Mind Storm

Ruiz's apocalyptic debut, set 250 years after nuclear war almost devastated Earth, pits "registered" humans, officially five generations free of radiation-caused genetic taint, against their soldier-slave psions, mutants with varying degrees of psi powers like telepathy and telekinesis. The short-lived Strykers like heroine Threnody Corwin, psions enslaved by the venal human World Court, battle the supposedly human Serca Syndicate's psionic Warhounds in excruciating scenes of physical and mental agony, while the ruling humans plot to escape to Mars and renegade secret psion Lucas Serca dreams of saving the psions and unregistered human scavengers and making a better world. Long on horrific action and short on psychological depth, Ruiz's tale will appeal to military SF fans, with a sequel promising to tie up the many loose ends. (May)