Spider Robinson's first novel, "Telempath" was written well over
20 years ago and has been long out of print. Recently I more or less
stumbled across a paperback copy in a used book store and purchased it for
two dollars. I would have paid fifty!
"Telempath" is a post non-nuclear apocalypse story that explores
the human condition in all the ways and with all the plot devices that
Spider has become famous for. To begin with, it explores making contact
with a new species - alien to humankind, though coexisting with us for
as long as we've inhabited the earth.
The story is initially told through the voice of Isham Stone and the
writings of Jacob Stone, Isham's father. Isham burns with vengeance
against Wendall Morgan Carlson, the man responsible for the apocalypse
that has brought an end to much of human civilization on earth. Further,
Isham has been trained for many years to find Carlson and destroy him.
Jacob's journal describes the circumstances leading to the apocalypse.
Spider skillfully moves between the Isham's narrative and Jacob's
journal entries forming a cohesiveness and tension that kept me reading
into the night - and which merged into one narrative towards the end of
the story. While this is a very serious novel, there is the occasional
pun and every so often, the perfect sentence, or the perfect joke. The
first sentence of the novel, for example, is, "I hadn't meant to
shoot the cat" - followed by a treatise on how fear makes us do
things we don't mean to and often ought not do. It really can be fun to
read Spider Robinson.
It is difficult to discuss "Telempath" without giving away much
of the plot because there are several surprises along the way. I will
leave it that Spider's first novel was a dandy, and that his expressions
of thoughts and feelings between and among species are thoughtful and
tolerant.
And still, it is a rousing good story and a fun read. I'm sure
that Spider created quite a following when "Telempath"
was first published. If I were you, I'd start visiting my local
used bookstores and asking friends to be on the lookout for
"Telempath" for you!
