The Universe Against Her (Telzey Amberdon)

Rating:
Summary: Excellent, loved this one!
Review: I really loved this book. A real pity it is out of print as I would love to get a copy for my library. Would like to see some more books written about the marvelous Telzey!

Rating:
Summary: An excellent book for the forever young
Review: I should have guessed from the cover picture that The Universe.. was a book for adolescents. I started reading a couple of chapters then gave up. Then one rainy day, I decided to pick the slimmest volume on the shelf and promised myself to read the book to the end. The Universe got picked, and guess what? I not only managed to finish it but I enjoyed it. I guess we all have a child somewhere inside us waiting for an opportunity to get out and enjoy his/herself.

Rating:
Summary: A fun adventure fantasy about a female telepath
Review: James Schmitz wrote a bunch of loosely connected stories (mostly short stories), and this is the first one about Telzey Amberdon -- his favorite telepathic character. My detailed rating for this book would be 4.0. This book has been combined with another, to create the currently published "Telzey Amberdon." The story is mostly an adventure story. That is, the EVENTS that happen in the book are the most interesting part of the story. The characters, scenery, universe, history, etc. are not described in any real detail. By the end of the book, you still don't "know" Telzey. But she is a telepath, and there seem to be many interesting things you can do with telepathy! And you get into some sticky fixes too. Schmitz did an admirable job creating a very strong female character, for people who care about such things. And her adventures are fun to read -- but none of the characters in the book are greatly likeable, and that makes it all come out a little flat. I think the book gets a little dull to reread many times -- it loses a little sparkle each time through.