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A review by marlan
Psion by Joan D. Vinge
5.0
"She'd gone ahead of me to help me, but it hadn't been personal. It was only a kind of reflex action, like pulling away from a flame; something you did to stop your own pain. I felt strange when I realized that; invisible. I didn't know what to think. So I didn't think about it for long."
Those are the thoughts of Cat: street-punk, orphan, and a telepath who has mentally blocked his earliest memories and his abilities.
I picked up "Catspaw" first--#2 in this trilogy. Halfway through that book, I got "Psion" and sped through it in a few days. I was so hooked, I had to come up with tricks to put the book down, so I could get some work done: promising myself I could read another chapter if I got a certain task done, telling myself the next scene would be lame.
Of course, none of the scenes were lame. Joan D. Vinge created an incredible combination of well-rounded characters, reflections on human nature, swift pacing, and complex world-building, all in 300 pages. I particularly liked that Cat is a believable criminal--hardened enough for living on the streets, but still young enough to be affected by the caring--or uncaring--of others. I see a lot of documents on juvenile delinquents, and Vinge's characterization felt very close to the truth.
Vinge also isn't afraid to show Cat as a loser--he makes terrible decisions, and pays for them more than others might, because of who he is. His struggle against the hard world he lives in, and his difficulty in finding his way, made his story utterly compelling. The only reason I'm not re-reading "Psion" immediately is because I'm dying to see how "Catspaw" ends.
Note: the "Special 25th Anniversary Edition" also includes the short story/novella "Psiren," a nice character bridge that takes place between "Psion" and "Catspaw."
Those are the thoughts of Cat: street-punk, orphan, and a telepath who has mentally blocked his earliest memories and his abilities.
I picked up "Catspaw" first--#2 in this trilogy. Halfway through that book, I got "Psion" and sped through it in a few days. I was so hooked, I had to come up with tricks to put the book down, so I could get some work done: promising myself I could read another chapter if I got a certain task done, telling myself the next scene would be lame.
Of course, none of the scenes were lame. Joan D. Vinge created an incredible combination of well-rounded characters, reflections on human nature, swift pacing, and complex world-building, all in 300 pages. I particularly liked that Cat is a believable criminal--hardened enough for living on the streets, but still young enough to be affected by the caring--or uncaring--of others. I see a lot of documents on juvenile delinquents, and Vinge's characterization felt very close to the truth.
Vinge also isn't afraid to show Cat as a loser--he makes terrible decisions, and pays for them more than others might, because of who he is. His struggle against the hard world he lives in, and his difficulty in finding his way, made his story utterly compelling. The only reason I'm not re-reading "Psion" immediately is because I'm dying to see how "Catspaw" ends.
Note: the "Special 25th Anniversary Edition" also includes the short story/novella "Psiren," a nice character bridge that takes place between "Psion" and "Catspaw."