A stonking good sci-fi & coming-of-age story all wrapped into one . . . a book that tackles humanity, hardship, and classism at the deepest level.

An unputdownable exploration into the ethics of science

A laudable debut with a sustained narrative and characterisations that demand the reader keep on their toes.

Incredible . . . without a doubt one of the best YA sci-fi books I've ever read.

An unexpectedly wonderful read. Unique and engaging with full Jurassic vibes to boot.

[An] amazing debut sci-fi novel . . . I'd recommend everyone to read if you want a unique and fresh dystopian storyline

Instantly engaging . . . widens out from a tale of a girl trying to find her own identity to a broader story encompassing an entire population's burden of oppression, and the desire for freedom

This is one of the rare debuts that are really five star reads. Subject Twenty One grabbed me instantly and I couldn't put it down

This book quickly made its way into my heart as the first book that included sign language throughout . . .I was honestly could have continued to read it indefinitely, such is the excellent craftsmanship of the story and the pull in the emotions.

A thought-provoking and enjoyable read with intriguing premises and an original setting.

A fascinating read

An interesting story, wonderfully written.

Well-thought out and fun to read.

A well-told story, incorporating some particularly interesting ideas.

Warren's ideas in this book are wonderful, playing on the current ambivalence about genetic engineering and envisaging a world in which it's the basis of a whole new caste system.

A unique and intriguing narrative in a believable dystopia.

Incredibly well-written...would happily recommend it to everyone.

Full of clever imaginings that make a thought provoking read . . . I found myself completely gripped by the story and fully immersed in its eerily atmospheric world.

Really interesting and thought provoking . . . explores the idea of what it is to be human, and whether we can live alongside each other without feeling the need to be "better" than anyone else

I really loved Subject Twenty One . . . I just couldn't stop reading. This book made me cry, made me laugh, and made me think about my own life.

A treat for nerds [with] a focus on genetic engineering and reversing extinction

Absolutely fascinating! If you're a fan of Jurassic Park, Tahereh Mafi & Marie Lu's work, then this is the perfect book for you!

I really liked this book. Right from the start the story drew me in . . . I can't wait for the next book

So enjoyable and a super fast read . . . Made me feel proud of being a STEM girl . . . Go read this book for the adventure and discovery!

Now THIS is a book I really enjoyed . . . covers some really great themes that are both topical and interesting. Social psychology, anthropology, paleontology, bias, racism, ethics - it's got it all!

Fascinating . . . has twists & turns & even broke my heart into tiny little pieces. I'd recommend this to fans of the Hunger Games, Maze Runner & Ready Player One.

This Jurassic Park-esque concept grabbed me immediately . . . a fresh, gripping read with themes of suspense, trust, ethics and friendships

I absolutely devoured this book . . . Warren did a perfect job of pulling me in and answering some of my questions, but leaving enough of it unanswered so that I want more . . . and I definitely do! I can't wait for the next instalment!

Hypnotising... you won't want to put it down until the very last page

You'll find sisterhood at the heart of this ambitious book

Galgut is a terrifically agile and consistently interesting novelist, certain up there with Nadine Gordimer and JM Coetzee as a chronicler of his nation's anguished complexity

[A] magnificent new novel. Galgut sweeps his ruthlessly forensic gaze over each of the protagonists...as well as the country at large

Labelled a masterpiece and one of the best novels of the year within a week of publication... Galgut is on his finest form as he explores grief, despair and love in his inimitable style. Read this book if nothing else this year.

[A] gripping, profound tale... a damning commentary on South Africa's many broken promises

Ingenious... The most distinctive element of the novel, and its greatest pleasure, is the effortless way Galgut flows from mind to mind and body to body, whether male, female, pubertal, menopausal, maturing, ageing or dying. It's almost uncanny

Surrender to the music of Galgut's prose, however, and the rewards are considerable

Excellent... The Promise is a powerful novel of character... [an] ambitious novel but, remarkably, Galgut rarely needs to strain for impact... his ability deftly to shift perspective from one character to the next creates a distinctive polyphonic effect

A convincing and heartfelt novel

Politically chastening and technically superb. It's hard to see any novel beating it

A powerful read

This is the finest of all Damon Galgut's extraordinary novels. It reads as if the author has liberated himself from certain shackles he has needed in the past to convey the feelings of repression and social discomfort his people suffer... The writing - so impish, so playful - is a constant joy

Vivid and suggestive, moving and often very funny

Damon Galgut is the most worthy winner of the Booker prize we've seen for many years... The book trembles in the hand with its political relevance

A sobering allegory, to be sure, but also a giddy pleasure, thanks to Galgut's restlessly acrobatic narrative voice, which darts and zooms unpredictably around the action

One of the world's great writers

A dazzling feat of kaleidoscopic storytelling

I would have chosen this novel before it won the Booker... What makes it special is the humanity with which it is written and Galgut's cinematic prose, which shifts seamlessly from one perspective to the next

The Promise...is a remarkable tale of four generations of one South African family and of the country itself. Like his earlier books, it reveals him as a master of human complexity. No wonder it won the Booker

A complex, clever, wryly observant tale of one family's decline amid a nation's birth

[A] masterful, sweeping novel... a piercing dissection of a country at a decisive historical junction and the intersection of socio-political events and private life

The Promise is just 300 pages long, but Galgut shows his skills as a concise and piercing novelist by packing so much into this exceptional book

A layered, clever and sometimes uncomfortable read, but with a gripping story

A remarkably successful combination of formal discipline and finely observed characterisation, it was a worthy winner of the 2021 Booker prize

The judges of this year's Booker prize rightly crowned this outstanding multigenerational saga... The morally chewy scenario is given extra zest by an acrobatic narrative voice full of trickery

The Promise...is mesmerising

A joyful masterclass in fiction... a dizzying adventure that underlines one of the most appealing things about fiction: it is the closest we can ever get to inhabiting other perspectives

Inventive and full of energy

Gentle, precise, insightful, melancholy but warm