Title: The Prodigy and the Telepath
Author: Kenneth Bliss
Genre: YA / Christian / Science Fiction
Thirteen‑year‑old psionic prodigy Eric D’Tra’val begins hearing manipulative voices while grieving for his adoptive mother. On his way to Camp Koplan, the Arizona military facility that trains psionics, he meets Sarah, a telepath, and her parents, and instantly connects with the family. Their bond deepens when Eric’s powers dangerously intensify as he investigates trespassers in the White Hills mines he owns near the camp, and Sarah reveals that his intrusive thoughts stem from demonic forces.
The Prodigy and the Telepath is set in 2062 and the action takes place over a single day in early August. Bliss opens the story with a supernatural Prologue, introducing predatory demons Prince Atasaya and Coyote hovering above Las Vegas as they discuss how to capture Eric’s thoughts and harness his remarkable abilities through voices of confusion, anger, and wrath. It’s a dark, ominous start shot through with twisted biblical imagery, and it’s foreboding for Eric.
Bliss does not overly foreground this spiritual warfare during the main thrust of his story, but it simmers purposefully beneath. The reader has dramatic irony and is privy to the demons’ intrusions into Eric’s mind, which, while having bearing on this narrative, are also part of a wider, ongoing one, and the Epilogue confirms this.
Chapter 1 introduces the reader to Eric in the aftermath of his adoptive mother’s funeral. Overwhelmed by grief and socially awkward, Bliss ensures that Eric exhibits adolescent emotional behavior despite his extraordinary gifts and independence and the addition of Boots, Eric’s cat, is a nice touch in this regard.
Bliss’ writing is spare and direct, focusing on Eric’s inner turmoil and complexity. Nonetheless, it is science fiction, and Bliss capably weaves in well-chosen, functional futuristic elements such as wearable net-link devices that feel convincing and relatable, giving the reader the impression they are already in Eric’s world.
Notwithstanding, it wouldn’t be Eric’s world without his multiple psionic powers, ranging from levitation to telekinesis. Although his abilities are integral, the reader is only aware of them when Eric uses them.
It can feel a little confusing, though it retains an element of mystery about exactly how gifted the teenager is, especially since he is subject to unpredictable “psylamic episodes” that reveal additional abilities. These are imaginative but, again, could use greater context.
Further, a touch more backstory on Eric would benefit. There are fragments regarding the death of his biological mother and a consequent inheritance, which is why he owns the White Hills mines, but these facts are not fully explained.
However, it may be argued that they are unnecessary. The story’s strength is its brevity, while still layering in a broader thematic arc. The Prophet and the Telepath is swiftly paced, and the timestamps Bliss opens each chapter with enhance the real-time quality, creating a sense of reader immersion and immediacy.
This is especially true in the mine, where the three trespassers physically echo the trio of voices sent to plague Eric. It’s action-packed, with Bliss using the environment’s narrow confines and instability to tense effect.
Sarah, a touch underdeveloped at the beginning, comes into her own in the mine, and Bliss utilizes her cleverly in several respects. Her powerful, if untutored, telepathic gift makes her aware of where Eric’s dark thoughts emanate from, and Bliss convincingly explores the teenagers’ growing dynamic as Eric’s spiritual struggle comes into focus.
The Prodigy and the Telepath is a fast-paced and entertaining read that hints at deeper revelations and relationships in future novellas. Bliss has written a creative, original novella that delivers a faith-based message through engaging, unconventional characters and a deceptively textured story.
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