Colin Wilson, The Space Vampires (aka Lifeforce)

Nicolas Tredell (Independent Scholar - Europe)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.09: English Writing and Culture: Postwar and Contemporary Britain , 1945-present.
Vol. editors: Kerry Myler (Newman University), Jenni Ramone (The Nottingham Trent University)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1976

Places

England (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel
Science Fiction

Resources

The Space Vampires (1976), Colin Wilson’s thirteenth novel, marks his return to science fiction, the genre he used in The Mind Parasites (1967) and The Philosopher’s Stone (1969) to dramatize and explore ideas about human potential. This time, however, he mixes science fiction with the vampire tale and the crime story to create an absorbing narrative that uses vampirism as a metaphor for the ways in which life-energy (or life-force) can be transferred, drained or enhanced. The novel suggests that “all people are energy vampires to some extent” (80).

Vampires is a third-person narrative told largely from the viewpoint of its protagonist, 45-year-old Commander Olof Carlsen, the captain of the …

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2120 words

Citation: Tredell, Nicolas. "The Space Vampires (aka Lifeforce)". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 13 November 2012 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=23955, accessed 26 November 2024.]

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