Hemo Sapiens by Emily A. Weedon | The Miramichi Reader

Emily A. Weedon is a fascinating writer, and I say that with all the love and admiration in the world. Last year, I read and reviewed her novel Autokrator, and so this year, I was excited to get my hands on her latest novel, Hemo Sapiens, which, on first blush has only the author name on the cover and sharp writing in common. And this cements Weedon as an author I’ll keep my eye on, because even though Hemo Sapiens isn’t in my preferred wheelhouse, I knew I had to read it after having been sucked into Autokrator.

Hemo Sapiens follows a cast of characters in contemporary Toronto, centring on a mysterious medspa and a string of mysterious homicides. Shadowy Heloise haunts the city, trying to nurture the baby growing inside of her – and staying away from the medspa and Cleo, the owner, for some complicated and unspoken reasons. Detective Luke Stockton is on the case of the homicides, trying to figure out what’s going on, and why it seems to connect to the medspa his pregnant wife Beatrice insists going to for their baby. Lauren, a PhD dropout with a YouTube channel exploring additional human-like beings on the earth, sees the homicides on the news and decides to get involved in her own way, to restore her reputation. Others flit in and out of the main viewpoints, coming together in a thrilling (literally) conclusion.

Part cop story, part vampire novel, Hemo Sapiens is a ride. It’s fast-paced, and Weedon leaves you wanting to know what will happen next. Each character is deeply flawed but also still engaging, dragging you into trying to figure out their motives throughout the novel. Did I like anything that was happening? No! This novel is gruesome! But also — fascinating. Weedon is great writer who knows how to tell all kinds of stories, and Hemo Sapiens is a very well-done twist on both crime and horror novels, playing with the tropes in a truly chilling tale about reproduction and motherhood. Are you in need in something to kick start your Halloween season? Hemo Sapiens might just be for you. And if you’re a horror all-year-round type, this will do nicely.

Emily A. Weedon is the CSA award–winning screenwriter of Chateau Laurier and Red Ketchup, and the author of the epic dystopia Autokrator. She played Lucy in two separate productions of Dracula, and growing up probably checked out Dracula and other vampire books more than anyone else in the Coe Hill library, so it was inevitable that she would write a novel about vampires. Hemo Sapiens is her second novel. She lives in Toronto.

Publisher: Dundurn Press (September 30, 2025)
Paperback 8″ x 6″ | 336 pages
ISBN: 9781459755673

Alison Manley

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Alison Manley has ricocheted between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia for most of her life. Now in Halifax, Nova Scotia, she is the Cataloguing and Metadata Librarian at Saint Mary's University. Her past life includes a long stint as a hospital librarian on the banks of the mighty Miramichi River. She has an honours BA in political science and English from St. Francis Xavier University, and a Master of Library and Information Studies from Dalhousie University. While she's adamant that her love of reading has nothing to do with her work, her ability to consume large amounts of information very quickly sure is helpful. She is often identified by her very red lipstick, and lives with her partner Brett and cat, Toasted Marshmallow.