Bücher von Martin Simons

"Martin Simons hat den Bericht eines Jahres geschrieben, das mit einer Blutung im Kopf beginnt und mit einem geheilten Herzen endet. Dazwischen liegt fast ein ganzes Leben." Dirk von Lowtzow. An einem grauen Dezembernachmittag entgleitet Martin Simons mitten auf der Straße die Kontrolle über seinen Körper. Statt Weihnachten mit seiner jungen Familie zu verbringen, findet er sich auf der Intensivstation eines Krankenhauses wieder: Jederzeit kann der Finger aus Blut auf seinem Ausschalter, wie eine Ärztin es formuliert, sein Leben beenden. Während die Ärzte nach Gründen für die Hirnblutung suchen, geraten die inneren Kontinente des Erzählers in Bewegung. Der Beginn einer persönlichen Wandlung. In poetischer Dichte und großer Klarheit erzählt Martin Simons vom menschlichen Ausnahmezustand.

A thousand years hence, all the major cities of the world are at sea, floating on huge rafts, using ocean currents to navigate. Sal, a young girl on the Sydney raft, training as a navigator, visits Shanghai which is the largest raft city of all, on holiday. She hopes to find the famous genetic scientist, Jezzy, who will modify her body to give her gills. She wants to be like a mermaid, free to live in the sea with the fish. She does meet the old woman but when she leaves her laboratory is arrested as a deserter and mutineer. She is flown back to her home raft for trial. After a tribunal she is released after all to join Jezzy and like many others, is modifed as she desired. There is a strong public reaction against Jezzy s operations. In fear of being marooned to die on land, Jezzy and her young changelings break away their section of the Shanghai raft away drift off independently. Sal finds a lover and gives birth, but a violent storm damages the raft severely and they struggle to avoid sinking. They can survive only by beaching themselves. Sal, the young navigator, plays an important role in achieving this. The remnants of a land based tribe are encountered but more dangers must be faced from marauding gangs of pirates. The rafters make plans for rebuilding their city and returning to the sea.