After Human [Paperback]

Michael Cross (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2004

A vampire who refuses to keep his brutal appetite in check is targeted by a network of assassins and regulators who keep the peace between humans and vampires. Original.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Pinnacle (February 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786012757
• ISBN-13: 978-0786012756
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,646,634 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very Confusing. . ., March 10, 2004

By 

Elizabeth "lking173" (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: After Human (Paperback)

While rummaging through the horror section at my bookstore I came across this book, and when I read the insert on the first couple of pages, it seemed like a very new and interesting novel. After the first couple of chapters though I realized this was not my type of book. I finished this story, but there is no way I can even remotely begin to describe what the story was about. I found the story very confusing, and probably because all of the characters were so unlikeable you could care less about what happened to them. Also, there was so much unecessary death by every character in the novel (unless you were a victim) that was described with such detachment, you felt nothing.

The story begins at the remains of a big party, and everyone at the party is dead. You find out that there is a rogue vampire on the loose and he is killing entire groups of people. He has killed before, but now he is making it very noticeable. There is a company/government entity (I have no idea what to call them) that handles these situations so the general public remains unaware. At this party there was a famous women who is missing, and that will make this party hard for this clean-up crew to cover up. This women has been kidnapped by the vampire Lo who is the vamp on the killing rampage.

The person in charge of this clean-up crew/organization is a women named Nikka who is very rich and very powerful. (Thoughout the novel she is also terrorizing and killing people, but "her people" who are afraid of her, clean up after her). Nikka enlists the aid of one of the last remaining vampires, Caleb, to find the killer. Caleb is very old and could care less about humans. He does look for Lo but while looking for Lo he is also on a killing spree killing people, and then calling a number so a clean up crew can get rid of the body.

This book jumps back and forth between characters and again, none of the characters are even remotely likeable. Throw in the fact that the descriptions are awful (black leather, that type of thing) and you have a novel that makes no sense.

Maybe this novel is supposed to contain symbolism that we should be able to unravel. Still, if you are a simple vampire reader like me, I think you may find this book a little difficult to follow.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I Just Can't Stand It Anymore, April 19, 2004

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: After Human (Paperback)

One of the duties of a reviewer is to stick through a novel to the bitter end, be it ever so painful, so that the reader won't have to make the same mistake. But for the first time in almost 4 years of reviewing, I honestly wish I had simply thrown a book away.

'After Human' is ostensibly a horror story, although to what purpose I am not cognizant. Michael Cross devotes himself to cataloging the existential angst of a miscellaneous collection of serial killers (who may or may not be vampires) all of whom dote on dissection, torture and gratuitous cruelty. And that is exactly and precisely the plot, other than some apocalyptic meanderings which are over before they start. Most of the readers confusion will arise from a stubborn believe that there is some undercurrent of meaning that has escaped them. Have no fear, it is not there.

Imagine a great catalog of gory moments and splashed organs, interspersed with writing that is so tedious that, at some point, you will become convinced that the authors entire intent was to irritate the reader into giving up books entirely. What I am trying to say is that, even if you like forays into SM literature, this is less of a book than you might want. Characters who lock themselves is dark underground crypts for the sole purpose of playing dice with thighbones are weird, but unless a great deal of skill is applied, they are not interesting.

Somewhere around page 200, I lost all interest in making a polite expression of reviewerly distaste. Once upon a time I read a book review that announced that the book under consideration was so bad that the readers should decamp to their local bookstores and earnestly try to discourage people from reading the book. While this may not be that awful, it is a disappointing attempt to revisit the vampire theme from a self-consciously shallow viewpoint.

Almost everything is better...

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Abysmal, March 8, 2004

By 

A Book A Day "bkworm" (Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: After Human (Paperback)

This long and erudite book I found to be incredibly confusing and boring, despite its belonging to four of my favorite genres: horror, fantasy, vampires, erotic. I am an avid reader owning thousands of books, have a master's in literature, but found the plot impossible to follow. The constant negating of statements by qualifying them with alternative "truths" or outright dismissal was irritating. Nevertheless, the themes of the book, which I believe to be disparagement of a highly technical, entertainment-obsessed, media-led society came through loud and clear. The sexy scenes were more sick than erotic. It reminded me of a symphony with a recurrent melody and motif but lacking transition and logic.