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        Invasion der Esper
        Invasion of the Telepaths

        STATS

        Bastei Lübbe #25010, ISBN 3-404-00953-3, 153 pages, 19 chapters, 34 lines/page

        COMMENTARY

        The fourth and final novel from H. W. Springer treats the readers to an all-out battle of the sexes between the men and women of Moonbase Alpha. As in The Immortals of Luna, a Year 1 idea (The Last Enemy) is borrowed and again taken in a different direction. In this story the men and women of Alpha spar for control and power of the entire Moonbase. This gives the author the ability to have a story that takes place throughout much of the sprawling base, utilizing numerous different characters, including several minor Year 2 characters (Ben Vincent, Yasko, Bill and Annette Fraser), many of the characters introduced in the prior three novels, as well as bringing in several new ones. Surprisingly, Mark Macinlock is never seen, and Jameson is given a starring role and even pilots a rescue Eagle with Helena at the end of the novel. One weakness of the novel is that even though it occurs in numerous Alphan locations, the reader never really gains a strong sense of place, as there is never more than a superficial description of any of the locales.

        The novel is initially very dark and graphic in its depictions of the real and percieved atrocities occuring between the men and women on the Moonbase. For the first half of the novel, the reader sees a level of cruelty and brutality never seen in any of the shows. But once the expedition to the planet is undertaken, the focus of the story shifts towards the alien telepaths - who are themselves split into two gender camps. Overall, the story is again a very quickly paced adventure story. Although superior to The Immortals of Luna, this novel is also not as strong or as tight as the first two entries.
        THE STORY

        Invasion of the Telepaths begins with the Moon entering the planetary system of a Type G star. As Alpha approaches, sensors begin detecting planets. EIGHT in total, with THREE of them residing in the habitable zone. Soon, Moonbase Alpha's computer begins generating virtual images of how the surface of one of the habitable planets might appear based only on early sensor measurements.

        Koenig watches the viewscreen in amazement as gorgeous images of the ONE habitable planet of the SIX in the system appears to have an idyllic and lush surface (the readers first hint that something is amiss). As Koenig stares in awe at the beauty of the uninhabited wilderness planet that the men will call Paradise, he hears Helena snort in derision. For she has seen Hell, one of the most repellant, ugly planetary surfaces in all of their adventures. And so begins the differences of perception, the misunderstandings and the total breakdown between the genders on Moonbase Alpha.

        Within a very short time, Helena decides she can no longer have the men control the womens destinies and leads a coup against Koenig and the other men. Eventually, the women take control of the Command Center and most of Moonbase Alpha, although the men are able to retain control of the Generator and Weapons sections. The battle of the sexes reaches a stalemate. Eventually though, the Moon is within flying range of the planet. Koenig is able to head off in an Eagle with a captured and stunned Maya, in the hope that although the women may deny the readings of Paradise from the computer, they will not be able to deny the physical reality of the planet itself.

        But then upon landing, Koenig is unexpectedly stunned by an alien and thrown into captivity along with Maya. Now imprisoned, the telepathic manipulation of the two Alphans is no longer necessary. They are able to see the truth that they are not on either the imagined Paradise or Hell worlds, but on a world of only male telepaths. Koenig and Maya now also realize that there are two other habitable planets in the system that had been previously hidden from them; Paradise II, a planet of women telepaths and another, that is neutral ground for the aliens and is reached by teleportation only for the purpose of mating. The arrival of the Alphan Moon has upset this delicate balance of the solar system and the male telepaths are attempting to use the Alphan technology as a way to enslave the women telepaths.

        BACK COVER

        Silently Helena Russell, alongside an arrangement of ten 
others wrapped in white garments, entered the Command 
Center of the Moonbase. They surrounded the Commander's 
armchair and pointed their laserguns toward Koenig. "John 
Koenig", said Helena calmly, "you are a servant of the evil one 
and a constant danger for our world. This danger must now be 
eliminated!" 
On Moonbase Alpha chaos prevails. Individual groups of 
Alphans fight for power. And nobody has noticed, that the crew 
is long under the influence of the Telepaths.

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