Reasons I'm Not Human

Tender Is the Flesh meets I Who Have Never Known Men in this bold, speculative debut set aboard a spaceship harboring the genetically modified descendants of Earth. When one of their own commits a radical act of sabotage, their mission to find a new home for humanity is threatened, calling into question not only their future, but also their origins.

That’s the thing about playing with genetics. There are always off-target effects.

In the vast emptiness of space, eighteen-year-old Lila navigates life on the Estate, a deteriorating spaceship launched amidst the destruction of Earth. The Estate is home to fifty residents, each of whom serves a vital role in the ship’s strict hierarchy. For Lila, who is set to be the ship’s next geneticist, her entire life has been shaped by her training. While every resident’s DNA is already the product of ground-breaking advances in genetic engineering that allow them to survive the harsh conditions of space, the geneticist is responsible for monitoring their health, and most importantly, for ensuring that each child born on the Estate is worthy of their mission to carry forward humanity’s legacy on a new planet.

So when Keira, Lila’s closest friend as well as the next in line to be leader of the Estate, destroys their reproductive technologies before disappearing into the walls of the ship, Lila understands better than most what is at stake—and she knows she must find Keira before anyone else does. What Lila doesn’t expect is to be chosen for the dangerous task of carrying the first natural pregnancy in the Estate’s history.

An unputdownable post-apocalyptic classic in the making, Reasons I’m Not Human dares to ask: What defines our humanity, and at what point might it be beyond saving?