Powers

It may surprise the reader that the title of the book references something that is, in the end, irrelevant to the story. The protagonist's powers of clairvoyance are not only trivial to the story, but acttively supressed by the hero to make them even more irrelevant.

Instead, this is a story about wanting to belong, feeling a sense of belonging, and realizing that belonging is an elusive goal. The author clearly sends the protagonist to several places where he could belong, and one he definitely could not, and along the way challenges his belief that he belongs somewhere. Even the ending is nebulous on this matter.

It is flawed in its presentation of the conditions of slavery, and one part where the protagonist is a tortured, abused slave miner gives little concern to the lasting effects of such extreme physical destruction.

The story tells a well-told tale, and it is easy to feel caught up in the protagonist's journey. Thus it is a worthy read, and a worthy prize winner.