Publishers Weekly
In 1859, German mathematician Bernard Riemann put forth a hypothesis that prime numbers have a pattern. In 2012, an unnamed alien is sent to Earth to ensure the hypothesis is never proven. The Vonnadorians wish to prevent humans from gaining knowledge before they are psychologically prepared for the advancements that would ensue. The invader inhabits the body of Andrew Martin, the arrogant and selfish mathematician who discovered the proof to Riemann’s hypothesis; at first disgusted and confused by his human shell, the alien is eventually transformed, and the more time he spends with Andrew’s wife and son, the more he comes to doubt his mission. Haig (The Radleys) creates a delightful sense of displacement in “Andrew” and draws the reader into the experiences that make us human, ugly, wonderful, and mundane by turns. While at times the novel is sentimental, the wonder and humor with which the protagonist approaches life, and the many emotions and discoveries he experiences, are worth getting a bit weepy over. Agent: Andrea Joyce, Canongate. (July)
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 (starred review)
“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.
Entertainment Weekly
“Funny, poignant and full of heart.
Booklist
A thought-provoking, compulsively readable delight.
From the Publisher
"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."
"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."
“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.”
“Lovely stuff. So heartfelt, touching and funny.”
"Utterly wonderful."
Library Journal
Britain's Haig (The Radleys) makes his living at the intersection of speculative fiction, humor, and literary fiction. This time he brings readers the tale of an alien visitor from a collective society (think Star Trek's Borg) sent to Earth in the guise of Cambridge mathematician Andrew Martin, who has just made a breakthrough. His mission is to maintain the greater good by preventing the discovery from spreading and giving power to the violent and illogical human race, even if it means killing the mathematician's family. From the moment he arrives, naked and barely able to pass as human, the alien makes a funny fish out of water…and a better husband and father than the self-absorbed man he has replaced. What's he to do if he decides he can't kill them? VERDICT The protagonist's genuine joy in discovering the good things the unstable human race has produced—peanut butter, Emily Dickinson, Australian wine, the Beach Boys, dogs, and love, to name a few—is contagious. Readers of all stripes will find the results quick-paced, touching, and hilarious. [See Prepub Alert, 1/25/13.]—Neil Hollands, Williamsburg Regional Lib., VA
Kirkus Reviews
A fish-out-of water mashup where the water is Earth, and the fish is an extraterrestrial. Professor Andrew Martin has solved the Riemann hypothesis. A mathematical problem of fiendish difficulty, it explains the distribution of prime numbers. This is big news in a galaxy far, far away. The Vonnadorians, in their wisdom, believe we humans are unprepared for this breakthrough. They are so concerned, in fact, they kidnap Professor Martin, of Cambridge University, and send a Vonnadorian to destroy the proof and kill everyone Martin informed. Alien/Martin assumes the shape and identity of human/Martin to insinuate himself into the world. Our alien assassin is narrator and protagonist. And in spite of extraordinary Vonnadorian technology, he is, to quote Foghorn Leghorn, about as sharp as a bag of wet mice, and a softie to boot. He falls away from the rational principles of his distant world, develops a taste for crunchy whole-nut peanut butter and Australian wine, admiration for "his" dog, Newton, love for "his" wife, Isobel, and Gulliver, "his" angst-y teen son. Haig goes all-in on the alien-goes-native humor, and then he goes further. Turns out, human/Martin was an arrogant jerk, while alien/Martin falls hard for our little blue planet, for our contradictions and our mortality, our joys and our follies, for the Beach Boys and Emily Dickinson. Alien/Martin becomes more expert on us humans than dozens of self-help–book authors: "I felt blue with sadness, red with rage and green with envy. I felt the entire human rainbow." A saccharine novel.
