I like stories about how the future may look like on earth, and this one didn’t disappoint. I enjoyed the stories of how the Erta are there to restore the glory of the planet and what happened to the human population.

Although I did like the book it took me a long time to get into the book, but when I did I flew through it. I didn’t feel completely connected with Ima and Reed and the way Ima thought and talked I sometimes had a hard time to follow along.

All in all, it was a good read and it did make me think about how we are treating our planet.

"Before, we were concerned only with what was around us. Now we are concerned only with ourselves"

The Human Son is a book set 500 years in the future where Earth isn't populated by humans anymore. The new guardians of the earth are the genetically engineered Erta, they have reversed climate change. Now they have to decide if they want to reintroduce the homo sapiens(humans)

They decide to raise one final child, to help decide if humanity should inherit earth again.
The erta Ima (pronounced like the first syllables of the word imagine, Ima) is tasked with raising the human child, and she finds out that there is more to raising a child than she expected.

So my first thoughts going into this book was, is this going to be like the Netflix movie "I Am Mother"? And I can clearly say that no it is not, which I quite enjoyed since the movie wasn't really for me. In this book we have the species erta, which unlike the movie "I Am Mother" are not robots.

So what exactly are erta? Physically, erta are larger, stronger, faster and more robust than humans. They live for longer and heal with ease, thanks to immune systems enhanced by swarms of selfar replicating nanomites trained to hunt and destroy anything which does not belong within the body. (I copied that word for word from the book, I'm not smart enough to be able to explain things that scientifically)
They are not driven by emotions like humans are, but by cold hard logic, they are mostly unemotional.They dont like creative things like music, drawing, books or any of that sort of thing. Erta in every way are superior to humans.

And in here comes the main character Ima, she is a chemist, and she was made to clean the atmosphere. But with that purpose now finished, her mother, head of the council gives her a new purpose, to raise a human child. And with this new "project" her new life begins.
Ima is not cold per se, but like most erta she is not ruled by feelings or emotions. Ima only wants to do things with a purpose, like saving the planet through climate change. Gratification has no meaning only things that are logical has a place for Ima.

And that is where we in this book see the character development. The logical Ima that only says and does what is expected, but soon after the child is born says things that are not "needed" when she is alone. Words that serves no purpose such as "oh, goodness" or crying out when falling. Because to Ima there is no purpose to those words or sounds if there isn't anybody to hear it. Through these small changes

With Imas "project" she learns what it really is to live and love, how to really be human. But in the same process the other erta scorn her and her "project" they don't understand it and start alienating Ima. Erta are not curious, they live only by facts, and if they don't have the facts, then it means that they don't have enough data, and that they need to gather it. But Ima is different, she becomes curious, she has questions, and the others do not like that. And the truths that she once used to know, might not actually be truths at all.

We follow this story for nearly two decades. We follow the son, named Reed grow up, and we follow the journey that Ima face trying to raise him. As we all know babies tend to cry and scream a lot. That is exactly how Reed is, but with him wailing all night every night, none of the villagers get to sleep, which starts their discontent and dislike towards Ima and Reed.
Through this the plot follows Imas struggle, as she is driven from her village, and struggles with trusting and accepting other ertas help. Whilst also trying to figure out who is on her side or not.
Meanwhile most of the other erta are occupied with their work towards transcendence, which changes their behaviour for the worse.

So the things I didn't like, there will be some spoilers so be warned.
*SPOILER*
I must say that I liked this book until around the 40th chapter, the purpose Ima had changed, instead of caring for Reed and his well being and upbringing she becomes an alcoholic. Ima starts drinking everyday, forgetting about everything else but her little "tv". She doesn't know what is going on around her, she doesn't even realise that she is drifting away from Reed. She know absolutely nothing about him or his interests, doesn't know that everybody at school ignores him, or how his behaviour and lack of hygiene has changed. I do understand that such things does happen for parents in the real world when their children grow up. But this still annoyed me. Luckily that was only for around 5 chapters which isn't bad.

A what really irked me, when Reed is 13 he goes through puberty and with that, some urges comes. And Ima would literally beg her friend to have sex with her son because he has "needs" and it would help him. I just found that ordeal so disgusting. And when he is 15 she sees him speaking with said friend at night and the day after comes to speak with her. She gets angry at said friend because she thinks that they have done the deed, and after finding out that they haven't she then again begs the friend to have sex with Reed, because he "needs" the "relief". It´s just plain disgusting, especially considering that he is a child and they are over 500 years old. Oh and I forgot to mention that it is implied that the friend is a lesbian, and that she is in a relationship with another woman.
*SPOILER END*

Oh and I'm just not up for teenage rebellion, even though I do understand why, it happens in the book.

This is a spoiler but this is my favourite part of the book. I found it really amusing and fun reading how Ima someone who has never been near children let alone a newborn had to learn how to raise one by herself. SPOILER *Already when the child is born a funny interaction happens when the baby cries and Ima thinks that the baby must be hungry, then realising that she is also hungry and decides to go to the kitchen to eat some herring. After eating Ima decides to try to feed the baby by just using a ladle to pour some milk into the babies mouth. And when the baby spits it out and keeps on wailing, Ima just decides to go to the kitchen and eat some more food.* SPOILER END

But overall, I liked this book, it was gripping me, and the questions I had whilst reading were answered. The book wasn't amazing, but it was genuinely good, with writing and a narrator that was easy to follow. Though I do admit I zoned out when mathematical or chemical things were mentioned.

Moving, and sometimes heartbreaking as well as heartwarming this book was one I could not but down until I finished it.

I've enjoyed other books by Adrian Walker, but this one just didn't grip me for some reason. It's an interesting topic, I just thought it took too long to get where it was going..

Earth is dying and the erta were created to save it. When it is learned that humans will not survive, the erta promise to repair the planet and resurrect humans when the time is right. Like all erta, our protagonist Ima was bred with a specific purpose—she is a highly focused atmospheric chemist who has spent pretty much all of the last 500 years cleaning up Earth’s atmosphere.

Once their individual purposes are fulfilled and the Earth is cured of all human damage, the erta are faced with something that’s never happened before – a disagreement. Some wish to transcend (a term the author delightfully explains is indescribable in human terms and then goes on to attempt to describe); others want to fulfill their promise to recreate humans first. To see if humans are worthy of inheriting the repaired Earth, Ima is tasked with engineering a single human child to raise as her own. The descriptions of this experiment are brilliant. I used to work with children—infants and older—and the depiction of Ima’s internal monologue concerning the “creature” were spot-on.

There is much going on in this book and it covers many years. I personally could have benefitted from a map, but that lack in no way took away from my enjoyment; I’m just spatially challenged. There were unexpected turns in the narrative, and flips of characters that I was sure I had figured out. When I’m not able to figure out the ending a quarter of the way through, it’s a good book. I enjoyed the surprises, and I was deeply moved by Ima’s transition from a brain-based scientist to a heart-focused nurturer. The author may have Ima state that she chose her name because in Japanese it means now; but I don’t think it’s an accident that in Hebrew, ima means “mother.”

Thank you to NetGalley, Rebellion Publishing, and the author for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Human Son in exchange for an honest review.

I really loved this book. It made me laugh, think and cry.

I thought the beginning was really funny, and I mean proper laugh out loud funny. Creatures trying to figure out the algorithm of a human baby? funniest thing I've read in a long time. This use of humour sucked me in, made me identify with and care about the characters and made me as invested in the outcome of the experiment as any of the actual players.

When the story becomes that little bit more serious and the darkness you subconsciously knew was there starts to encroach it's way more shocking because of the brightness of the early chapters. This is a mark of excellent story telling.

The way the plot is constructed it makes you think about humanity and what it means to be human. It makes you think about personal growth and how parent / child relationships shape everyone involved.

I won't be forgetting this book any time soon and I would urge everyone to read this, you will not be disappointed.

In the distant future, humanity is no more. The Erta, a genetically engineered race of super beings, are the custodians of Earth, and have succeeded in reversing climate change after centuries of work. But now, the time has come to reintroduce human beings. Will all their hard work be undone? As a way of assessing whether or not humanity deserve a second chance, the Erta decide to raise a single child, whose actions and conduct will determine the fate of his species…

A timely publication indeed, The Human Son takes the biggest problem faced by humanity at the moment - that of the climate crisis - as its starting point, which Adrian J. Walker (The End of the World Running Club) addresses by focusing on the relationship between a parent and child. It’s testament to Walker’s skill as a writer that he can take on themes as huge as climate change, legacy, nature versus nurture, and collective responsibility, then address them through such deceptively small-scale means. The situation itself is one that most readers will empathise with too; after all, even those who don’t have children (such as myself) can identify with narrator Ima’s tales of various child rearing catastrophes. As a narrator, Ima is instantly likeable, despite her detached tone. If anything, it’s this detached tone that lends the early portion of the novel much of its humour. Ima views the newly created human being with cold, Spock-like precision, treating him as the experiment that he is, which lends a hilarious, farcical tone to the proceedings - there’s a sense that her early observations are like lab notes, and when they’re describing something as mundane as a crying baby or his bodily functions, it would take a heart of stone not to smile at the intentional incongruity. In an amusing added irony, Ima herself has spent hundreds of years repairing Earth’s atmosphere from her balloon, quite literally with her head in the clouds, but this isolation has actually made her more grounded than her fellow Erta. It’s crucial, in fact, that Ima is as detached and cold as she is at this stage, not just narratively (for the good of the experiment) but also stylistically - had she been cooing and gushing over the baby, things could have tipped over into being saccharine or humdrum. The perspective used in the narration is worthy of note too, as it is written as if directed to her son. I think I’ve only read one other novel which uses the second person all the way through, and that definitely didn’t work for me - here, it seems like the only way to do it, and is perfectly executed.

As things progress, we are treated to more deliberate parallels with real world child rearing, rendered equal parts entertaining and heart warming by the slightly alien way they’re played out. There are the awkward visits from Ima’s mother, skewed here in the sense that the Erta emerge fully grown, and she is her mother in the sense that she was the one to grow her and implant the information for her purpose. There’s baby’s first visit to the doctor, made weird by the fact that the “doctor” in question last worked with human beings hundreds of years previously and has heard of bedside manner but not quite grasped it. And, of course, that question dreaded by anyone who has ever had to care for a small child, “Why?” These parallels never feel forced, instead seeming like organic parts of the narrative, as well as natural steps and milestones in a child’s development. It’s totally believable that Ima the scientist would think them worthy of recording, then, as her attachment to him grows, that she would keep a record of events for her own more personal reasons.

But The Human Son is not just a novel that deals with the struggles of being a single parent. It’s clear from an early stage, for example, that others have their own ideas about what might be best for the planet when it comes to reintroducing humans, and this leads Ima into levels of intrigue she was hitherto unaware of. Those sceptics amongst the Erta would seem to have a point, as with the fate of the world potentially hanging in the balance we are frequently reminded how close to the brink humanity brought it once before. Walker does not pass up opportunities to criticise how things might ultimately be going if we don’t act now, but he definitely doesn’t browbeat either. It’s true that under the Erta’s clinical scrutiny of our species, it’s hard not to feel called out at times, for everything from our fundamental nature and sense of entitlement, to our warlike tendencies and our mistreatment of the environment. But we also see all that is best about humanity too. Our capacity for learning and growth. Our innate creativity. Our unique way of looking at the world. Ultimately, The Human Son is a love letter to humanity, with all its foibles, quirks and imperfections. I found it to be a moving exploration of what it means to be human, and it took me through a range of emotions as I read it. I laughed, I cried, and I considered our place in the world. It’s beautifully written - surely destined to be a future classic - and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

It took me a while to get into this book. It’s clearly well written and should be engaging, but I didn’t feel I was the target audience for the beginning.

This is a post dystopia tale of suprahumans created as humanity failed. The beginning of the novel has one of them create a human baby as an experiment. The story then going into immense detail of the raising of said baby. How tired she is, how much is expelled from both ends, how confusing it is to have one’s life overturned. But as someone who didn’t relate or sympathise with it, it almost felt too much.

Still, once past that age, the novel moved forward at a faster clip, examining parenthood as a whole, and how it changed the parent as much as the child. Two decades of the experiment pass with both the parents and the child growing and changing. There are some strong passages regarding the separation of emotions and logic between the two species, with an ongoing core of tension regarding their future.

Once I got into the book I did enjoy it more, but that beginning was a struggle. I also wish there had been more details to their transcendence. Still, it’s a thoughtful novel about humanity from a unique perspective with a strong voice.

The Human Son is an entertaining yet thought provoking tale, highly imaginative but with a lot of insight within.

In a world that humans have destroyed, the Erta are created to bring the planet back to its former glory once the last of us dies out. Later one human child is born, a kind of experiment- but some have a different agenda and the child's "mother" is about to get a whole lot of life lessons...

I really enjoyed this, it was beautifully layered and unexpectedly compelling. The "what is it to be human " question is asked a lot in fiction and The Human Son offers something a little different in that regard. It is an intelligent speculative novel that is a delight to read and leaves you with a fair few emotions to sort through. 

Recommended.

Based on the concept that humans have driven themselves to extinction polluting and ruining earth. The story doesn't harp on global warming, actually a excellent book and I would love a follow up.

Good scifi. Other than some "wisdom" embedded in the story that took away from my enjoyment, this is well done. Interesting characters and premise helped keep this engaging, as well as the high quality writing. I'm a hard scifi fan, and this fits that description, although speculative fiction might also work. I'm going to get some of his other books soon.

I really appreciate the ARC for review!!

I will remember this book! It presents itself as a science fiction, post apocalyptic story but it is so much more. There are no humans left on earth, only the erta which were ironically a creation of humans but who are superior in strength and health and mental capacity. They were not built with emotion and empathy though and at some point deduced that in order to fulfill their task of healing the world, humans would need to be peacefully phased out. Until now... when they question the timing of reintroducing them, starting with the test case of a single boy.

I loved every word from beginning to end. There is so much detail and so many layers. The tone and phrase starts off with the same spartan outlook of these practical erta beings - short and efficient. But this evolves as do the beings themselves and becomes quite beautiful and poetic. The character development is thoughtful and subtle with many well-rounded characters. And then there is the story which brings some powerful commentary around climate change, human development, child psychology and philosophy (who are we? Why are we here?) Then throw in some humour for the cherry on top. This is why I love this genre. In any other book, it would be too much. A real storyteller that has perfected his craft and the ability to build curiosity and suspense.

No humans remain on earth, a superior "upgrade" to the human race now inhabit the earth, this creation designed to fix the broken planet and repair the damage done by the humans. When the job is done the final question is, do they bring back their creators, can humans be trusted to not once more destroy their home planet.
A unique, often amusing story that touches on what it is to be human and the challenges faced by new parents, not just a sci-fi book based around the contemporary issue of climate change but an exploration of human emotion.

I found this book an interesting study, surprisingly of the journey into parenthood and it brought back memories of the fear, the confusion, the tiredness and the wonder that it is to be a new parent and have the responsibility of such a fragile person to care for and love, also exploring the isolation sometimes felt. I enjoyed looking at this from a somewhat alien point of view through the main protagonist "Ima" but felt sometimes the analytical and absolutely literal descriptions started to feel like a list of what a baby requires earlier on in the story, but the book did go on to become more of an enjoyable read and this helped to illustrate the change in "Ima's" points of view on the world and humans as the story line developed. There was a nod to Stephen King mentioned when talking about the humans past love of books which made me smile too.

From the science fiction point of view a few times i felt a little frustrated by the explanations for some of the sci-fi plot devices used, for example when not being able to explain "transcendence " early on in the book "Ima" says there are no human words to explain the process, it's not something I as a human would understand, while this is reflective of the characters early opinions of humans i found it a little bit of an easy way to explain something without having to explain it. There's also a lot of scientific jargon in there that I thought wasn't explained particularly well or interestingly.


I enjoyed this book more on an emotional level, the relationship between a mother and a son, a child and a parent I felt was portrayed really well, but less so from the sci-fi point of view. Overall i found the book an enjoyable read, often amusing and touching.

This book had me hooked from the first line, and it didn't let go until the end. It really is a beautiful, but also painful, story. I chuckled, I shed more than a few tears, I gasped... and now it's over I feel a little bit lost. This is a book to read over and over again. Absolutely superb.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy to review. This review is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

I was given a copy of The Human Son by Netgalley for a review.

It takes place 500 years into the future on an Earth that’s no longer populated by humans. The guardians of Earth have reversed climate change and are ready to raise on child to see if Earth is ready for civilization. The story follows the guardian Ima as she raises that son.


I thought that The Human Son was thoughtful and beautiful written. It’s definitely not how I like my post-apocalyptic books, but then again, this is after the crisis. Which I believe sets this book apart. If you want a different take on how Earth lives on after we are no longer here, I would definitely recommend.

I really enjoyed this story of a world where humans have been eradicated, the planet has been brought back from the brink of total destruction and all is monitored by a powerful species of Ertas. Though it seems they have no flaws, the cracks begin to show amongst the Erta when a human is created as a test to see if the human race should have another chance at occupying Earth - an Earth that they very nearly destroyed centuries earlier. This one has heart, humor, a lot of science, and quite a few philosophical twists. The ending confused me and some parts seemed overly long, but I loved the message of the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The Human Son by Adrian J Walker. Original and quirky premise. Mr Walker tells a story that at times is amusing or thought provoking of Ima and her emotional struggles and discoveries and everyday trials in raising a human child.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

3.5/5

Before we get to the review, you need to know a few things about me. I dislike children. I have a low opinion of humanity in general. I hope for a sustainable future but I doubt we’ll get there. The Human Son’s idealization of human imperfections doesn’t sit well with me. And yet I enjoyed the book and found it well-written, thoughtful, and immersive.

In 2031, climate change had already taken hold of the planet and was on the brink of being irreversible. To mend a broken planet, scientists created Erta. They resemble humans, except they’re larger, stronger, faster and more robust. Thanks to immune systems enhanced by swarms of self-replicating nanomites trained to destroy illness, they live much longer.
Their behavior and actions stem from cold logic and they remain calm and unemotional most of the time.

In few decades Erta replaced humans. But there was a deal. After repairing the planet, Erta were supposed to bring back humanity. Not all of them feel the need to do so but the deal is the deal. They create one human-child and approach its upbringing as an experiment. Ima, tasked with the child, grows fond of it whereas other Erta find it irritating, clumsy and loud.

The story covers almost two decades of the experiment. Page by page, Walker ups the ante for his confused and sympathetic protagonist. Each day Ima discovers new emotions and gets to learn new things about herself and the world she lives in. At the same time she discovers that Erta’s past and history may contain false data and missing pieces.

I’m not sure how to rate this book. It contains plenty of cheap, obvious thoughts I’m sure many readers will highlight and relate to (“Looking after something that is not you is the most wonderful thing. It frees you from yourself”. “This is what sex is: the exorcism of pleasure’s shadow”). But it also contains many passages with a strong emotional and intellectual load I appreciated.

Parts of the conflict feed on a dangerous assumption that logic thinking hinders innovation and creativity. Separating logical and creative thinking is dangerous stereotyping because it skews our understanding of creativity. I won’t delve into neuroscience here, but a lot of the conflict in the book stems from the flawed assumptions.

Beyond the debatable aspects of the plot, however, the layers to this novel are deep and thoughtful, forcing readers to look at humanity from a different perspective. The writing and the strong narrative voice kept me engaged in the story and I’m sure parents will relate to Ima’s emotional struggles and discoveries associated with raising a human child.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

It's 500 years in the future and the humanity is gone. The Earth's inhabitants and guardians are genetically engineered beings, called the Erta, created with the purpose of stabilize and heal the planet. Now that their purpose is achieved they have to decide what to do: resurrect the Homo sapiens like they promised they would and risk the planet's health again or let the humanity vanish for good. They decide to raise one child, an experiment, to see if humanity is worth saving.
Ima, an Erta that was responsible for the atmosphere's health, is chosen as his "mother". But the logical and rational Erta finds herself with a challenge she didn't thought would be so bigger, bringing her to question her life and beliefs.

The Human son is a sci-fi story, told in first person by Ima, who spent all her existence believing in equations, rules, agreement, purpose and that sees her whole life disrupted by her "son' " existence.
Unbelievably funny are her memories about Reed's first days of life and years, her inability to know why he cried so much, why an infant would wake up so many times at night, how to feed him, why he needed so much time and space. From being an important member of her community in Fane, a scientist, the atmosphere's hero, alone on her balloon, Reed's presence pushes her away from other Erta, who can't understand (or won't) her "project" and start to see her as an unusual Erta, alienating her.
Told by her POV, the reader follows Ima and Reed as they grow, as they discover they love and care for each other, as Reed starts to talk, to walk, to discover the world around him, as Jorne begins to be an important part of both Reed's and Ima's life, as Ima starts to question the truths she always believed in.
As Ima discovers the Sundra's way of life, Jorne and follows Reed's curiosity about the world, becoming more and more "human", detatching herself from her old beliefs and truths, so the Erta start to become different from what they were and disagreement and violence spread, while they try to escape the Earth, using the trascendence.

The human son is a wonderful sci-fi book, a tale of love, growth, truth and humanity. Seen from an "alien" (so to speak, since Ima isn't human) it shows the damage inflicted on Earth by humans and their greed and indifference, so it's a book with strong themes and messages about what it means to be human, to love, to care, to protect.
I found this book beautiful and captivating. I was fascinated by Ima and the Erta and I liked her relationship with Reed, reading its development, from being her "project" to her son.
The relationship between Ima and Reed is one of the most strong and important in The Human son, but the one with Jorne is important too, because through his help and presence, Ima starts to see Reed as son, to ask herself question, to try to discover the truth.
I devoured this book, because it was fluid, but in some parts there was too much scientific prose and processes explained, so it slowed the book, almost stalling my reading.
But it's a negligible detail, because the story is moving, funny. The Human son is almost a love letter from a mother to a son, talking about what it means to be human, to love, to see another being grow and change.