I cannot find these books! I do a search with several combinations of keywords but nothing is a hit. Help me! The first novel is, I think by a bigger name like Simak or Laumer, and is about a Telepath that works for some goverment agency. The agency gets ahold of this child or stunted super telepath or something and the child is trying to find God. I can’t remember the rest, except they are running from the goverment, some vauge memory of a tank and him using telekensis on it or something. Sorry this is so vague, If I knew more I could probably find the book.
The second book is about as vague, but is about a telepath of sorts as well. The main character is feral, and can hear peoples thoughs that are asleep or something. Some people that find him first think that he is channeling dead people, but it turns out he is telepathic or something. Anyhow, he learns to read with the help of a girl, and starts a business selling things to people that want particular things. (by reading their thoughts or dreams, I cannot remember which)
Please help me find these books, I want to add them to my collection or at least read them again! Also welcome are books that are similar in theme to these two. I have read Night of Delusions, which is a great book with a similar vein, but don’t know too many others.
Not sure, but that second book reminds me of a short story by Ted Sturgeon. Forget the title – but the telepath/empath character was so sensitive that if a junkie wandered into his town he would terrify him and drive him out – he just couldn’t handle that ever-screaming need existing within his field of extrasensory perception.
Maybe the Dopers can help me out with a similar problem while you’re wracking your brains on the OP. I read a book years ago about a future society that had been highly genetically engineered into a handful of groups, one of which was a sub-race of gods who had great power. I think another group might have been called knowmen. Maybe this was by C.J. Cherryh.
On the first one, I could have sworn it was my Clifford Simak or Keith Laumer. I could be mistaken, but I am pretty certain, nothing comes up though. The book I used to have had a picture of a little man/boy with a big head on it. I think I recall the main character becomes a god like being for some time and becomes bored, eventually splitting his power with a woman. Perhaps the title was Child soemthing or another. The book had to have been published 60s or 70s.
Sounds sort of “How like a God” By Brenda Clough, but it isn’t that one. In Night of Delusions by Laumer
The second one I don’t even know where to start. I remeber the guy gets in some trouble with the mafia too, and nearly dies at the end, living in a junkyard until some guy that is like him comes along and helps him transcend or something. Very Christlike. I think this one is a dead end, too bad too, because the writing is very good and the story is very entertaining.
I have read the Patternist books. I love Octavia Butler.
Can’t help with the two in the OP – except that I too have read the first story, and remember it even more vaguely than Epi. But Brain Glutton’s one, of course, is entitled “Need.” And the lead character was probably the first antihero in SF.
That was another great book! About him traveling to other worlds and he sees something he shouldn’t! I loved that book, but not what I was thinking of. This guy works for the goverment, and the Child is some super powerful telepath that the goverment developed. He goes in to this childs brain to find some secret weapons that the goverment can use, and finds out the child has trapped God, except god was insane. Somehow while in this childs brain (and while in the brain of this kid, he moves around like it is a maze or something), God dies, and the power is transported to him somehow. Thats about all I remember now.
Oh rats…I think I too have read the first book you mention. Wasn’t the name of the government research facility where they took the telepaths called “The Creche”?
Now if only I could remember the name of the book. Damn…
I’m reasonably sure the first one is A Darkness in my Soul by Dean Koontz, from back when he was writing sf - it was an early, slim, book from DAW - #12, as I recall… I think an even shorter version of it was also in his collection, Soft Come the Dragons.
Hey thanks lost, I have not read any Ellison, but I will look him up. Silverberg I just love, and Phillip K. Dick is a staple. Anyhow, thanks for the help! I just love this message board!
Too bad, could have sworn it was Simak too. I can almost visualize the cover.