Hidden Creatures

“There’s an undeniable appeal to learning about creatures we can’t see or even feel but that have such a huge effect on our health and well-being—and that’s not to mention the charming eccentrics who study them.” —The Boston Globe

“A fascinating compendium of all the critters, some big, some small, some harmless and some lethal, that lie in wait for unsuspecting warm-blooded creatures. . . . Martins marvels, and so does the reader, at the creativity of nature. . . . The most persistent feeling, and one that Martins conveys beautifully, is one of awe at the sheer diversity and inventiveness of the living world.” —The Guardian

“A rousing hymn by a scientist who has spent his life marvelling at the apparently unlovely . . . Martins’ enthusiasm for parasites and insects is, well, contagious.” —Financial Times

“Astounding. . . . [Martins] approaches his parasite subjects with deep knowledge and intense, infectious enthusiasm, and specific encounters with micro-wildlife are often embedded in evocative scenes from the Kenyan bush.” —The Times

“Mixing evolutionary biology, ecology, and infectious enthusiasm, Hidden Creatures will change the way readers think about everything from leeches to tapeworms to botflies.” —Book and Film Globe

“Engaging and curious, Martins describes their uses in medicine and cuisine and explores their remarkable abilities, from the tsetse fly’s hide-piercing mouth to the tapeworm’s ability to grow to more than 120 feet deep within the guts of a whale.” —Bluedot Living Magazine

“An astonishing, eye-opening, and inspiring guide to the world’s microscopic marvels, showing how much we can learn from looking closely at the things we fear, and the beauty of nature’s hidden mechanisms. Wonderfully revolting and utterly fascinating, it is a thrilling tribute to the interconnectedness of life, full of awe-inspiring detail and gripping facts. It will make you want to rush out and look at puddles through a magnifying glass. Your world will be larger for reading this book.” —Chloe Dalton, author of Raising Hare

“Only one man—the uniquely gifted storyteller, exquisitely observant naturalist, and skilled artist Dino Martins—could make the (OK, disgusting) subject of parasites simply sing with fascinating horror. Hidden Creatures presents us with the vampires, hijackers, and other evil geniuses of the natural world who are continually doing their nastiest, best work around and inside us. It’s a gripping page-turner, and you will certainly wash your hands before your next meal.” —Carl Safina, author of Beyond Words and Alfie and Me

“Dino Martins’ genius is to make you care about the world’s most despised and disgusting creatures—and find them fascinating, vital, and even beautiful. A mind-blowing, eye-watering revelation of a book.” —Isabella Tree, author of Wilding

“In Hidden Creatures, Martins brings the reader nose-to-glass, up close to a universe in miniature. If you’ve ever been bitten by a mosquito, plucked a tick or a flea from your dog, dealt with a kid with nits, or suffered an unwelcome bout of intestinal visitors, you’ll find yourself compelled by how these encounters unfold and the ways in which these tiny organisms shape entire ecosystems. Hidden Creatures is nature storytelling at its most compulsive—revealing the hidden dramas playing out in backyards, bodies, bloodstreams, and beyond.” —Aminatta Forna, author of The Memory of Love

“Martins invites us to reconsider our boundaries, our assumptions, and our own place within nature’s intricate and sometimes mysterious design. Hidden Creatures is deep scholarship animated by story, and story grounded in science, carried through a rare, beautiful, and much-awaited voice. A bold and singular literary achievement.” —Yvonne Adhiambo Owuor, Caine Prize–winning author of Dust and The Dragonfly Sea

“Martins is a lover of life and a born teacher. Hidden Creatures is about the interconnectedness of life. It is an important and profoundly penetrating book that should be in the libraries of every school, university, and laboratory.” —Jonathan Kingdon, author of East African Mammals

“A fascinating, loving book about the mysterious, vital, and complex lives of the parasites that live under your feet and in your hair. Hidden Creatures is full of stories—atmospheric, hugely informative, and absolutely disgusting. I loved it.” —Daisy Hildyard, author of The Second Body

“Fascinating and profound and cheerfully written. . . . Life would not exist if not for the parasites that prey on it, and recycle it, is this book’s mantra. Throughout it all, Martins is an enthusiastic guide. . . . A gorgeous (if squirm-inducing) book on the awe-inspiring ways that ‘well and truly life begets death and death begets life.’” —Kirkus Review

“An enlightening overview of parasites. . . . Simultaneously repulsive and intriguing, this will strike a chord with the insatiably curious.” —Publishers Weekly

“[Martins] brings ample curiosity and exuberance to his observations and research on these creatures. . . . Martins’ personal experiences in East Africa are moving and instructive. His writing style is enthusiastic and full of alliteration. . . . Wonder and a bit of dread go hand-in-hand with this peek into the lives of parasites.” —Booklist