Matt Haig biography

Matt Haig was born in 1975. He is the author of The Last Family in England (2004), and the forthcoming children’s novel, Shadow Forest. His website is at www.matthaig.com.

Matt Haig was born in Sheffield in 1975 and grew up in Nottinghamshire. He now lives in Leeds. His writing has appeared in the Guardian, the Sunday Times, the Independent, the Sydney Morning Herald and the Face.

His novels are often dark and quirky takes on family life. The Last Family in England tells the story of Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1 with the protagonists as dogs. It was a bestseller in the UK and the film rights have been sold to Brad Pitt's Plan B production company. His second novel Dead Fathers Club is based on Hamlet, telling the story of an introspective 11-year old dealing with the recent death of his father and the subsequent appearance of his father's ghost. His third adult novel, The Possession of Mr Cave, deals with an obsessive father desperately trying to keep his teenage daughter safe. His chidren's novel, Shadow Forest, is a fantasy that begins with the horrific death of the protagonists' parents. It won the Nestlé Children's Book Prize in 2007.

Matt Haig books

• Shadow Forest (2007)
• The Runaway Troll (2009)
• The Radleys (2010)

Matt Haig critical acclaim

"Weaves horror and humour into a terrific tale" The Times

Latest news: Matt Haig

Competition: Win a copy of The Radleys, Matt Haig’s brilliant new book
*** COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED *** Congratulations to Heidi Wilmot from Middleton and James Fenlon from Havant who will receive a free copy of The Radleys Meet the Radleys - Peter, Helen and their teenage children, Clara and Rowan, live in a typical suburban English town. They are an everyday fami [...]

Latest reviews: Fire in the East, The Radleys and Revise the World
Here is a round-up of the latest books to be read and reviewed on Fantasy Book Review, with links to the full review itself. Coming soon: The Children of the Lost by David Whitley, Voices in the Dark by Catherine Banner and The Spook’s Nightmare by Joseph Delaney. 7.4Fire in the East by Harry Side [...]

Latest reviews: Ambassador’s Mission, Curse of Chalion, Night Watch and more
Here is a round-up of the latest books to be read and reviewed on Fantasy Book Review, with links to the full review itself. Coming soon: The Radleys by Matt Haig, Fire in the East by Harry Sidebottom, The Reapers are the Angels by Alden Bell and Revise the World by Brenda Clough. The Ambassador’s [...]

Latest reviews: Original Sin, Tallow, The Immortals Trilogy, Conrad’s Fate and Broken Wings
Here is a round-up of the latest books to be read and reviewed on Fantasy Book Review, with links to the full review itself. Coming soon: Fire in the East by Harry Sidebottom, The Radleys by Matt Haig, Connor’s Folly by Robert C Auty and the brilliant The Reapers are the Angels by Alden Bell. Orig [...]

Fantasy Book Review: Book of the Month
Every month a book comes along that is just that little bit special, a book that stands head and shoulders above the others that have been read and reviewed. This book becomes our Book of the Month and below can be seen the winners since the award began in June 2009. September 2010 – Once Walked wi [...]

Matt Haig wins Blue Peter Award for Shadow Forest
A dark and grisly fantasy tale about two orphans and a forest full of one-eyed trolls, inspired by a near death experience in Norway, has won the Blue Peter Book of the Year award. Shadow Forest [link to book review] by Matt Haig [link to biography] also picked up the Book I Couldn't Put Down prize [...]