With a plot that grabs you by the wrist and pulls you through at breakneck speed, I barely caught a breath as I followed Audrey and Daniel on their race to find answers, and to avoid danger, and to make sense of the world around them. This is a near-future world, cleverly researched, with an Earth blasted by climate change and integrated with technology to ethically questionable levels. Like ‘The Humans’, (Haig’s previous novel) we are given a concept at the edges of believability which cleverly allows, amidst this pace, a lot of breathing room for introspective thought. Just as his book about an alien made me feel incredibly human, this exploration of artificial intelligence has made me feel ALIVE. Haig has an incredible gift for vocalising the full spectrum emotion. Like a great composer takes individual notes and arranges them in a way that stirs the soul, so this writer does with words. ‘Writing tip: use the very best words in the very best order’ he helpfully advises through Twitter. But he does. He really does. This is a novel that sings.