Content levels
Positive tags
Hero archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
Synopsis
Mike Jaeger is a typical teenager. Well, sort of. He's got some problems, mental problems specifically. Maybe a few more than most. But at least he's human. Or not. At the ripe old age of sixteen, Mike begins to awaken to a new self. A self that remembers forty thousand years of war with humans. Mike and his father are clones, as was every ancestor back to the First Brother, the homonid who saw his Pack-sister, his future mate, raped and tortured by humans. Sharing empathically in her fate, First Brother vows revenge on humans, and for that is cast out of the Pack. Every descendant since remembers the events vividly, for emotional memories are inscribed in their very DNA. But Mike doesn?t know his hallucinations are memories, or that the shadows in his mind are Pack-brothers. And his father can?t bring himself to tell Mike what's happening to him. Mike only knows he has one good, true friend, Dave. And Dave, too, has a secret.
Secrets: content & age rating
Intended for adult readers (18+).
This novel contains explicit descriptions of rape and torture in the protagonist's genetic memories, along with intense psychological elements involving mental illness and inherited trauma. The violence is strong and the sexual content includes non-consensual assault.
What to know going in
This book has strong violence, moderate sexual content, and moderate language. Content notes include sexual assault, torture, and mental illness (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Adult readers will be drawn to the unique premise of genetic memory and a protagonist discovering his non-human heritage.