Book Review: Humanity Lost

Humanity Lost is a superb debut novella by South Australian author Meghan Douglass. It belongs to the science fiction slash horror genre.

I usually don’t read horror literature. This purchase was done to promote authors of the #WritersCommunity, of which I wish to be a non-dormant member in the future. Meghan doesn’t disappoint and the book turned out to be a fun read. I breezed through the entire book in an afternoon and came out thoroughly entertained at the other end.

Alert: plot giveaway
In the future, Earth has exhausted all energy resources, the atmosphere is too polluted and people need the energy to keep the indoor air quality clean among all other things. Humanity is desperate to find more fuel sources and eventually leave Earth and settle other habitable planets. The story revolves around the crew of space-ship Valhalla. They are on a mission to find fuel and bring it back to Earth. They have to succeed as there is no more fuel left on Earth for future explorations. They truly are humanity’s last hope. When the story opens, we find the crew is on their return journey to Earth. They have succeeded in their efforts and the ship is filled with fuel sufficient to send more Generation ships to explore the universe further. They have also mapped planets suitable for inhabitation. This information is as important if not more for humanity’s future.

Trouble hits when their stasis pods malfunction and they’re woken up from their hibernation. With not enough food to sustain them until they return, they’re in a race against time to repair the pods or risk starvation.

Desperate times drive them to take drastic steps including cannibalism. But what happens when they start enjoying and craving human flesh instead of being disgusted forms the rest of the story.

The characters are laid out well. They’re not overly developed leaving a bit out for readers' imagination. It’s not easy to get this balance right and Meghan’s done a fine job. A build-up of tension leads to the end, which keeps the story interesting throughout.

The only complaint I have is it could’ve been longer. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book and was wincing at times with disgust which is a compliment considering it’s a horror story. It has accomplished what it set out to.

I can’t wait to read the author’s future works.