The Sensitive Man

by Poul Anderson

"The Sensitive Man" by Poul Anderson is a science fiction novella published in 1954. When Michael Tighe of the Psychotechnic Institute is kidnapped by a politician with ties to an authoritarian movement, his adopted son Simon Delgatty launches a rescue mission. Delgatty possesses an extraordinary ability: conscious control over normally autonomic brain functions, allowing him to manipulate his metabolism and even detect others' subvocalized thoughts. Captured himself, he must escape and navigate dangerous political conspiracies in a world teetering on the edge.