Eric Leland Delivers a Solid IN HUMAN War Story

April 26, 2021 Jason P. Hunt 832 Views 0 Comments book review, Eric Leland, horror, In Human, Supernatural, war

In Human
Written by Eric Leland
Published by RTNY Publishing, Inc
February 1, 2021
Paperback, 564 pages

The jungles of Vietnam have been host to a number of stories that demonstrate just how dangerous it was for American soldiers. Eric Leland’s debut novel, In Human, is no different in that category. But just to dial it up to eleven, he adds a bit of demonic possession for spice.

What begins as a search-and-rescue mission quickly turns into a fight for survival against a supernatural force that’s been held prisoner for centuries. The story follows a Special Operations Group, under the command of a newly assigned Captain Brandon Doran, an Army officer with a black mark on his record and a guilty conscience. As Recon Team New York is looking to recover Team Florida in the jungles of Northern Vietnam, someplace American soldiers weren’t usually to be found. Florida was there looking for a “High Value Target” of interest to the CIA.

And you know with them involved, it’s going to go about the way you expect. Right?

Besides being the new guy, Doran is also the officer, and the rest of the squad doesn’t like him very much. So when everything hits the fan straight out of the gate, not only is New York facing a very for-real threat from without, but they’re also having to deal with trust issues within. And in a firefight, trust is paramount to making sure everyone makes it out alive.

Along the way, they meet up with Jaran, the youngest generation of protectors of her village. Descended from a family of shamans, she’s entrusted with a secret task, and if she fails it could unleash a terrible destructive force upon the world.

(Remember I mentioned demonic possession…)

Eric Leland’s prose is tight and effective, and his time in the military serves him in good stead here. Not only is he able to capture the feeling of being in a war zone, with all the paranoia and fear that comes with it, but he’s also able to convey the military life in a way that’s accessible for those of us who haven’t served. And while the book clocks in at five hundred sixty-four pages, it’s a fast read. The story moves along at a brisk pace.

My only quibble is that I would have liked to see more of Jaran’s story. She’s set up in the beginning so that I was expecting her to have more of an arc. She still plays an important role, but it almost feels like there’s part of her story left on the table, as it were.

I’m not a big one for horror, normally, so I was a little uncertain whether or not I would like this one. I was pleasantly surprised, and I’m looking forward to seeing what Leland has planned next.