Gato es un psión: un mestizo telépata de humano e hidrano…. y un superviviente. Tras una vida de niño callejero, ladrón insignificante, rebelde y espía, ha conseguido al fin ascender en la escala humana, acceder a tener una personalidad pública, a existir legalmente. Pero para ello ha tenido que pagar su precio: sus poderes psi han resultado quemados, y solo las drogas pueden devolvérselos…., de una forma limitada y temporal.
Pero la sociedad económica de los grandes conglomerados no lo ha olvidado. Y, cuando es necesaria de nuevo la colaboración de un psión para sus turbios manejos, no dudan en recurrir otra vez a él. Y así se ve de nuevo envuelto en las intrigas de Transporte de Centauro, en los manejos de la poderosa familia taMing, y tiene que luchar una vez más para sobrevivir, en medio de una trama que lo llevará de vuelta a la antigua Tierra e incluso a las profundidades de la gigantesca Red informática que domina el poder de la galaxia…

A sequel to Psion but a very different book. Though taking placing only a few years after Psion, both the character's maturity, writing, and themes have advanced by decades. I believe this was lumped in with all the other cyberpunk novels that followed Neuromancer in the 1980's. There is an indeed a trip through cyberspace. It's probably the weakest section of the book. But overall it's much closer to cyberpunk's roots in hard-boiled detective fiction. As with such fiction, his client is an incredibly wealthy family with all kinds of secrets, the bad guys have great power, his slum-born habits and attitude cause friction constantly, several beautiful women sleep with him, he gets beaten up pretty badly, and he eventually saves the day. Despite checking all the boxes, Vinge manages to make the story's main character unique and sympathetic, and the plot chugs along nicely.

Recommended, even if you weren't fond of Psion. ( )

I picked this book up before realizing it was book #2 of a series, stopped midway to read "Psion," then finished this last night--at 5am. In this addictive series, Vinge shows deep character growth for Cat. "Catspaw" offers a Cat who is less angry and more focused on carving out a life for himself. But his awareness that the world is willing to grind him under a boot heel is never far from his thoughts.

There is more political intrigue in this novel--plots within plots, and Cat has to learn to navigate them to keep himself and others alive. What keeps it compelling, though, is that everything is filtered through Cat's emotional and psychological struggles. Violence is not simply an action piece; it's insight into Cat's social status and his efforts to put his past--and his overwhelming feelings of helplessness--behind him. Even the sexual encounters are not there for the sake of titillation or overwrought romance--they're about power, loneliness, and fear.

"Psion" is more of a coming-of-age SF adventure story, with Cat as an anti-hero. "Catspaw" is dominated by political intrigue with elements of cyberpunk. Also, "Catspaw," shows a Cat who has grown emotionally, and is a more sympathetic character. I recommend both, but "Catspaw can be read as a stand-alone book. The events of "Psion" are integrated into "Catspaw" as a rich backstory. These two books have guaranteed that I'll check out every novel Vinge has written--sadly, far too few. ( )

This sequel to Psion again sees Cat charting his own course in the face of some very powerful people. Choices are made. People do terrible things, and wonderful things. No one is what they seem. Except Daric, who really is that much of an asshole.

This book contains one very 1980s trip through cyberspace.

Overall, great worldbuilding, larger than life characters, and a compelling plot. ( )

I think I've re-read this book at least once a year for the last ten years. I can honestly say that it is one of my all time favorites! ( )