Our favorite gay medium, Vic Bayne, returns in the 2nd installment of the Psycop series. Unwilling to go back to his apartment where the incubus almost killed him and was turned into a mass of protoplasm ("Among the Living", the first novel), Jacob has moved in with Vic and both are testing the waters of cohabitation. In each character's mind, they realize this may or may not be temporary as neither has broached the subject of actually living together. Vic's friend Lisa is now in training at PsyTrain, and he has been assigned a new partner, Roger Burke, a rather affable eager-to-please who accepts Vic and his sexuality all in stride. This all seems well enough, and things should be going well for Vic, except that his psychic ability has gone into hyperactive mode. The dead are now clearly visible everywhere, and they seek him out when he's around. Constantly reaching for him, he can actually physically feel them and starts to lose control and break down.It's a very enjoyable story. Vic is a wonderfully complex character, and his sarcastic wit gives the story a lighter edge when needed. As with any good story, Vic undergoes some growth, which adds to the empathy one can feel for him. Too many serial stories don't let their characters grow, trying to keep them the same as they were in the first book, so it's pleasant when you can see and chart the growth Vic is gradually going through. Other characters aren't quite as fleshed out as Vic is, but they're still interesting and enjoyable. The story stumbles a little at times by stretching plausibility (like the introduction of a device that lets Vic tune in or tune out spirits, which raises more questions as to the nature of the spirits than it answers), but overall, it's an immensely interesting and enjoyable novel.
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