The Reading Bud

Book Details:

Author: Brett Hodnett  
Release Date: 2 April 2025
Series:
Genre: Apocalyptic, Post-Apocalyptic, Dystopian, Speculative Fiction
Format: E-book 
Pages: 242 pages
Publisher: –
Blurb:
A remarkable exploration of family, society, and what makes us human, HUMAN will take you from the post-apocalyptic world of the near future, to the two very different societies that emerge 15 million years later, where those few surviving individuals have evolved to become something that we might not fully recognize as human.
When Ayla’s research takes her to a remote river in Canada’s far north, Chris brings their daughter to an isolated island in the southern Pacific. Though at opposite ends of the earth, they both awaken one morning to black skies, and a night that doesn’t end. Slowly, Ayla and Chris begin to realize that humanity has been…

… inexplicably wiped out, and only their isolation has saved them. Besides the handful of people around them, they are now alone in the world. As they struggle to build new ways to live, they must also struggle with how to let go of their past.

Millions of years later, when their descendants finally meet, they have evolved to become two very different kinds of humans, with two very different civilizations. As each tries to build a better world for themselves, navigating love, loss, betrayal and success within their own societies, their biggest challenge may be to recognize the humanity of the other.

Review

Spanning timelines that leap not just decades but millions of years, HUMAN is a genre-bending, mind-expanding tale that defies easy categorization. At its heart, this novel is about survival, of the individual, the species, and above all, of meaning. What happens when humanity is pushed to its limits? What remains?

We begin in the aftermath of an environmental apocalypse, with Ayla and a group of survivors trying to rebuild society from the ashes of catastrophe. This is not your typical dystopia. There’s a measured quietness here, an introspective tone that lingers on community, on language, and on grief. As the book unfolds, we shift to completely different worlds—one thousands of years in the future, under the ocean, with genetically evolved descendants of humanity like Kakapen and Emee; and then again, even deeper into a far-flung speculative future.

What’s striking is how seamlessly author Hodnett moves between perspectives. The transitions from Ayla and Luke, to Edvar and Ilusia, to Isko, to Kakapen and Emee, and beyond—all build toward a cumulative meditation on what it means to be human in any form. Despite wildly different settings and physical realities, there’s a throughline of connection, love, and the need to be seen.

The novel is also deeply anthropological. It’s not just worldbuilding, it’s world-layering. We see how cultures form, how language evolves, and how rituals replace memories. And even when society becomes alien, the emotions remain achingly familiar.

Stylistically, the writing is clean, at times sparse, but rich with internal reflection. Author Hodnett allows silent moments to breathe and trusts the reader to engage with the ideas without excessive exposition. And while some readers may find the multi-era structure disorienting, I found it quite satisfying as if I were reading a long, braided essay disguised as speculative fiction.

If I have a quibble, it’s only that certain sections—especially in the second and third narrative strands—could benefit from more emotional grounding. Sometimes the ideas leap ahead of the character arcs. But the final act brings it all together with poignant clarity.

In short, HUMAN is an ambitious, genre-straddling novel that asks questions instead of giving answers. It’s perfect for readers who loved Cloud Atlas, The Overstory, or Annihilation—and for anyone who finds themselves wondering, not just what our future holds, but what kind of people we become to survive it.

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