Mindtouch
I can remember reading a fair number of books dealing psychic powers, adventure, and relationships in the ’80s. This is kind of a return to those, but much improved.
Psionics is never a favored subject of mine, though it’s not exactly a turn-off either. Here, we get some interesting exploration of the problems faced by a couple of contact-empaths (one in particular, really), though even with that focus, the entire subject is a bit… fuzzy. (Though the perception of emotions gets an interesting bit in the second half.)
However, the real driving force of the book is the blossoming friendship between the main two. There’s a decent supporting cast, but the novel maintains its focus so well, that many of them just serve to color their lives around the main events. Concurrent with that is the partial exploration of xenopsychiatric therapy that they are uniquely suited for. (It took me three chapters longer than it should have to realize just where the series name ‘Dreamhealers’ was headed.)
It’s not a heavy book, and it is very definitely part one of two; I’ve dived right into the second book as the first ends an appropriate break, but isn’t really the full story. It does a great job of presenting a pair of people who are not outgoing in nature, and perfect for each other. Recommended as a very good coming-of-age, alien/college environment, and lifelong-friendship story.
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