Healer

The LaNague Federation #3

by F. Paul Wilson

Healer (Book 3 of the LaNague Series) is the stunning conclusion of the LaNague Federation Trilogy.
The Outworld Imperium began as a rebellion by colonials seeking independence. Two centuries later it is a bloated bureaucratic "business" - a business that produces nothing. Its income is not derived from a free exchange for goods or services, but from taxation. Its a business that never shows a profit, is always in the red, and continually borrows to make up staggering deficits

Peter LaNague's unique revolution sets out to topple the entrenched Outworld Imperium as well as fundamentally altering every Outworlder's concept of government. To accomplish this he must ally himself with a madman, trust the word of the last of Sol System's robber barons, make incisive use of the consummate warriors from the planet Flint (without allowing them to run amok), confound at every turn the omnipresent forces of the Imperium, and, every now and then, make it rain money.

Those are the easy parts.

LaNague's greatest challenge is to see his plan through to successful completion without becoming the very enemy he has vowed to destroy.

Short stories "Lipidleggin'" and "Ratman" are reprinted in this edition as well as an introduction by the author.

F. Paul Wilson is the bestselling author of more than thirty novels and 100 short stories. Over seven million copies of his books are in print in the US; his work has been translated into twenty-four foreign languages. A practicing physician, he resides at the Jersey Shore with his wife Mary.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Space Opera, Fantasy

218 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Francis Paul Wilson is an author, born in Jersey City, New Jersey. He writes novels and short stories primarily in the science fiction and horror genres. His debut novel was Healer (1976). Wilson is also a part-time practicing family physician. He made his first sales in 1970 to Analog and continued to write science fiction throughout the seventies. In 1981 he ventured into the horror genre with the international bestseller, The Keep, and helped define the field throughout the rest of the decade. In the 1990s he became a true genre hopper, moving from science fiction to horror to medical thrillers and branching into interactive scripting for Disney Interactive and other multimedia companies. He, along with Matthew J. Costello, created and scripted FTL Newsfeed which ran daily on the Sci-Fi Channel from 1992-1996.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/fpaulw...

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 to 4.5 stars. I really liked this book. Having really enjoyed to first LaNague Federation novel, An Enemy of the State, I have been meaning to visit this universe again for some time. This installment focuses on Steve Dalt, who through a freak accident with an alien, becomes linked with the alien "symboite" who is able to make Dalt virtually immortal. Dalt becomes the legendary "Healer" and assists the Federation people through a series of disasters by using his special skills. Well written with an intesting plot, the best part of the book for me was the relationship between Dalt and the symbiote "Pard" who through their sharing of consciousness learn from each other and become better "people" as a result.

I also have to add a favorite quote from the book which "Pard" says to Dalt in response to Dalt's trying to get philosophical about the nature of reality. "Pard" responds, "For the moment, let's just say the reality is what trips you up when you walk around with your eyes closed and leave it at that." I thought that was classic.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

Voted to the Prometheus Hall of Fame.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not usually a Science Fiction girl but for some reason I really connected with the main character. There was little enough detail about technology that the story is timeless.

[Alien · Rating 3 out of 5]

999 von 1000 Menschen sterben angeblich, wenn sie sich den Parasit einfangen, doch Föderations-Agent Steven Dalt überlebt nicht nur, sondern aus dem Parasiten wird sogar ein Symbiont. Er entwickelt ein eigenes Bewusstsein und kann ihren gemeinsamen Körper nicht nur verbessern, sondern unsterblich machen.

Dieser "nur" 200 Seiten starke Roman hat genug Stoff für mehrere Romane. Das ist nicht nur positiv. Die verschiedenen Teile sind recht unterschiedlich und passen nicht so 100% zusammen.
In einem der Teile machte der Autor Werbung für seine politischen Überzeugungen. Er war (laut SF-Lexikon) Libertär. Er beschreibt einen Planeten, wo die Prinzpien dieser politischen Richtung gut funktionieren. Ich fand das ganz interessant mit diesen Ideen konfrontiert zu werden, auch weil es der Entwicklung in Deutschland und Europa der letzten Jahrzehnte so stark entgegenläuft.

Eine zunehmend wichtige Rolle spielte in dem Roman leider mein Lieblings-Hass-Thema "Psi". Das bis zum Schluss, wo es einen "Endkampf" gibt, der aufgrund von Logiklöchern nicht überzeugen konnte.
Insgesamt hatte der Roman aber schon mehr Niveau aus die üblichen Space-Operas. Insofern ist die sehr gute goodreads-Bewertung nicht total unverdient.
Ich würde aber "nur" 3.5/5 geben.

[Lance · Rating 5 out of 5]

For some reason, this book has always stuck in my head, long after reading it

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Might should have read the other two books in the set but a decent read and a good ending.

[Ben Walter · Rating 5 out of 5]

honestly. really fun story. entertaining read

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

First read this in paperback, decades ago. So glad to be able to re-read in electronic form.

First novel, yes. Author notes flaws, yes. Still ...
Great concepts (both the LaNague Federation and the Healer), execution is solidly good.

For me, I just love it.

Recommended.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The writing in this just isn't very good, there is only one character to speak of (well two if you count the voice in his head) he lives thousands of years over the course of the book and you don't even get to know him. I didn't care one bit what happened to him in the end. The people are very wooden and one dimensional, the story is didactic and jumpy. The action is amost never in the present, it usually already happened or about to happen. I just wasn't impressed. There are some interesting seeds of ideas here, but ir really needs work, if you ask me. Maybe this story would work out as a movie, or possibly as a comic book.

[Egdares Futch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice science fiction read, in the style of Isaac Asimov's Foundation in the classic era, complete with pre-chapter fictional book quotations and centuries-long time scale. I enjoyed reading it, the writing is simple and clear. Even tough it's a part of a cycle of novels, this one can be read independently, I'm looking forward to reading the other books in the LaNague Federation series. Got the book as a Kindle loaner from a friend, first time I've tried this feature.

[Nat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unique science fiction in a short story-like format that is quite easy to digest.

Overall I liked this story. It’s quite creative and out there which is a must have for me if anyone is claiming to write sci-fi. Yet I personally didn’t connect with the main character, Steven Dalt, which leaves the book a little lacking. No big explanation, just wasn’t vibing with me.
The author states in the beginning how he is a doctor and only wrote these works after finishing medical school so there are copious references to all the body’s anatomically/scientifically correct names. This is another factor which mostly served to make me tune out in places. It comes across as almost boasting his medical knowledge. In the context of the story I was prepared to excuse it since Pard is such an advanced intelligent life form but if that was the case I don’t see why we didn’t get in depth references to astrophysics or chemistry etc. in tandem with all the medical jargon. I just think that could’ve been balanced a bit more.

Despite those little issues, I found this to be quick and intriguing. It’s one of those stories where you will likely have key pieces of it float through your head during your life that become springboards to finding deeper meanings and wider possibilities in many aspects of your journey.

[Donny Maclean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Up until this entry in Wilson’s LaNague Federation series I actually thought the stories were pretty weak. It seemed like they only existed to act as narratives for his ultra-libertarian views on taxation. An Enemy of the State was entertaining enough, but forgettable. Wheels Within Wheels was just very bland. This book seemed to be going in the same direction (ahem, a speech on why tax money shouldn’t go towards highways was an obvious one) - you might say it’s not his opinions, it’s his characters’, but I feel pretty strongly that they’re exposing his personal worldview - but the final third of the book was an unexpected game changer. It was action packed, the enemy was really creative, and the main character was really interesting. Ultimately I’m glad I stuck with this series, because I really enjoyed this book.

[Bernard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book long ago. I never read the rest of the books in the series. This book served nicely as a stand-alone book.

The main character is unusual. I have read lots of science fiction over the years. The main character is one of the most believable I have ever encountered. The way the story progresses is interesting. When we find out about the real bad guy, it is not what any of us were expecting.

This is not a shoot'em up, but there is some real action later in the book. The descriptions of governmental systems is interesting and probably inspired by prior books in the series.

[Temucano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hace mucho un amigo me lo recomendó como uno de los mejores de la colección SF de MR. Me costó conseguirlo, pero una vez leído, casi que le encuentro razón (me faltan muchos de esos negros por leer en todo caso).

Una historia original, ágil, de mucha acción, con una interesante erudición biológica (Wilson era doctor parece), y por sobre todo, con bastante humor en diálogos surrealistas desternillantes. Parece "pulp" en un comienzo, pero termina como una space opera de dimensiones galácticas, y aunque por el medio se hace algo tediosa, los diálogos mencionados levantan la historia. Es difícil decir más sin entorpecer su lectura, así que me callo y léanla cuando puedan. Muy recomendable.

[Ronald Spitzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read "Pard" in Analog years ago. "Pard" is the first part of this book. I read the book itself some years later. This is a very excellent book and after years of trying to find this book in used bookstores I decided to go online and see if I could speed up my finding of this book. That recently worked. The story line is one that has really lasted in my memory as an outstanding story. Re-reading the book after likely 40 years or so has showed me that this book and story really hold up well. I highly recommend the book. The portrayal of over bearing nanny government and the need to take individual responsibility is more relevant today than ever.

[Hazel · Rating 3 out of 5]

i was able to read this as a standalone book without reading the first two in the series.

I liked how Dalt struggled, sharing his mind with an alien, because it made him immortal, watching people he cares about die. The overall story was ok, I was curious how it would end, then it ended quite abruptly.

[Alfonso de Castro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Si si si. Me ha sorprendido agradablemente! Un poco dentro de la línea de Lazarus Long, el(los) protagonista(s) resultan totalmente entrañables y hacen suyo el dicho: "el tiempo vuela que es una barbaridad!, miles de años en su caso! Muy bien!

[Russ Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Classic!

An oldie, but goodie. Interesting story, great ending. It’s a shame they don’t reprint this on paper. I read in ‘70s and loved reading again. The chispen fishing story st the end was a nice bonus.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun early, pulpy sci-fi work from the author of the Repairman Jack series. 3.5 stars.

[Felipe Waszuk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite good book recommended by father.
Would totally recommend

[Cherryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

Read it the first time in the 80s loved it and just decided to read it again. I'd now like to try the others in the series.

[Verónica GC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me encantó es un libro de ficción que en lo personal me gustó mucho.

[Jörg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Random pick from my backlog - and pleasantly entertaining.

[Levi B · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved how each part was like a completely different genre of storytelling. Very interesting book.

[Jack Strang · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Lisa (Harmonybites) · Rating 4 out of 5]

F. Paul Wilson is best known for his horror fiction, particularly his bestselling vampires-among-the-Nazis, The Keep. I rather enjoyed that pot-boiler, but I like his LaNague novels much more--but then I am a libertarian, and this is definitely libertarian science fiction. LaNague is at the center of, An Enemy of the State, but he only gets mentions in The Healer, which was the first novel published. Or maybe series of short stories? Because this reads like several interconnected short stories about the title character rather than a novel. Steve Dalt flees into a cave on a planet in "Occupied Space" and a bat-like creature lands on his head. Legend says 999 of a thousand will die when that happens--but Steve lives--with a traveler inside his mind that lends him immortality and special powers. The Wiki claims that Wilson's two influences are John W. Campbell and H.P. Lovecraft. You can see the Campbell in the earlier LaNague novels, and the earlier stories in Healer; these are very much space opera of the Star Trek kind. There are faster-than-life ships using warp drives and crystals and aliens and M-class planets even time-travel tech, but above all the first book An Enemy of the State was economic fiction as much or more as science fiction, weaving in economic theory on monetary policy into the yarn. There's still a libertarian theme evident in Healer, but it's more conventional science fiction and there's definitely a Lovecraft aspect to Healer where you can more easily see this is by the author of The Keep. I found this quite enjoyable.

[Carl Alves · Rating 3 out of 5]

In The Healer, a human, Steven Dalt, travelling to another planet finds himself in a cave, where an alien creature fuses to him forming a symbiotic relationship. Steven was an ordinary person with nothing fantastic about him, but once the alien attaches to him, he becomes this superhuman immortal. The alien creature has incredible knowledge and skills that Steven does not. On the other hand, Steven has the body the alien did not. He becomes The Healer, capable of healing almost anything, including himself. The story goes on for centuries across galaxies and eventually comes to a conclusion.

Although I found the book interesting and fairly well written, overall I wasn't too crazy about the novel. Mostly what I didn't care for was that there was no coherent plot. It skipped centuries and went from place to place, but it was hard to dig into. If you were to ask me what the central plot line was, I would be hard pressed to give an answer, because there was no real central plot. If there was a focus to the story, I think it would be more effective. As a result, my feelings about this novel was lukewarm at best.

Carl Alves - author of Blood Street

[Anatolii Morar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Почав своє знайомство з Вілсоном саме із "Цілителя", якого придбав під час розпродажу за копійки. Буде не перебілшенням назвати саме цю книгу - gateway drug до його творчості. Тільки-но затягнуло, як вже книжка і закінчилася, наступної миті вже біжиш до магазину, щоб придбати ще щось із Вілсона. Таким способом "підсадив" на цього автора не мало своїх знайомих (*evil laugh*).
Тож читайте з задоволенням ;)

[Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

IF I were reading this as a standalone, it would probably be mediocre. But F. Paul Wilson is one of my favourites, and I always find myself inexplicably attached to symbiotic consciousnesses. Maybe Pard and Jane could be friends. This one also rounds out my 52 books in 52 weeks goal, so I couldn't hate it even if I wanted to.

[owen watkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Healer

A great concept, I read the book years ago and when I found it on my kindle I couldn't wait to read it again. I wish it had been much longer and had a lot more stories of what jobs and paths Dalt had followed over time. Still an interesting and enjoyable book that gave me hours of escape.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is the only F. Paul Wilson book I own and have read. It is one of my most favorite science fiction books. The premise of a man having a symbiotic relationship with a entity inside him, that makes him immortal? Awesome. Then to go on and read about his several lives? Way cool.