This was an unexpected pleasure to read, one of the best scifi books I've read this year along with Station Breaker, Orbital & A For Andromeda.

Invader On My Back starts off a little strangely mentioning humans called Norms, Scuttlers, Stinkers & Delinks however it all soon becomes apparent that Norms are basically normal people, Scuttlers are people who can't look at the sky, Stinkers are people who other people can't stand to be around and become violent in the presence of (towards the Stinker) and Delinks are delinquents. How does this fit into the story? It's set far into the future, the figure of 400 years is mentioned so perhaps circa 2368 depending on when that 400 years begins. In this future humanity has evolved into these four distinct groups, and this story follows Craig, a stinker, who is given hired by the Police Research Institute to meet another Stinker for research purposes.

Shortly thereafter we learn there's a 5th type of evolutionary divergence happening within the population and following this Craig's research brings to light other goings on on the planet relating to the Invaders of the books title.

Whilst it's quite a short novel at 176 pages, it really is excellent and very much worth the read. ( )

A moderately engaging story about parasitic alien invaders foiled by humans who have developed telepathic powers. Really, it isn't as awful as that description would lead you to believe.

What is more shocking is how much attitudes have changed (I hope) since 1968. One of the passages took my breath away.

Look at this:
This time, however, Gammon remembered his manners.
"Can I find you a book or something, Mrs. Craig, while we go into technicalities."
She laughed softly. "That will not be necessary - I understand technicalities."
"You do?" Gammon looked blank.
She laughed again. "I'm teasing you, it's not fair of me. No, Mr. Gammon, I do not understand technicalities personally, but I understand them through my husband's mind. I know it's difficult to understand but, to all intents and purposes we are one mind, one individual, not two."

Yet these days it's an embarrassment in the education system just how far young women outstrip young men in understanding just these technicalities now that they are no longer brainwashed into pretending to be airheads. ( )