Mockymen

by Ian Watson

"This wonderfully weird tale uncovers the secrets of the “mockymen,” aliens who have inhabited drug-addled humans' bodies. A young British couple who make jigsaw puzzles are hired for an outlandish job in a park by an elderly Norwegian man. Toward the end of the Second World War, a blood sacrifice was carried out in this park by Nazis trying to create an occult cordon around Norway, and the aging Norwegian hopes to access the power residing in the park to achieve reincarnation for himself. The Hardship Years intervene, when climate change, ecological collapse, and global economic crises derail human civilization, but in 2010 salvation arrives in the shape of an alien expedition promising new technologies. As the aliens begin to inhabit the bodies of humans strung out on the drug Bliss, a young Blisshead named Jamie recalls his prior life as a Norwegian, and the aliens' true motives are revealed. This wild, absurd, and far-out tale reveals a keen intelligence at work and at play."

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

300 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Reviews

[Becky Beaman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome! An interesting twist on how aliens can survive on planets other than their own. With mankind coming late to the party, they are seduced by the wonders of Bliss and plentiful food, while the helpful aliens lead them to start cleaning up the planet. But what is the price Earth will be asked to pay for this help? Recommended!

[Fabio R. Crespi · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Cosa sono esattamente questi esseri venuti dalle stelle che usano corpi umani come ospiti e corrieri?"
In un mondo che stava andando in malora sono arrivati delle menti aliene, incapsulate in corpi alieni, a salvare la civiltà. Forse. In realtà non si sa bene perché (e neanche perché i Finti Uomini, gli alieni che occupano corpi umani, siano così interessati ai nematodi) e i servizi segreti inglesi (o, almeno, una piccola sezione dei servizi segreti) fanno indagini in proposito (benefattori o astuti invasori?) e su un Fantoccio, un corpo occupato da un'intelligenza aliena, ritornato alla vita normale, cosa mai verificatasi prima, e si imbattono in reincarnazioni, leggende nordiche e rituali tibetani dei tempi in cui le SS occupavano la Norvegia.

Ian Watson macina di tutto nel suo ottimo romanzo "L'anno dei dominatori" ("Mockymen", 2003; Urania Mondadori, 2018; trad. di Cecilia Scerbanenco): fantascienza e spionaggio, magia ed esoterismo, tutto trattato in modo molto British, per affrontare grossi temi etici che riguardano l'esistenza, la consapevolezza e l'essenza in un universo di menti disincarnate e corpi intercambiabili.

[Sara]

When one give ya all y wandt.absultly he want in return.not plato or mozart work .even elian want smothing.Mockmen sci fic to Ian like uhead that talk about survive and gambling.and like early in the morning that talk about history of human and evelution.Ian has his way with words.but go in sci fic one.forword.