Like The Course of the Heart, Signs of Life is a study of damaged-yet-never-unsympathetic people's attempts to escape told in lush-yet-never-purple prose, but whereas the former feels a bit overly vague at times, this one is always focused and purposeful.
The sci-fi elements are quite restrained, and only really feature in one of Harrison's many excellently-realized images. Like every component of the book, they serves its themes and characters without any degree of frivolity.
How this man's renown isn't at least equal to that of Margaret Atwood I'll never understand. ( )

A startling look at where our current obsession with having it all might lead us.I re-read this shortly before going into hospital. Probably not a good idea in some respects, but the central theme of transformation had resonance... ( )

Signs of Life is a beautiful book. The plot is of little importance, but the characters and the ambiance are brilliant. Actually, come to think of it, it reminds me of some of Steve Erickson's work - he too writes books that are almost incomprehensible, but still capture the reader. M. John Harrison is just even more magical; his description of the worn and used side of Britain is wonderful.

Signs of Life is about three people. Mick Rose is a courier, I suppose, who delivers medical supplies and takes care of toxic waste. He meets Isobel at an airport; she's working in the cafe there. They fall in love. That's what Mick wants: Isobel's love. Isobel wants to fly. Then there's Choe, Mick's immature and capricious business partner, bent on self-destruction. I guess he wants to be a real gangster.

All the characters want something and the book pretty much revolves around how they can't get what they want. It's really fascinating, in a rather morbid way. It certainly reminds me of The Course of the Heart - no wonder the two novels have been published as one book, Anima. They fit together well. Both are definitely worth reading. Oh, and Signs of Life is often marketed as science fiction. That's a bit of a silly label, as the book has very little science fiction in it. Don't let that keep you from reading the book. (Review based on the Finnish translation)

(Review of Signs of Life at Mikko reads) ( )