Fri 27 Aug 2021
Archived Review: DAVID PETERS – Mind-Force Warrior.
Posted by Steve under Bibliographies, Lists & Checklists , Characters , Reviews , Science Fiction & Fantasy[3] Comments
DAVID PETERS – Mind-Force Warrior. Psi-Man #1. Charter/Diamond, paperback original; 1st printing, October 1990. Ace, paperback, 2000, under the author’s real name, Peter David.
Actually, [as far mystery fiction goes], this is a ringer, and maybe I shouldn’t be reviewing it here. You might find this book in the “action-adventure” section of your favorite chain bookstore. If that fails, you might want to check through the science fiction section before you find it, if you find it at all.
Then again, the series that this is intended to be the first of might actually take off, like the endless series of Mack Bolan adventures or the Destroyer books that, now that my friend Will Murray is writing them, seem to be going as strong as ever.
To get down to particulars, if you don’t expect a literary masterpiece, and are either a pulp or comic book fan, there is a better than even chance you even enjoy this. The year is 2021, a former high school teacher named Chuck Simon is the hero, and his trouble begin when the authorities learn that he has psychic powers that can kill. Telekinesis, mental telepathy, maybe even more.
The problem is that Chuck is a Quaker, and he refuses the opportunity to become the government’s number one assassin, Things have downhill in the years from then to now. Constant air pollution, suspension of the Bill of Rights, a cashless society, cities infested with constant violence. (I think we can blame it on former President Quayle, whose statue is seen on page 104.)
Not quite as bloody violent or militaristic as most of the men’s adventure series have become lately, this a book that can be read in a very short time. Since David Peters is in reality comic book writer Peter David — the Amazing Spider-Man, among other credits — you should not be surprised at the vivid, picturesque style of writing. You should also not be surprised at either the shallow characterization or the creaky turns of plot. Let me know: if I ever read another, do you want to hear about it?
The Psi-Man series —
1. Mind-Force Warrior (1990)
2. Deathscape (1991)
3. Main Street D.O.A. (1991)
4. The Chaos Kid (1991)
5. Stalker (1991)
6. Haven (1992)
August 27th, 2021 at 4:56 pm
That last question is now moot. I never read another, and although I seem to have liked this one well enough, I probably never will.
August 27th, 2021 at 8:56 pm
Not Peter David’s finest moment in non comic book prose.
August 28th, 2021 at 12:06 am
I found a very very detailed review online done by the Joe Kenney, the fellow who does the Glorious Trash blog:
http://glorioustrash.blogspot.com/2021/03/psi-man-1.html
Here’s a brief excerpt:
“The novel ends with Chuck and Rommel again on the road, with Dakota [a tightrope babe from the circus] in tow. She too is a memorable character, and in fact if David’s style reminds me of anyone it would be Raymond Obstfeld. Snarky dialog with memorable comebacks and one-liners, a spunky female character, and a lack of the hardcore gun-violence one usually demands from this genre.”
He sums it up with two words: “marginally entertaining.”
By the way, if you’re a fan of both the best and worst in paperbacks, and you don’t visit his blog every day or so, you really ought to.