Five Minds - Guy Morpuss

 

Description

The Earth’s spiralling population has finally been controlled. Lifespans

are limited to eighty years, except for those who make an extreme

choice: to become a commune. Five minds sharing one body, each

living for four hours at a time. But with a combined lifespan of nearly

150 years.

Alex, Kate, Mike, Sierra and Ben have already spent twenty-five years

together in what was once Mike’s body, their frequent personality

clashes leading to endless bickering, countless arguments, and getting

themselves stranded on a Russian arctic freighter. Wanting to buy

upgrades for their next host body, they decide to travel to a Death Park

where games are played and time can be gambled like money. But

things go very wrong when Kate accepts a dangerous offer, and one of

them disappears.

It soon becomes clear that someone is trying to kill off members of

the commune. But why? Is one of them responsible? Or is an outsider

playing a deadly game? It’s hard enough to catch a murderer. It’s

almost impossible when you might be sharing a body with them...

 

Review

Just WOW! and WOW again!

This book had it all for me. Futuristic sci-fi, action, a crime (or two) to solve and an extremely clever plot.

Imagine a future where you have to decide how you wish to live, whether it be in human form as a worker or in an android (andi). Or maybe as a Hed (Hedonist) living a life of luxury but only until you are aged 42. If you want to live for 150 years you can share a body with five other minds and form a commune. 

The book centres around a commune in a host body. They've been together for 25 years when we join them. Already my head was pondering the equity and rationale of occupying one body. Each has a set time of day for four hours that they inhabit the body. Although they can express disapproval (and they do) of  where or how the previous mind left the body, there's not much they can physically do to stop this. They can only communicate with each other through messages. At one point it did get little long winded as each of them had to let the others know what had happened in their time line. As a reader you already knew so you were waiting for them to catch up with you.

Wanting upgrades for their next host body they go to Death Park, and Alton Towers it is not! It reminded me slightly of the Hunger Games as they begin to play the games in the Death Park. I often find that action can be written so descriptively it's hard to know what is happening, or it is too long winded. Not so with this book. The action scenes are succinct and put you right in the moment. I could vividly see it all playing out in my minds eye. 

Not everything is explained at the outset as to how this world works, even the commune aren't sure at times. So just go with it and discover as you read. After all this is an imaginary future world created by the author, and only he knows what is going to happen! 

I think I may have just read the book of the year for me and the future Agatha Christie. This story is certainly going to stay with me.

I'm giving this unique book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Random Things Tours for the ARC and the invite to the tour.

Author

Guy Morpuss is a London-based barrister and QC, whose cases have featured

drug-taking cyclists, dead Formula 1 champions and aspiring cemetery owners.

He lives in Surrey with his wife and two children.

Find him on Twitter @guymorpuss, or at guymorpuss.com.