MAY 2014 - AudioFile
Narrator Mark Meadows portrays the alien visitor at the heart of this fascinating story, adroitly vocalizing the creature's evolution. A native from the utopian planet Vonadoria is sent to Earth to take the place of a math professor and bury his discovery: the solution to a mathematical conundrum that promises to elevate humans—to the detriment of the rest of the universe. As voiced by Meadows, the ersatz professor, Andrew Martin, at first speaks with a clipped British accent as he describes what repulses him about humanity. But as he slowly goes native, his speech becomes, well, more human, including instances of slang and profanity. This production examines what it means to be human, and Meadows does a remarkable job of humanizing its extraterrestrial protagonist. D.E.M. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine
Booklist (starred review)
A thought-provoking, compulsively readable delight.
Sunday Times (London)
Funny, clever and quite, quite lovely.
Independent (UK)
Extraordinary.
Entertainment Weekly
Funny, poignant, and full of heart.
Daily Mail (UK)
An absolute corker of a novel: very clever, and very moving, and that rare and precious thing -laugh-out-loud funny.
Neil Gaiman
Matt Haig has an empathy for the human condition, the light and the dark of it, and he uses the full palette to build his excellent stories.
The Times (UK)
A wonderfully funny, gripping and inventive novel.
Parade
Matt Haig is a novelist of stunning talent, with a laser eye for the absurd and endless reserves of compassion. (Parade Picks)
Mark Billingham
"Utterly wonderful."
author of The Crane Wife - Patrick Ness
Lovely stuff. So heartfelt, touching and funny.
award-winning author of Chocolat - Joanne Harris
The Humans is tremendous; a kind of Curious Incident meets The Man Who Fell to Earth. It’s funny, touching and written in a highly appealing voice.
New York Times bestselling author of Before I go to Sleep - S.J. Watson
"A brilliant exploration of what it is to love, and to be human, The Humans is both heartwarming and hilarious, weird, and utterly wonderful. One of the best books I've read in a very long time."
Jeanette Winterson
"The Humans is a laugh-and-cry book. Troubling, thrilling, puzzling, believable and impossible. Matt Haig uses words like a tin-opener. We are the tin."
RVAnews.com
Matt Haig’s keen sense of observation stands out….[The Humans is] a careful examination of the very things that make us human….Haig has written a book that causes readers to consider the flaws in humanity while also appreciating its powerful beauty.
Shelf Awareness
A funny and touching tale about an alien who visits and experiences the weird and often frightening beauty of being human.
RedCarpetCrash.com
An engrossing new novel.
"Best Beach Reads" Complex.com
Matt Haig's The Humans boasts the best sci-fi concept we've heard in years.
Parallel Worlds Magazine
Beautifully written…inspiring.
#1 recommended read Diesel Newsletter
Haig writes with wit and surety, so convincingly other-worldly that it could cause a person to wonder.
Naples News
[Matt Haig has] a keen eye for homo sapien goofiness, spot-on observations on our foibles, and satire you could spread with a knife….There’s cleverness and wit all over each page.
Amazing Stories Magazine
[The Humans] is a poignant and emotional examination into the value of the human experience, complete with a central character that you care for, root for and perhaps even cry for….engaging….a good read.
Booklist
A thought-provoking, compulsively readable delight.
BookReporter
The Humans is a breathtaking novel…eye-opening and endlessly fascinating. Matt Haig has created a masterpiece of fiction that should be required reading for all who inhabit this great big ball we call Earth.
Bookpage
“A surprisingly touching and often hilarious tale….Haig elevates the premise with his deft, humor-rich storytelling skills. A reverence for mathematics and history also runs through the book, cutting through some of the sentimentality with a healthy dose of intellectualism. The Humans is an engaging summer read.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
At its heart, this novel is really about the art of being human and all that entails.
Philadelphia Inquirer
The Humans is by turns silly, sad, suspenseful and soulful….Haig manages…to burrow beneath clichés as he explores the meaning of sentimentality, loyalty, love, and mortality….Haig's insights are often compelling.
"Parade Picks" Parade
Matt Haig is a novelist of stunning talent, with a laser eye for the absurd and endless reserves of compassion.
The Guardian
"A literary virtuoso… Matt Haig is a supreme talent and a writer to cherish, and The Humans is undoubtedly his magnum opus."
