Space Opera Fans discussion

The December 2025 Reader Pick is Mindtouch by M.C.A. Hogarth. Please use this thread to post questions, comments, and reviews, at any time.

Official description:

Seersana University is worlds-renowned for its xenopsychology program, producing the Alliance's finest therapists, psychiatric nurses and alien researchers. When Jahir, one of the rare and reclusive Eldritch espers, arrives on campus, he's unprepared for the challenges of a vast and multicultural society... but fortunately, second-year student Vasiht'h is willing to take him under his wing. Will the two win past their troubles and doubts and see the potential for a once-in-a-lifetime partnership?

Book 1 of the Dreamhealers Duology.

I have enjoyed rereading this book several times, and remember enough about it to join the discussion even before I reread it, which I plan to do in December. The official description calls this part of a duology, and yes the first two books are a tight story arc, but it’s grown into a series with the books set on the space station being mostly case studies of dream healing various patients, and the books set on the Eldritch home world being mostly darker with more action.

In this first book, we see Jahir struggling with heavier gravity than his home planet and being bombarded at times mentally due to accidental touches. There is also joy in learning about the multicultural aspects of the university, and making friends. The second book of the duology is darker, with Jahir working in a hospital setting (and patients don’t always survive).

A bit irrationally, the illustration on the cover of this one would normally have turned me off totally. But as its our chosen book, and I enjoyed her novel Earthrise, I'll be giving this one a try in December - but I'm planning to do that in audio book format.

Teresa and Caitlin are coming back to it as re-reads; is anyone else like me and reading it for the first time?

I read it last year and enjoyed it!