages and squirming in your lazyboy. Equal parts sci-fi and horror, this is for the folks that love movies like Alien. Although brace yourself, this story goes to places you aren't expecting . . . and then keeps going further and further into that horror. Good stuff.
Do yourself a favor and read the first few pages, if you are as intrigued as I was by those opening paragraphs, then grab yourself a copy and you won't be disappointed. This is a quick read, with no dull moments or wasted text and a nice twist ending.
I love the claustrophobia of well done space stories. And this one gets that part right. I read the sample pages and was instantly hooked. The strength of Douglass' writing here, is the STORY. It's yarn that will keep you turning pages and squirming in your lazyboy. Equal parts sci-fi and horror, this is for the folks that love movies like Alien. Although brace yourself, this story goes to places you aren't expecting . . . and then keeps going further and further into that horror. Good stuff.
Do yourself a favor and read the first few pages, if you are as intrigued as I was by those opening paragraphs, then grab yourself a copy and you won't be disappointed. This is a quick read, with no dull moments or wasted text and a nice twist ending.
November 21, 2021
It begins as a coming out of stasis scifi moment and takes a nice steady turn at situational storytelling. The pacing was perfect and kept me engaged. It is an excellent short sci-fi story that would occupy a little road trip or a rainy night. Without giving anything away, the story dives into a central challenge that is extremely uncomfortable and downright horrifying and yet absolutely plausible in its first iteration. Definitely a new take that I could see being a horror sci-fi movie. The scary part is what is appalling at first becomes second nature as the story plays out.
Definitely not for the squeamish or those with highly visual minds, but beyond that, a fast-paced good read.
Definitely not for the squeamish or those with highly visual minds, but beyond that, a fast-paced good read.
August 1, 2023
POTENTIAL LIGHT SPOILER
I wish Goodreads had a half-star system, as I think the writing deserves more merit than three stars provides.
The writing was good, the story was horrific --in a good way-- but I don't think there was anything that was astounding about it for me. There were a few points where I stopped and said "No!" to myself, but nothing that was beyond what I imagined could happen. I do like the end and not "Westernizing" the finish by giving it a good ending.
From what I understand, this is the first work published by Douglass, so I think there is so much potential for growth. Look forward to being haunted by their work in the future.
I wish Goodreads had a half-star system, as I think the writing deserves more merit than three stars provides.
The writing was good, the story was horrific --in a good way-- but I don't think there was anything that was astounding about it for me. There were a few points where I stopped and said "No!" to myself, but nothing that was beyond what I imagined could happen. I do like the end and not "Westernizing" the finish by giving it a good ending.
From what I understand, this is the first work published by Douglass, so I think there is so much potential for growth. Look forward to being haunted by their work in the future.
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