Customer Reviews

Mind Over Mind

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I heard that the main character, Ydrel, was a telepath empowered by an alien only he can see and hear, I had to buy it. I am writing a book with telepaths and so I came at this book from a researcher's perspective. What Karina gave me was more than I anticipated. Here's a rapid-fire list of what this book offers:

*Solid, clear-cut writing. She keeps it fresh, insightful, emotional, fun, and rewarding.

*Three point-of-view characters with emotional investment and story lines that keep you engaged to the end.

*A fascinating idea about an alien world contacting a young boy from two different angles. One source trains him to kill, and then makes him pay when he refuses. The other needs help to prevent her people from being wiped out in war. The images, conflict, and threats that this side of the novel presents offer a grand scale for the rest of the series. I can't wait to find out what happens.

*When not set in a fantastical alien world, Karina explores the carefully hidden secrets that could thrive in a mental health facility when you have a telepath and a manipulative chief psychiatrist. Joshua, the young intern who walks into this snake pit, must deal with this psychiatrist, while also gaining Ydrel's trust so that he can help him escape. Sound research makes this setting real, and you trust the author to tell it how it is, even if that makes things more difficult for the heroes.

*Finally, from a research standpoint, this book offered a ton of inspiration for writing my telepath characters. The best part was, I didn't feel like I was researching. I came for the story, and was pleasantly surprised to find a new author and series to follow.

Mind Over Mind is the story of a transformational friendship between two young men, set in an insane asylum. A cocky young intern befriends a patient who believes he is psychic and helps him cope with life and with what may or may not be his special powers. The young mens' lives run on an inverted parallel as the intern pursues romance with a nurse and the patient is pressured to give up his fantasy woman to be considered normal. It's a coming-of-age story under the most trying circumstances.



One of the idea threads that run throughout the book is how science fiction and fantasy influence society. The young intern can relate to his patient's psychic beliefs by pulling examples from fantasy novels. An introductory course for budding psychics with studies on grounding, shielding, tapping and releasing energy, and so forth, can be gleaned from a few popular books.



Mind Over Mind explores the questions of what is real, what is imaginary, and if that distinction even matters. This book is on my short list for a Hugo nomination. It's joining a select group of books that I read over and over. But it transcends genre; more than a paranormal adventure, this book is a psychological drama that has the potential to break out to the mainstream reader. Five stars.

A friend, whose taste I highly respect, predicted that Mind Over Mind would be Karina Fabian's breakout novel.

After savoring it, rushing through it, and all but writing the author to demand the sequel, I have to agree.

It has all the elements of a good story, a bit of romance, a mind-tickling plot, and characters who are fun to spend time with.

As a thumbnail review, I know this lacks a lot, but I so hate ruining a story for other people. This earned all five of the stars I gave it and I'm waiting impatiently for the next installment.