The Universe Against Her | Techniques

The Universe Against Her Techniques

Schmitz establishes and maintains interest in his stories with two devices: intricate, cloak-and-dagger plots and an emphasis on the humanity of the telepathic protagonist. Schmitz's plots are elaborate puzzles where the use of telepathy is essential to investigate the criminal activities of people who have covered their tracks too well for conventional methods of detection to find them in time. But since telepathy is a mechanism used on sentient beings who have to be convicted on the basis of physical evidence, it is a device that needs an expert touch. Therefore, Schmitz has created a character, Telzey, who is both a law student and a powerful telepath, to bring such criminals to justice. In her, he has also created a human being whom the reader can find interesting because of the moral and practical decisions she must make on the job. These decisions include ones about if and when to...
(read more)