The Mind Parasites by Colin Wilson (book review)
Writer Colin Wilson (1931-2013) has a distinction of being acknowledged in the introduction) by AE Van Vogt’s to his novel ‘The Pawns Of Null-A’ and referenced this book, ‘The Mind Parasites’ and dealing with integrated personalities, something common in the Null-A novels. As I’ve never read ‘The Mind Parasites’, I looked up its availability and thought to remedy. Interestingly, in his own introduction, Wilson also acknowledges Van Vogt as a friend. He also points out that his own influence for writing ‘The Mind Parasites’ was Lovecraft with a more horror aspect with a touch of Science Fiction. Considering the presence of ESP, it would be remiss not to think Vam Vogt didn’t have some sort of influence.
Something I read saying this book was a composite of different perspectives and news cuttings is clearly not here. There is the odd note reference to fictional books but you would expect that from people highly graduated in first person. The only weird thing is in its 192 pages, there is no division into chapters.
Dr. Gilbert Austin is called when his friend Karel Weissman commits suicide. He’s not a medical doctor but more an archaeologist/psychologist sort of with an interest in everything. Sort of like his author really. This is a very grey area of just what exactly he is. There is also an examination of why some people commit suicide and Weissman shouldn’t have been amongst them.
The last book I read by Wilson was his superb non-fiction ‘Supernature’ and worth a read even today. His switching to fiction still encapsulates his need to impart knowledge through his characters than propel the story forward. The mind parasites of the title are actually mind vampires who cause some people to commit suicide.
As a writer, I know the signs when other writers throw everything and the kitchen sink at a story especially with what they know or have been influenced by. When Austin and Reich develop telekinesis and then pass the technique to others they trust who have not been infected by the mind parasites comes over as odd. I mean can you move things with your mind? Do you think it can be taught?
Wilson wrote this book in first person but in past tense. Granted this was the way his idol, as mentioned in his introduction, Lovecraft wrote but it also takes the sting out of the tail of events because you know he’s going to get through the events. There are also odd jumps of development as one moment they are a secretive group, next thing they are surrounded by the media and then having breakfast and other meals at the White House. If something like that was introduced today or even when Wilson wrote it in the 1970s, wouldn’t you find it a little far-fetched or at least offer alternatives? Any part of society has a number of suicides on a regularly basis. You would need a substantial number to think its above normal in any group in society. To use an example from current British society, the number of people in the agricultural industry committing suicide. I calculated the numbers and collectively, in the past two years, its 0.02%. Any suicide is unfortunate but how big a number is it significant in a group to be exaggerated by the media? In Wilson’s story, he only really focuses on the number of scientists committing suicide but that would also mean these mind vampires are selective in who they kill. For a parasite, killing your host is also killing yourself.
Without going too spoiler, by going at a brisk speed, Wilson jumps across events and rapid solutions. Then again, Austin is recounting events and can ignore time scale. I suspect if Wilson had got closer to the events the book would have either been bigger or rewritten to condense events down. In many respects, the mind vampires are the unknown enemy, we don’t really get a close-up to their own objectives, so this story is somewhat one-sided. It does look like those who committed suicide were largely because they couldn’t tolerate a second mind in their heads. It doesn’t mean that others weren’t because one human certainly obeyed them at one stage.
In the afterward, Wilson says he went back to this reality for four more novels, although the fourth wasn’t printed because the publisher didn’t understand it. Although readable, it does have all the fallacies of a first novel. I think I prefer Wilson’s non-fiction and might be tempted to try another of his to review here later in the year.
GF Willmetts
May 2026
(pub: Monkfish Publishing, 2005. Page small enlarged paperback. Price: varies. ISBN: 978-0-9749359-9-7)
