September 2025

Mindswap by Robert Sheckley

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The novel “Mindswap” by Robert Sheckley was published for the first time in 1965 in the magazine “Galaxy” as a novella, later expanded into a novel published as a book in 1966.

Marvin Flynn reads a newspaper ad about a Martian willing to participate in a mind-swap with an Earthling. It seems like the perfect opportunity to escape his boring life, so he signs up to participate.

Everything seems to be going as planned, and Marvin Flynn finds himself on Mars, in the body of a native. He doesn’t even have time to adjust to his surroundings before he discovers he’s been the victim of a scammer who used mind-swapping to escape arrest. He’s ordered to return the Martian’s body, but his own body is still in the scammer’s possession, so he must quickly find another body or die.

The Driver by Mark Dawson

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The novel “The Driver” by Mark Dawson was published for the first time in 2014. It’s the third book in the John Milton series and follows “Saint Death”.

John Milton seems to have found a certain peace of mind working as a taxi driver in San Francisco. One evening, he takes Madison to a luxurious party and realizes she’s a prostitute. If he’s stopped by the police, he could face legal trouble, while he must keep a low profile. He doesn’t want to abandon the girl on the street, so he takes her to her destination.

While waiting for the party to end, John Milton hears screams and, when he enters the house, sees the girl in a clearly altered state. He tries to help her, but she’s paranoid and runs away. Someone in the neighborhood has called the police, and John wants to avoid being seen by the cops, but when Madison goes missing, he decides he must do something, along with her boyfriend. His resolve is strengthened by the discovery of other girls’ bodies.