When he came to Earth (or Sykaos as it was known to Oitarians) the poet-space traveller Oi Paz was greatly impressed by its physical attractions. Yet the truth about its inhabitants shocked him. How could such noisome, graceless beasts so closely resemble the humans of Oitar and carry on in this higgledy fashion? Decoding the nuances of their crudity, language and myths became essential when the wretched primitives dismantled his space craft.It is hard to say which was worse - the captivities in 'hospitals', police and Top Secret'coops', or free-wheeling as an international media star. Oi Paz experienced it all including an unforeseen breakdown of his Oitarian taboos. And meanwhile the gentle visitor's presence seemed to trigger off a perilous tendency amongst his captors to fulfil their dreadful Sykotic destiny. The epic sojourn of Oi Paz presents a vision of Earth not only as it is to the extraordinary outsider, but very much from within. E.P. Thompson, historian and critic, is the author of many books, including The Making of the English Working Class. This is his first novel.