The idea for this novel came from the danger we are posing to our own planet. Are we about to kill ourselves off?
A bunch of aliens think so.
They think we are endangered and exotic enough to capture and place in a zoo in order to conserve the species!
The trouble is that this zoo is run by incompetent dysfunctional staff – just like many institutions on Earth.
That gave me licence to send things up in a glorious satire with aliens having all the same characteristics as their counterparts on Earth. I had great fun. I’m sure a lot of you have found yourself in these sort of meetings, with this assortment of characters.
So this Sci-fi romp is a thinly veiled exposes of humans and their institutions. Enjoy!
Are You Being Watched?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 July 2018
An ambitious sci-fi novel packed with serious ideas and amusing moments. The alien perspective on humankind is sometimes hilarious and often thought-provoking in this racy, zany and sometimes politically-satirical story. It’s never sentimental and creates convincingly detailed worlds, with a solid biological and scientific feel. The novel explores multiple viewpoints with the thoughts and reactions of a huge range of characters and I sensed many influences, from the American sci-fi greats to – particularly, I think – British writers like Douglas Adams and Michael Moorcock. But it’s never other-worldly and I liked it that the question of what it is to be human is central to this stimulating story.