Minds Eye

by Paul McAuley

When he chances upon a strange piece of graffiti daubed on the walls of a north London restaurant, the violence of his reaction takes Alfie Flowers by surprise. The thorny circle of dashes and zigzags seems to reach right inside his brain - and provokes a flashback to a terrifying childhood incident. The incident Alfie has spent his life trying to forget. Convinced the graffiti artist possesses the clues to his past, Alfie sets out to track down the elusive 'Morph'. His search will lead him to the mysterious Nomads' Club and a secret history of espionage, culminating in the disappearance of Alfie's father over twenty years before. But the real secret of the graffiti patterns - or 'glyphs' - is to be found amidst the chaos of post-war Iraq. There, within the shadowy depths of an ancient network of caves, Alfie will uncover the powerful and disturbing truth behind the rituals of a strange, prehistoric society. But there are others seeking the source of the glyphs. People with sinister and dangerous motives - and if they were to succeed in their aims, the consequences would be too horrible to contemplate...

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Thriller

422 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Since about 2000, book jackets have given his name as just Paul McAuley.

A biologist by training, UK science fiction author McAuley writes mostly hard science fiction, dealing with themes such as biotechnology, alternate history/alternate reality, and space travel.

McAuley has also used biotechnology and nanotechnology themes in near-future settings.

Since 2001, he has produced several SF-based techno-thrillers such as The Secret of Life, Whole Wide World, and White Devils.

Four Hundred Billion Stars, his first novel, won the Philip K. Dick Award in 1988. Fairyland won the 1996 Arthur C. Clarke Award and the 1997 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best SF Novel.

Reviews

[Dark-Draco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having wanted to read this for ages, it didn't disappoint. Strange glyphs popping up all around London, which can alter how you act and think - past links to secret societies and World War cover-ups - a frantic chase to Iraq and the source of all the mysteries.

I really liked this - a good example of the whole horror-conspiracy-magical folklore genre! In places I would have liked to feel a bit more of that horror though and while the reasons behind the glyphs were interesting, I did kind of feel I wanted a bit more - but that's because I'm more of a fantasy fan than a thriller one.

But it provided an entertaining read and I would look out more books by this author.

[David-Jack Fletcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

White Devils was such a fantastic thrill ride that I instantly purchased Mind’s Eye when I saw it. I have to say, while the story was intriguing, the narrative flow was dry and stale. The characters didn’t leap from page like some of his others have.

The complexity of the story, and the intergenerational conspiracies were very well done, however the delivery overall was a little flat. It took me several sittings to read the entire book, which is unusual for me.

Still, worth a read if you like complex thrillers.

[Bertille · Rating 3 out of 5]

La traduction est atroce...

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing mystery that kept my rapt attention throughout.

[Mishell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Na knížku za desetikachli dobrý, ale kdyby byla dražší tak by hodnocení byli horší...

[Nicolas · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dans ce roman, on suit les aventures entremêlées d'Alfie Flowers, un épileptique pour des raisons que je développerai plus loin, et d'Harriet Crowley, détective proche des services secrets de sa gracieuse majesté. Ils sont tous deux liés par le fait que leur grands-parents respectifs faisaient tous deux partie du club des Nomades, des archéologues qui ont voulu ramener en Occident des glyphes utilisés lors de certains rituels d'une ethnie Irakienne.
L'Irak, berceau des civilisations !
Dès qu'un bouquin de SF parle d'Irak, c'est pour remonter à l'époque où l'Homme ne se nommait pas encore, et où il découvrait le sens de la conscience. Cet Irak est la destination finale de nos deux héros, mais aussi de deux romans qui m'ont assez marqué : Les Puissances de l'Invisible de Tim Powers, et Le Bureau des atrocités de Charles Stross. Et malheureusement, je peux le dire tout de suite, celui-ci ne tient pas la comparaison avec ses deux aînés. Sans doute parce qu'il vise aussi, grâce à ces glyphes qui sont censés modifier la structure du cerveau en profondeur, du côté des Nam-Shubs, que Neal Stephenson utilisa brillament dans Le Samouraï Virtuel.
Bref, ce roman essaye de plonger ses racines profondément dans des concepts aussi vieux que l'Homme. Et malheureusement, si les racines sont solides, l'arbre de ce récit l'est beaucoup moins : les rebondissements semblent assez téléphonées, et la conclusion est on ne peut plus bâclée. Et du coup, on sent le poids de toutes ces pages qui n'apportent rien, ni aux concepts évoqués, ni à un récit qui aurait mérité soit plus d'action (parce que bon, l'entrée clandestine en Irak ... passez-moi du café, je m'endors devant tant de marche à pied). Ma conclusion est logique et implacable : ne le lisez pas. Pas plus en fait que les autres romans de cet auteur, qui part à chaque fois de prémices fascinantes pour arriver à un résultat qui n'avait besoin ni de tout cela, ni d'autant de place pour s'exprimer.

[Krait · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little more long winded than it needed to be, I think, but all in all quite an interesting tale. There's a few scenes that don't link up right, and probably could have done with just a bit of a nudge from the editors.

Other than these minor gripes, the premise is interesting, and the action scenes and search through London give the book a nice feel of realism. I certainly love the nod to Banksy, even if McAuley did rip off his museum stunt.

[Sophie Goasguen]

J'ai tenté avec obstination d'avancer dans cette lecture, mais rien à faire, il ne s'y passe rien d'intéressant. Les personnages principaux m'ont donné l'impression de faire du sur place et cela s'est transmis dans ma lecture.

[Amanda Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started off really well then half way through I got bored