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novamoonlight's review
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
tashas_books's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
I’m still not exactly sure how I feel about this book. At some points I disliked it and almost stopped listening, but the story drew me in and I just had to keep going. In the end, I liked it and want to read the next one.
I’m still not exactly sure how I feel about this book. At some points I disliked it and almost stopped listening, but the story drew me in and I just had to keep going. In the end, I liked it and want to read the next one.
merlandre's review
3.0
A good story but some long passages that I didn't want to read. I felt like it was someone practicing a style. Somewhat overdone without really advancing the narrative. Not sure about the rest of the series.
raeanne's review against another edition
4.0
Recommendation: solid sci-fi novel about a street urchin turned caged lab rat turned hero. Fantastic settings, character progression, and ending with one small maybe plot hole.
Rating: 3 ½ stars for being above average but still missing something, though I can’t figure out what and did read the series out of order – so this maybe amiss if you read it chronologically.
Pros
Loved Cat’s character and progression, I really connected with him
Focused with a straightforward plot that never loses steam
Loved how Cat and Jule’s relationship works out
Loved the ending, realistic yet hopeful and enticing
Cons
Knew the gist of what would happen because I read the sequel first (but still enjoyed it)
Plot hole? – lose end that’s never followed through on though it might be Science Marches On excused
I read Catspaw (Cat #2) first on a recommendation from a friend. I loved it so much, I went back to read Psion before continuing to Dreamfall (#3).
Psion tells the tale of Cat, a street rat orphan and the small group of people he meets after being abducted into a government program. He’s ignorant, abused, and invisible trying to make it out while “screwing up” because of his upbringing. I really connected with his struggle with words, “always doing the wrong thing” according to others, the re-surfacing of childhood trauma, and the self-loathing
Oh god, the self-loathing. I know that path all too well. In a lot of ways, Cat’s re-homing and civilizing process mirrored my own experiences escaping abuse and later becoming a feminist.
Besides my personal clicking with Cat, it’s a rather average tale about a street rat becoming a hero. I think it’s well done and I can’t really name any detrimental flaws, it’s just not a big standout. It’s a straight and narrow plot with a dark hero and an interesting set-up.
I love the realistic ending, which really takes into account the reality of such an upbringing and what a happy ending for them would mean. I loved Cat’s character progression and reading it made me appreciate how far he’s come and then goes in Catspaw.
Unfortunately, I don’t have much else to say. It’s good and I enjoyed it but it simply feels average. There’s nothing I can say that’s wrong or wasn’t enjoyable to warrant 3 stars rather than 5. In the end, it just feels average though I’ll be damned if I can put my finger on it. I don’t think it’s because I read out of order because I was interested and engaged throughout since I didn’t know how events happened. But then again, I can’t rule it out.
Psion is worth reading and recommending but Catspaw is a must read.
Minor Spoiler Alert for Discussing the Possible Plot Ploblem
There is one thread left hanging: Cat’s parents. A simple test would be all it takes but that’s overlooked. Perhaps it’s Science Marching On since HLA was developed in the mid 1970s, and the first genetic test was still years away when this was written. But then again, you could argue it’s something that should’ve been included anyways. Or it’s something the characters didn’t really want the answer to and were okay with dropping the issue, that it wouldn’t change them or their situation so it was best to continue on. That’s certainly how I felt from it. Or maybe Vinge did really just forget or something. *shrug* I don’t think it impacts the story but your mileage may vary.
charlibirb's review against another edition
4.0
Overall, enjoyed this series a lot. A good look at being an outsider/trauma through the lens of SciFi.
caedocyon's review
2.0
The idea at its heart (psychics all need hella trauma therapy) is pretty interesting, but then it's cluttered up with much too much unrelated plot. Cat is a remarkably passive character, too: I thought he'd finally made a decision of his own in the fight scene at the end, but no, he was actually manipulated into that too. wtf, seriously.
Another very strange decision was to let the question of whether Cat is related to another character just... go unanswered. The only way I can read it is that they both know it's true and really don't want to admit it to themselves? It makes the love triangle something out of a psychoanalytic fever dream. That has to be intentional?! But if it is, why did Vinge let her Freud-in-space crack!fic get so sidetracked with all this nonsense about heists?
Villain is a sinister bisexual sociopath and flirts briefly with the hero while monologuing, so far so 1982. Cat is *such* a twink stereotype however (literally a catboy rentboy) that his shock and horror at being desired by a man and massive crush on a lady are both jarring.
Come to think of it, the vibe Cat gives off is quite [b:Vanyel|28759|Magic's Pawn (The Last Herald-Mage #1)|Mercedes Lackey|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1345854036l/28759._SY75_.jpg|3230346]. "Oh dear, I just keep getting beaten up, but in a sexy vulnerable subby way." Is there a name for this genre when it's published as a mass market paperback and not as hurt/comfort slashfic? (Vanyel comes 7 years later and turned up to 11, so it's not a completely fair comparison.)
Another very strange decision was to let the question of whether Cat is related to another character just... go unanswered. The only way I can read it is that they both know it's true and really don't want to admit it to themselves? It makes the love triangle something out of a psychoanalytic fever dream. That has to be intentional?! But if it is, why did Vinge let her Freud-in-space crack!fic get so sidetracked with all this nonsense about heists?
Villain is a sinister bisexual sociopath and flirts briefly with the hero while monologuing, so far so 1982. Cat is *such* a twink stereotype however (literally a catboy rentboy) that his shock and horror at being desired by a man and massive crush on a lady are both jarring.
Come to think of it, the vibe Cat gives off is quite [b:Vanyel|28759|Magic's Pawn (The Last Herald-Mage #1)|Mercedes Lackey|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1345854036l/28759._SY75_.jpg|3230346]. "Oh dear, I just keep getting beaten up, but in a sexy vulnerable subby way." Is there a name for this genre when it's published as a mass market paperback and not as hurt/comfort slashfic? (Vanyel comes 7 years later and turned up to 11, so it's not a completely fair comparison.)
shadowcas's review against another edition
4.0
I had read the sequel, Catspaw, many years ago before realizing that it was even a sequel. Catspaw will always be one of the first books that snared me into the sci-fi world and Psion did not disappoint either. Cat, our half-breed anti-hero, is a character that you can't help but love. He's tenacious, broken, vulnerable, and steel-tough. He gets dealt a crappy hand time and time again but still maintains a semblance of humanity, despite - or because of - his Hydran half. And while Cat's own experiences may be a bit hard to relate to, the hits that he keeps taking seem to make him a character that you can not only identify with but also cheer on.
Psion is a book that, for me, epitomizes the standard for sci-fi novels. It contains a tough anti-hero with a heart of gold, xenophobia (against non-humans of course), and a lot more liveable planets than you would expect. Sure, it seems a bit of a cliche novel. It does follow the basic mold for science fiction. But Vinge as a beauty to her writing that keeps you enthralled to the final period at the back of the book. I couldn't put it down. The story flowed off the pages and I was enraptured by every word.
I don't really have any complaints. Like I said, I had read Catspaw almost a decade ago. At the time, I was relatively new to sci-fi and I fell in love. Psion renewed that love. It was refreshing after such a dry spell for decent novels, to finally read something that delivered what was promised.
Also, this is the way telepathy is written. It was so easy to follow along with and so attention grabbing. It was definitely one of the best parts of the book. My only complaint is that it came nearly halfway into the actual story.
The build up is a particularly slow read. Having already read the sequel, it did not pose a hindrance on my pacing but I can understand the complaints of others. Vinge throws a lot more plot building and background dumping early on, while character building takes somewhat of a backseat. I don't agree that a boring first half can be made up for by a terrific second half, but I do caution against not finishing this one. It's really a wonderful read!
4 out of 5 stars
Psion is a book that, for me, epitomizes the standard for sci-fi novels. It contains a tough anti-hero with a heart of gold, xenophobia (against non-humans of course), and a lot more liveable planets than you would expect. Sure, it seems a bit of a cliche novel. It does follow the basic mold for science fiction. But Vinge as a beauty to her writing that keeps you enthralled to the final period at the back of the book. I couldn't put it down. The story flowed off the pages and I was enraptured by every word.
I don't really have any complaints. Like I said, I had read Catspaw almost a decade ago. At the time, I was relatively new to sci-fi and I fell in love. Psion renewed that love. It was refreshing after such a dry spell for decent novels, to finally read something that delivered what was promised.
Also, this is the way telepathy is written. It was so easy to follow along with and so attention grabbing. It was definitely one of the best parts of the book. My only complaint is that it came nearly halfway into the actual story.
The build up is a particularly slow read. Having already read the sequel, it did not pose a hindrance on my pacing but I can understand the complaints of others. Vinge throws a lot more plot building and background dumping early on, while character building takes somewhat of a backseat. I don't agree that a boring first half can be made up for by a terrific second half, but I do caution against not finishing this one. It's really a wonderful read!
4 out of 5 stars
snazel's review against another edition
My first introduction to a grim-dark future for the YA market. Haunting.
egelantier's review against another edition
3.0
cat, a half-breed kid trying to survive in the slums of big galactic city, tries to escape the forced labor press-gang, finds out he has a latent telepathic talent and ends up in a middle of a deadly game between greedy, corrupt human government and a psychopathic rebellious telepath. it doesn't end well for him or, frankly, everybody, but cat sure tries his best.
i don't think me and vinge are a good match - i remember vaguely liking her snow queen homage a while back, but the way this book went? no. it's pretty straightforward soft sci-fi centered on an outcast hero, xenophobia and trying to find some applicable ethics in a setting where pretty much everybody is a hopeless asshole, and, well. there was nobody in there, except maybe cat, for me to like, and neither the writing nor the setting were especially good for me to settle for the book as a grimy but fascinating thought experiment.
cat is tenacious, lonely and hurting, but there's nobody there for him to reach out for. the "good" side ranges from vaguely kind but absolutely inactive (see: jule taming, resident empath, and if she'd be any more inert she'd stop breathing) to actively assholish yet repeatedly exonerated by narartive (see: dr. siebeling, who repeatedly sabotages and betrays cat, and honestly, all i can do there is to quote rocket the raccoon: boo hoo, my wife and child are dead! everybody dies, and tell him to grow a fucking conscience). cat picks one bad side against the other, citing tenuous human connections and whatnot, but all that i, as a reader, took out of this book is that i'd like to erase this entire setting with a fire and start it over.
i don't think me and vinge are a good match - i remember vaguely liking her snow queen homage a while back, but the way this book went? no. it's pretty straightforward soft sci-fi centered on an outcast hero, xenophobia and trying to find some applicable ethics in a setting where pretty much everybody is a hopeless asshole, and, well. there was nobody in there, except maybe cat, for me to like, and neither the writing nor the setting were especially good for me to settle for the book as a grimy but fascinating thought experiment.
cat is tenacious, lonely and hurting, but there's nobody there for him to reach out for. the "good" side ranges from vaguely kind but absolutely inactive (see: jule taming, resident empath, and if she'd be any more inert she'd stop breathing) to actively assholish yet repeatedly exonerated by narartive (see: dr. siebeling, who repeatedly sabotages and betrays cat, and honestly, all i can do there is to quote rocket the raccoon: boo hoo, my wife and child are dead! everybody dies, and tell him to grow a fucking conscience). cat picks one bad side against the other, citing tenuous human connections and whatnot, but all that i, as a reader, took out of this book is that i'd like to erase this entire setting with a fire and start it over.