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Telepathist
by
Gerald Howson didn't look powerful. His body was deformed at birth, leaving him with a face so ugly people didn't want to look at him, and crippled legs that would never let him be as other men. But his mind was one in a billion - gifted with the ability to send and receive thoughts more powerfully than any other person on the face of the globe.
At first Howson thought his ...more
At first Howson thought his ...more
Paperback, 190 pages
Published
1978
by Fontana
(first published 1964)
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There were a lot of interesting things going on in this world besides having telepaths, but very little of it is SF. There isn't much tech at all & most of that is what would have been found in the 1970s.
- The UN has response teams that go all over the world battling terrorism & it happens in 'Our Town, USA'.
- Unwed mothers are still looked down upon & use pregnancy as a trap for men.
- The poverty, inequity, & grim, daily grind of this typical US city.
- Ulan Bator (Mongolia) is now the headquar ...more
- The UN has response teams that go all over the world battling terrorism & it happens in 'Our Town, USA'.
- Unwed mothers are still looked down upon & use pregnancy as a trap for men.
- The poverty, inequity, & grim, daily grind of this typical US city.
- Ulan Bator (Mongolia) is now the headquar ...more

Another oldie from my engineering undergraduate period (1980-85). This was the time I was really getting hooked on SF, but still was not fully able to capture all the unspoken nuances of the genre. The Public Library at Thrissur had a fantastic collection of old books - SF, mystery, almost all of Wodehouse and Agatha Christie, books on mathematics by Martin Gardner: all old, musty, almost-falling-apart books. The library itself is located in the Town Hall, a colonial building with cavernous room
...more

Three and a half stars.
A good science fiction novel to add to the podium of great telepathy novels, along with "The Demolished Man" and "Dying inside". ...more
A good science fiction novel to add to the podium of great telepathy novels, along with "The Demolished Man" and "Dying inside". ...more

#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 c ...more
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 c ...more

Storyline: 2/5
Characters: 3/5
Writing Style: 4/5
World: 3/5
Brunner starts this off with focus. The writing is vivid and tight, conveying an aura as much as a story. The picture of the world is closely guarded; grudging glimpses are permitted only sporadically and under close supervision. A grey fog of angst, deprivation, uncertainty pervades the telling - is the story. This was supposed to be a character-driven work, and there were some valid attempts to peer deeply into personal ambitions and fea ...more
Characters: 3/5
Writing Style: 4/5
World: 3/5
Brunner starts this off with focus. The writing is vivid and tight, conveying an aura as much as a story. The picture of the world is closely guarded; grudging glimpses are permitted only sporadically and under close supervision. A grey fog of angst, deprivation, uncertainty pervades the telling - is the story. This was supposed to be a character-driven work, and there were some valid attempts to peer deeply into personal ambitions and fea ...more

Akin to Sturgeon's More Than Human with its telepathic themes, and brimming with the seeds of Brunner's future masterpiece Zanzibar, The Whole Man promises much, but too straggly to deliver.
...more

The British science-fiction author John Brunner is best known for writing quite a few stories that were basically cyberpunk avant la lettre. I can definitely see the inspiration here in his "Telepathist" published in 1965. The plot takes place in a future where the UN employs a corps of psychics as problem-solvers that are the only thing holding the corrupt and war-ridden world together. The storyline follows a deformed young man named Gerry Howson who is discovered to be the most powerful telep
...more

Mar 11, 2016
Nawfal
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction,
1960s
At some places, this is too heavy and too introspective. Other sections are intense and gripping. The main issue with the novel is its inconsistency - I do remember it being a fix-up novel of sorts, which may account for some of the scattered quality.
Brunner's tossing Freud all around is a little too obnoxious for me. But I did enjoy the very telepath-and-society sort of relationship that is constantly explored throughout this novel.
I have a little reservation about this being four-stars becaus ...more
Brunner's tossing Freud all around is a little too obnoxious for me. But I did enjoy the very telepath-and-society sort of relationship that is constantly explored throughout this novel.
I have a little reservation about this being four-stars becaus ...more

Feb 22, 2013
tENTATIVELY, cONVENIENCE
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
sf
review of
John Brunner's The Whole Man
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - February 22, 2012
John Brunner is growing on me.. like that mildew on the dragon in Choong's fantasy.. not like a disease but like a thorough level of detail.. This is the 3rd bk I've read by him. In the beginning there was The World Swappers ( http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23... ), wch I thought was pretty good but I wasn't exactly overwhelmed or anything; then there was Times Without Number ( http://www.goodreads.com/b ...more
John Brunner's The Whole Man
by tENTATIVELY, a cONVENIENCE - February 22, 2012
John Brunner is growing on me.. like that mildew on the dragon in Choong's fantasy.. not like a disease but like a thorough level of detail.. This is the 3rd bk I've read by him. In the beginning there was The World Swappers ( http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23... ), wch I thought was pretty good but I wasn't exactly overwhelmed or anything; then there was Times Without Number ( http://www.goodreads.com/b ...more

Brunner has always been one of those British authors who has been a bit Marmite for me.
There have been highbrow and detailed dystopian futures (Stand on Zanzibar, The Sheep Look Up), predictive futures (the internet, computer viruses in 'The Shockwave Rider') and considerable other work of space opera and poorly received works like 'Children of the Tunder'.
'The Telepathist' came before the magnum opus of 'Zanzibar' and 'Sheep' and feels like an author trying to make his way with something new.
Th ...more
There have been highbrow and detailed dystopian futures (Stand on Zanzibar, The Sheep Look Up), predictive futures (the internet, computer viruses in 'The Shockwave Rider') and considerable other work of space opera and poorly received works like 'Children of the Tunder'.
'The Telepathist' came before the magnum opus of 'Zanzibar' and 'Sheep' and feels like an author trying to make his way with something new.
Th ...more

Not one of Brunner's best, partly because it hasn't aged as well as novels like The Sheep Look Up and Stand on Zanzibar.
Telepathist explores one man's life as he discovers his latent telepathic power, in a future depression after some sort of terrorist event. Hawson, disabled from birth, has one of the strongest powers found, but can he develop it for good?
Brunner's characterisation and way of looking at telepathy is more interesting than many novels, but I just wasn't taken by this as much as ...more
Telepathist explores one man's life as he discovers his latent telepathic power, in a future depression after some sort of terrorist event. Hawson, disabled from birth, has one of the strongest powers found, but can he develop it for good?
Brunner's characterisation and way of looking at telepathy is more interesting than many novels, but I just wasn't taken by this as much as ...more

I usually shy away from telepathy in sci-fi as, well, the notion just seems too fantastic. This book is the first I've read that offers an explanation (of sorts) of why some people are telepathic, but also looks at the social consequences of all involved (like good sci-fi is supposed to). Some of it is rather dated and the ending is rather abrupt but the book remains a refreshing take on the subject.
...more

A Good Read. My only quibble It was originally three short stories. Although it was supposedly greatly revised, it still seems like three stories strung together. But don't let that get in the way of enjoying it.
...more

A book with incredible ideas born of an amazing imagination. John Brunner's mind is so big on the inside, it's like a cavernous Hall full of different displays of all different sorts from all different fields. Here he has taken on writing about telepaths, but not the ordinary ideas about telepathy, where the telepath is horrified with the thoughts of the humans around. This story takes the subject of telepathy further steps.
I wonder at the thinking processes of our pets when I read this paragrap ...more
I wonder at the thinking processes of our pets when I read this paragrap ...more

Jan 10, 2021
Steve Rainwater
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
the-x-man
1960s era telepathy science fiction.
There were way too many science fiction novels about telepathy in the 1950s and 1960s but a few stand out as unique and interesting even today, such as Gordon R. Dickson's "The Pritcher Mass". I think Brunner's "The Whole Man" can be added to that list as well. It made me think about the idea of telepathy in a new light.
The novel is composed of two short stories and a novella that together tell a sequential story about Gerald Howson; born poor, deformed, and s ...more
There were way too many science fiction novels about telepathy in the 1950s and 1960s but a few stand out as unique and interesting even today, such as Gordon R. Dickson's "The Pritcher Mass". I think Brunner's "The Whole Man" can be added to that list as well. It made me think about the idea of telepathy in a new light.
The novel is composed of two short stories and a novella that together tell a sequential story about Gerald Howson; born poor, deformed, and s ...more

Feb 11, 2019
James Garman
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
people that like to explode what makes a human being human
John Brunner paints a beautiful picture of a man born in a deformed body, but gifted with the ability to send and receive thoughts. He finds what he thinks might be a way to get some recognition and a bit of money leads to him being a wildly respected healing. What's more is that he becomes a whole man...secure in ways he never imagined.
A very well written short novel (only 188 pages) that left me on the edge of my seat. A wonderful list of characters, some with gifts that are unrecognized witho ...more
A very well written short novel (only 188 pages) that left me on the edge of my seat. A wonderful list of characters, some with gifts that are unrecognized witho ...more

Another good story from the Brunner Collection. He's been one of my favorite authors for a few years now. They always seem to maintain their relevance of the state of the world.
This particular story deals with Gerry, a man with a disfigurement who turns out to have very strong telepathic powers. He works for an agency that helps in matters of mental health and even bigger dangers. Overall it's a cool plot, though my biggest qualm is that there isn't all that much conflict other than his own int ...more
This particular story deals with Gerry, a man with a disfigurement who turns out to have very strong telepathic powers. He works for an agency that helps in matters of mental health and even bigger dangers. Overall it's a cool plot, though my biggest qualm is that there isn't all that much conflict other than his own int ...more

Not having any idea what to expect left me following along with the story with interest as the turns kept me guessing at the overall plot of the book. I found it quite satisfying to read the various story fragments that were tied together. The various introspective narratives left a great base for comtemplation on the body, mind and the human condition.

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Even though this was a science fiction novel the message is more about acceptance and finding a place in the world. The main character started out with self loathing due to his handicaps. As the story progress he ends up helping others while on a quest of searching for a place to belong.

With parallels in my mind to Anthony's Macroscope, I found myself enjoying this book. Society is hardly given glowing recommendations but there's some interesting quandaries put forth and the imagery is particularly satisfying.
...more

Gerald Howson is born crippled in body to a broken family – absent father, disinterested mother – which becomes more broken when his mother dies young. He wanders the streets of an unnamed American city until an encounter with a deaf-mute girl brings to the fore his latent telepathic ability. He is discovered by the authorities and is rated as one of the most powerful telepaths ever. His attempts to heal both his body and his mind continue through the book until he discovers someone with a major
...more

Published in the US as The Whole Man.
I picked this and another Brunner - The Long Result - up in a bookstore in London in 1973. I think I must have read the two of them 2 or 3 times during that summer, as I traveled hither and thither across Europe.
Very thought-provoking for me, mostly in a good way.
What I learned from this book:
Things that happen to us have long term impact - emotional/mental, not just physical. Letting others in to help us is as important as helping them is - even if/though it ...more
I picked this and another Brunner - The Long Result - up in a bookstore in London in 1973. I think I must have read the two of them 2 or 3 times during that summer, as I traveled hither and thither across Europe.
Very thought-provoking for me, mostly in a good way.
What I learned from this book:
Things that happen to us have long term impact - emotional/mental, not just physical. Letting others in to help us is as important as helping them is - even if/though it ...more

Gerald Howson was born deformed and fatherless. His mother thought that getting pregnant might keep Gerald's father from carrying out his self-destructive act of terrorism. It did not. But Gerald has a hidden power that makes its appearance with he is in his late teens: Gerald can read and control other people's minds. The "telepaths" are feared but are responsible for stopping terrorism and war. This is a short but powerful book, properly considered a sci fi classic.
...more

Gerald Howson didn't look powerful. His body was deformed at birth, leaving him with a face so ugly people didn't want to look at him, and crippled legs that would never let him be as other men. But his mind was one in a billion - gifted with the ability to send and receive thoughts more powerfully than any other person on the face of the globe.
...more
...more
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Goodreads Librari...: Cover - Telepathist by John Brunner | 3 | 16 | Nov 10, 2014 06:15AM |
John Brunner was born in Preston Crowmarsh, near Wallingford in Oxfordshire, and went to school at St Andrew's Prep School, Pangbourne, then to Cheltenham College. He wrote his first novel, Galactic Storm, at 17, and published it under the pen-name Gill Hunt, but he did not start writing full-time until 1958. He served as an officer in the Royal Air Force from 1953 to 1955, and married Marjorie Ro
...more
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