The whole man
Gerald Howson had twisted legs and spine. His face was so ugly even his mother didn't want to look at him. But his telepathic talent was the stongest ever found. Many telepaths created a world of imagination and locked themselves into it until dying of hunger and thirst. Others used the gift to heal victims of psychological trauma. Howson tried the first when just coming into his talent. Then he was successful as a healer, but that did not bring the respect and acceptance he craved. Howson's third choice made him a whole man. John Brunner was a Hugo Award winner, and this book was a Hugo Award finalist for best novel of the year. 'Nuf said.
Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Fiction, Nonfiction, Science Fiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.
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What the reading experience may hold
A fuller profile for choosing with more confidence—not just another copy of the preview.
Fiction · Nonfiction · Science Fiction
Use these as starting points rather than limits; the most memorable books often stretch beyond their catalog labels.
Catalog signals suggest warfare and conflict, abuse or trauma. These notes may not be complete; consult a publisher or reader-supplied guide when detailed warnings matter.
These notes are inferred from available catalog information and may not be complete. Check a publisher or reader-supplied guide if you need comprehensive warnings.
Dark tone · Steady pace
Works well for a focused weekend or a few concentrated sittings.
A good fit if…
Readers who want a thoughtful experience and enjoy noticing the connections beneath a book’s surface story.
This book's DNA
A visual estimate based on this edition's categories, description, and length. Select a star to explore the signals.
This signal is descriptive, not a rating. It helps compare the kind of reading experience this edition may offer.
Spoiler-Free Emotional Arc
A broad estimate of the book’s emotional rhythm, shown without story events or outcomes.
This visualization is an interpretive estimate based on catalog description, categories, tone, pace, and content signals. It does not describe specific scenes.
A quick reading snapshot
Edition facts and catalog signals to help you decide whether this book fits what you want to read next.
- ISBN-13
- 978-0-0203-0725-9
- Language
- English
- Edition record
- OL1850568M
A more thoughtful way into this book
This guide uses the edition details and category signals above to help you choose deliberately. It does not replace the author's work or a full review.
Works well for a focused weekend or a few concentrated sittings.
Begin with its place in Fiction, then notice where the book resists that label.
Read for connection, not completion.
Mark one passage that sharpens the book's central concern and one that complicates it. That tension often reveals more than a quick summary.
Three questions to carry with you
- What does the central character want, and what do they misunderstand about that desire?
- Which detail or relationship changes how you interpret the story?
- What feeling or question does the book leave with you after the plot moves on?
Editorial framework by Wesley Bryan, BookenDeX Founder and Editor.
More Fiction books
These matches combine shared categories with author, publication-era, and reading-length signals.
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Why it fits: shares Science fiction and Nonfiction, a similar reading length.
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by Marvin Hoffman
Why it fits: shares Nonfiction and Fiction, a similar reading length.
A Journey from This World to the Next
by Henry Fielding
Why it fits: shares Fiction and Nonfiction, a similar reading length.
Instruments of Death (Dk Graphic Readers)
by Stewart Ross
Why it fits: shares Fiction and Nonfiction, a similar reading length.
