Only Human by J.D. Estrada is unlike anything I’ve ever read. Don’t be off put by the amount of chapters in here, each of them are exactly the length that they need to be. None of the reader’s time is wasted here and the chapter titles themselves are fantastically descriptive and entertaining which I really appreciate, I love myself a well titled chapter. From page one the scope is epic. Nathaniel Runnels is our main character; he is a writer gone journalist but he hates the news, the irony here is beautiful. As a writer he feels he writes best when he feels worse. As a writer myself I felt I could wholly identify with the main character. Estrada describes food in a mouthwatering fashion, which ranges from a line about spicy brown mustard to all kinds of different tastes and aromas. He has gone on record say he writes as if he were a food critic and I can’t praise that approach to writing enough. He also tackles creatures which could be seen as cliché such as vampires, werewolves, demons, and elves but they’re explored in new and interesting ways which have yet to see the light. I couldn’t believe my eyes as to the veracity that these characters possessed and the life that was breathed into them and their age old mythologies. Even tropes of fantasy such as war and battle have an important place in this story. At times it can be exposition heavy but to me all that means is that the narrative is detail oriented. There are details in the details, a feat which I imagine was hard to accomplish. There are also a lot of big words so you might want to brush up on your vocabulary a bit before reading. Nathaniel is often described as “the human” by the narrator which is a cool way to put the reader in the perspective of a monster’s point of view. The tone of the writer is reminiscent of authors such as C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and J.K. Rowling but with a darker twist. The main character’s dry sense of humor and pessimistic views on life are absolutely addicting to read about. This novel is like taking a psychology 101 class, you learn so much about what makes up the human mind in here. As I read it each monster or obstacle Nathaniel encountered can be viewed as another area of the brain. For instance vampires represent the soul and the questioning of one’s own existence. This plot device is used in many clever ways to ponder existential questions that have plagued humanity since the beginning of time. I don’t want to give anything away but the main character even gets to talk to god at some point, yes, God! I’m telling you… this story is not afraid to go there and the end result is truly a masterpiece. There are elements of Sci-Fi present within this mostly fantasy piece as well as flares of other genres, proving this story breaks genres like the best works of fiction do. A lot of thought and hard work clearly went into this piece. Daniel, a vampire who befriends Nathaniel along this epic journey, is also a welcome addition to the cast as he and Nathaniel create a relationship and bond is in the vain of great team ups such as Sherlock and Watson or Batman and Robin, well, in this case Daniel really is sort of a Batman, you know since he’s a vampire and all. There are even nods to Alice in Wonderland and the white rabbit in here which for a reader who adores Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland are always appreciated. My favorite character by far was the pirate captain by the name of Captain Jane, with her ship is called the Black Calico. She is beyond cool, and do you want to know why? She’s a vampire pirate, do I need to say that again, a vampire… pirate… what more could you want from this world? But also her personality is one that’s special and unique to the rest of the book. She is strong yet her sense of humor is utterly enchanting. Most of this book takes place whilst traveling among the freedom of the seas to many a location. It makes you feel like you’re globetrotting yourself at the same time that the characters are. Various songs and hymns are strewn throughout that perfectly set the scene and there are beautiful settings and destinations such as Seville, Lake Tana, and the Forest of Raelis, which are a must-read. A constant theme of equality and race can be seen throughout as well which I commend the author on for being so bold as to discuss those topics from such an inquisitive perspective. There are a LOT of characters in here which at times can be a little hard to keep track of so if you prefer self-contained stories such as a high school drama it may be harder for you to get into but if you like expansive mind bending stories which offer an the amount of detail that a proper odyssey entails than this is for you. It’s the ultimate road trip story and the best way to describe it is Pirates of the Caribbean meets True Blood meets Peter Pan meets Constantine. Even the ending is of epic proportions that doesn’t disappoint in the slightest. It holds up to the likes of ending battles in works such as the Hobbit, Narnia, and Harry Potter. This is one hell of a story which is filled to the brim with great characterization, edge of your seat action, infinite amounts of exploration, an in-depth look into humanity itself, and a passionate and well thought out story. What more could you possibly want out of a book? Reading this felt like I won an all-expense paid vacation and with that realization I give this novel, Only Human by J.D. Estrada, 5 out of 5 stars, hats off to Estrada for creating such an incredible piece of fiction which I highly suggest you read. As for me, I cannot wait to read the next installment in the Human Cycle Series!!!