The Mind Parasites

Fictional context for ideas of originality and interest

Colin Wilson's The Mind Parasites is a science fiction novel set in what was once the future (the late '90s as seen from the late '60s) and inspired loosely by H.P. Lovecraft. The novel is narrated by an archeologist who while on a dig discovers ancient and cyclopean structures miles beneath the earth. Further investigation of these leads him to realize that mankind is under some form of attack by invisible psychic entities which draw from people's vital energies and leave them feeling depressed, frustrated and confused. All of mankind has been suffering to some extent or other from these parasites since the 1800s. The narrator decides to fight back and begins to recruit allies in this great psychic struggle, but the parasites will not go gently into the night...

As Wilson states in the introduction, this novel was inspired by a response he received for his criticism of H.P. Lovecraft; August Derleth had challenged Wilson to try his own hand at writing Lovecraftian fiction. Wilson certainly seems to have grasped the way that Lovecraft's fiction could serve as a potent metaphor for his worldview, for while there is quite a bit of speculative fiction in The Mind Parasites, it also seems to reflect much of Wilson's own philosophy. I won't attempt to rate Wilson's ideas, but I'm sorry to say he's pretty mediocre as a writer of weird fiction.

The concept of psychic parasites and the struggle against them is intriguing enough, but unfortunately Wilson falls prey to that great pitfall of speculative fiction: exposition. I appreciate the book doesn't waste much time on world-buidling, instead being written as if it was meant for a contemporary, so it never bogs down with details of this alternate future/past. However, he does spend considerable time with the description of and theories about these invisible, insubstantial parasites. A more skilled writer might have been able to make that material compelling, but I generally found it pretty dull. Here, I think Wilson's background as philosopher does him a disservice, as much of this ends up coming across as some alternate form of Scientology. Though Wilson clearly doesn't believe in mind parasites, the premise does reflect much of his own thinking, and so he often proceeds with the didactic sincerity of an amateur philosopher. The novel does have moments of tension, but it tends to drag, especially at the beginning, and also feels rather dated.

A quick note (and SPOILER WARNING) on the Lovecraft connection: the discovery of the cyclopean city, which is this novel's most Lovecraftian aspect, turns out to be something of a red herring. It felt like a bit of a bait and switch and, considering the introduction, made me wonder if Wilson had started with the idea of the discovery of a R'lyeh-like ancient city and then, grown bored with it, shifted the emphasis over to the mind parasites, where he could indulge in more of his own interests.