Mirror Image

Amorphs Universe #1

by Michael G. Coney

If an alien creature can so perfectly imitate a human being that not only is it physically and mentally indistinguishable from a man but it actually believes itself to be one, what do you do with it? Is it human?

This is the question which confronts Alex Stordahl, supervisor of the harsh planet Marilyn. Initially nobody had suspected anything unusual about the largely reptilian animal life. Then Stordahl discovered the amorphs - shapeless in their natural state, but possessing a unique defence mechanism: when closely approached by a possible aggressor, they could adopt the form least likely to be attacked by the creature.

When it transpires that the creatures are harmless they are quickly absorbed into the colony to provide extra labour. The the ruthless owner of the development corporation arrives from Earth. He wants to test the amorphs, and brings with him a group of four brilliant, but totally egotistical men. And trouble soon starts...

Cover Artist: Kelly Freas

Genres: Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fiction

174 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 1972

About the author

Michael Greatrex Coney was born in Birmingham, England and educated at King Edward's School.

He started a career as a chartered accountant and went on to become a management Consultant. Then he went into the catering business, managing an inn in south Devon with his wife, Daphne for three years and a hotel in the West Indies for another three. He worked for Financial Services in the B.C. Forest Service for seventeen years before retiring .

He Passed away 4 November 2005. peacefully of Cancer (Mesothelioma). He was married with three children and lived on Vancouver Island.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mirror Image was Coney's first novel. It was published by DAW in 1972 with a very pleasing pink and yellow cover. (DAW was heavily into yellow!) It's the story of the colonization of a planet with the unlikely name of Marilyn, whose natives, the Amorphs, have a very unusual ability of changing their appearance. Coney examines questions of colonialism, slavery, and religion while telling an interesting story with a very well built-up surprise twist at the end and wrapping it all up in a nice, happy, love-conquers-all message. It was an auspicious debut book from Coney, whose birthdate was September 28, certainly the finest date one could choose for such an event.

[Sorina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mirror Image, 3/5
The book focuses on a group of colonists on a distant planet, who find something interesting about the local fauna, shall we say. There are some interesting parts and elements that kept me wanting to read more and find out what will happen. There's also a social commentary on how colonists affect a planet, what being human actually means and so on. Unfortunately, the writing was not great. Also, I disliked some aspects that were unnecessary, in my opinion, but took too much "page time", so to speak.

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

DAW Collectors #31

Cover Artist: Kelly Freas

Name: Coney, Michael Greatrex, born Birmingham, Warwickshire, England, UK

Alternate Names: Jennifer Black, Michael Coney, Michael Greatrex Coney, Mike Coney


Birthdate: 28 September 1932 - 4 November 2005

If an alien creature can so perfectly imitate a human being that not only is it physically and mentally indistinguishable from a man but it actually believes itself to be one, Is it human?

Coney published eighteen novels and over sixty short stories in his lifetime. Another excellent novel from this period was "Friends Come in Boxes". His daughter Sally in the mid-1960s persuaded him to return briefly to accountancy.

[Jack (Sci-Fi Finds) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A group of human colonists are establishing a settlement on the planet Marilyn when they encounter strange shape-shifting entities called Amorphs. These beings change into the form of a person's loved one, taking on all of their memories, knowledge and abilities. For egotistical people, the Amorphs mirror their image since they love themselves more than anybody else. The corporation responsible for this colonisation effort begins to experiment with the Amorphs, utilising them for labour and finding some interesting possibilities.

I loved Michael Coney's way of describing the nature of this planet, where he has crafted a well-considered ecosystem of plant and animal life. The plot moves along swiftly, raising some fascinating questions. The Amorphs are a really unique and thought-provoking group of aliens that I will remember for a long time.

[iambehindu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coney is such a skilled storyteller. His work is sometimes dismissed as lightweight, but there’s an undeniable craftsmanship in his minimalism. Mirror Image was Coney’s debut novel, so the familiar tropes and occasional missteps are forgivable—especially knowing what he would later achieve in Hello Summer, Goodbye and Friends Come In Boxes.

While Mirror Image has its flaws, Coney’s landscapes are always a joy to imagine, and his take on a “clone” story shows reasonable effort. As a fan of Coney, I’m willing to overlook the lazy religious symbolism and the “love conquers all” ending, with the hope he doesn’t return to those shortcuts again.

[Reet · Rating 2 out of 5]

SciFi from the 80s that makes the fatal error of calling men "men" and women "girls." As soon as an author does this, he has already lost at least one star of my reviews.

This is a story about colonists who work for a corporation that is developing for profit a planet that is rich in ores. A native Species of fauna is discovered that has a defense mechanism that makes them turn into whatever its antagonist' favorite object is. In this way they avoid being eaten. So what happens when this species meets a human? It will turn into the human's object of desire. Oh, the problems that arise with this development!

The characters in this book seem underdeveloped, which caused me to not feel invested in them. The personalities of the characters were somewhat developed, but the physical traits were left up to the readers' imagination. Hopefully, other books by this author are better for me.

[Joel J. Molder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid book by one of my favorite science fiction authors.

A group of interstellar colonists is hired by a wealthy businessman to settle on a distant planet and establish an iron mine, as iron is a rare and valuable resource in the universe. During their mission, the colony leader discovers a fascinating alien species known as amorphs. These creatures possess the uncanny ability to transform into idealized versions of anything they perceive as a threat, psychically linking to their target and mirroring its essence. As the colonists grapple with the amorphs’ unique abilities, the boundaries between identity, perception, and survival blur, raising profound questions about humanity and alien life.

Considering that Mirror Image was Michael G. Coney’s debut novel, I’m rather impressed! From in this first book, Coney demonstrates his ability to craft deeply human stories, weaving thought-provoking themes into an engaging science fiction narrative. Throughout the book, he explores complex themes he’d explore more in the other works I’ve read of his, such as the morality of slavery and indentured servitude (The Jaws That Bite, The Claws That Catch and Neptune’s Cauldron), the tension of “us vs. them” mentalities (Rax, The Jaws That Bite, The Claws That Catch and Neptune’s Cauldron), and even the nature of love and identity (Rax, The Jaws That Bite, The Claws That Catch and Neptune’s Cauldron).

Coney excels at emotional depth in his books, challenging you to question your perceptions of otherness. The amorphs, with their ability to copy idealizations of their human counterparts, act as a fresh lens for examining how fear, attraction, and connection shape relationships. The colonists’ interactions with the amorphs highlight both the best and worst of human nature, turning internal conflict into external conflict.

Sure, the pacing can feel uneven at times. That’s why it’s not a perfect five stars. There’s some uneven writing that could use some smoothing out. But let it be said: I feel the “warmth” of Coney’s prose and characters—not to mention the moral and complexity—far make up most flaws.

I’m not really sure how he does it, but Coney has a way of assuring me that I’m in for an intelligent, emotionally-charged journey. His work consistently feels special—something that rewards my time and attention. And honestly, that’s exactly what I’m looking for.

[Nesellanum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mirror Image presents a very unique and interesting angle to the familiar process of shapeshifting, by interlacing telepathically absorbed characteristics, knowledge, and emotion into the mechanism of physical modification and mimicry. This angle feels fresh and original, and it was executed very well.

The story centers around the colonization effort of a contentious planet and various power struggles that inevitably arise within the colony, challenges with the local flora and fauna, and dissensions with the mega-rich tycoon boss and his cronies. While some aspects were enjoyable, the overall flavour was somewhat bland and uninspired, and the writing was less than impactful. It was missing certain aspects of classic SF that I crave, such as the occasional surrealistic dalliance or psychological musing.

Overall, I did enjoy Mirror Image and some of the ideas contained within, but it fell short in more ways than one. I've heard some great things about Coney so will be trying some of his other work, but this one unfortunately did not land as well as I'd hoped.

[Ali Berk Çetinbudaklar · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5/5

Beklentilerimin üstünde çıkan bir kitap, belki çoğu kişi için daha düşük puanlı ama bana göre BK'da mihenk taşı olan birçok esere selam çakıyor. 1972'de basıldığını söylersek ilham aldığı/verdiği, bir şekilde benzerlik taşıdığı eserler bana göre; Planet of Apes (2011) , The Thing (kitabını okumadığım için yazamıyorum), Do the Androids Dream..., ve War with Newts. Türkçemize çevrilip tozlu Bk raflarında saklı kalan,unutulup giden, bilinmeyen fakat bana göre klas olan kitaplardan, sevdim.

[Roger · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable, well-written and deceptively easy to read book. Although a little dated in its reference to the available technology, the story was strong and always interesting. A story about amorphs, creatures that can take any form, initially thought to be a defence mechanism but later ending up as much more. Good story, good writing and not too long.

[Cheryl]

Unforgivable sexism (no, most people weren't like this back in 1972) and clunky writing. I peeked at the end and it looks like it stopped just when more interesting questions about the implications of interacting with the amorphs were being raised.

July 2021

[Aslı · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okuduğum en iyi bilimkurgulardan biri olan "Değişkenler" başka bir gezegene bir şirketin yatırımıyla gelip koloni kurmuş bir insan topluluğunu anlatıyor. Bu gezegene, tahmin edersiniz ki, insanlar kaynak bulmak için gelmişler. Söz konusu şirket de o kaynağın çıkarılması ve taşınması sonucu bolca kazanç elde edeceği bu insan grubunu orada beslemeye razı olmuş. Tabii hikayenin esas konusu bu kaynak sömürüsü değil insanların orada karşılaştığı ve "amorf" adını verdikleri bir uzaylı yaratıkla ilgili deneyimleri. Bu konuda spoiler vermek istemiyorum ama romanın esas ismi olan "Mirror Image" bence daha uygun isim çünkü amorfların en önemli özelliği hangi varlığın yanında olurlarsa onun şeklini almaları. Dolayısıyla insanın yanında insana benzer özellikler kazanıyorlar. Bu bence müthiş bir fikir ve yazar bu fikri çok güzel işlemiş. Bu ana konunun arkasında elbette şirketin kapitalist çıkarları, bu çıkarlar uğruna hiçbir ahlaki sınır tanımaması, insan yararı için gezegenin kendi habitatına zarar verilmesi, kölelik, sömürü vb. bir çok yan mevzu var.

Çok iyi bir roman. Sadece kendi adıma daha çarpıcı bir son beklerdim. Yazar umutlu ve biraz dini motifle süslediği bir bitiş yapmak istemiş. Ama elbette romanın 1972 yılında yayınlandığını unutmamak lazım.

[Hugo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating reversal of the Invasion of the Body Snatchers trope: we go to colonise a planet and the indigenous amorphous species copies us (or at least, our idealised versions of ourselves... or of our loved ones), becoming sentient in the process—and this is what sets this apart. Leaving aside the broad sexual politics of the time, this holds up a mirror to human perceptions and exploitation, allegories of colonialism and slavery, in a slim novel offering much to consider, for all its brevity.

[John Mullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fine SF

[SciFiOne · Rating 3 out of 5]

1985 grade C