Review of 'The Alchemical Marriage of Alastair Crompton' by Robert Sheckley

I haven't read Robert Sheckley since I was in my 20s, but I had fond memories of 'Mindswap'. I saw this in a charity shop, bought it and put it on the shelf - probably ten years ago. I just read it...and it got off to an amazing start, with lots of interesting psychological insights. I was particularly struck by this quote, which reminded me of my recent experience with Internal Family Systems therapy:

"How many identities do you have?" Crompton asked.

"Inumerable," Secuille said.

"I find all of this difficult to believe," Crompton said.

"That is only because you haven't consciously experienced for yourself the influences which your selves, past and present, have on the identity you happen to be at the moment. Crompton, every sentient creature lives simultaneously in various timebound sequences, and tries to better things for himself by influencing one or more of his selves. The voices that you hear in your head, telling you what to do and what not to do, these are the voices of your other selves at other times and places, casting their votes, trying to improve conditions for themselves."

There are lots of funny and clever bits later, and then suddenly it seems as if Sheckley got bored with it, because the end is pretty rubbish. It would have been better just to have stopped it twenty pages earlier.