TELEPATHIST by John Brunner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
#shortreview for Instagram:
I finished reading the Telepathist this morning. It was a sad and rather brutal novel, about a man whose physical deformities enable him to develop powerful mental capabilities (telepathy, in this case). There’s some dystopian-esque spy stuff going on in the background but the story is heavily character centric, with an unflinching examination of the ways in which society simultaneously exploits and abandons disabled individuals. Some of the language would likely be considered a trifle insensitive in modern standards but even disregarding the time period, Brunner has some wonderful and nuanced character portraits of people beaten down by poverty and circumstance, and the inherent danger of hope. Poor Gerald!
