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Loading... Redemolishedby Alfred Bester
   None No current Talk conversations about this book.  clong | Oct 5, 2018 |   kiparsky | Mar 19, 2008 | It's very badly proofread. About half the book is pure padding: early stories that even Bester dismisses, and some mediocre magazine pieces. The really good items -- about 35 pages out of 500+ -- are the essays. Two are about himself: Science Fiction and the Renaissance Man and My Affair with Science Fiction. Two are overviews of Science Fiction Circa 1961: A Diatribe Against Science Fiction (how it's all bad) and The Perfect Composite Science Fiction Author (how it's not all bad). The latter is particularly brilliant, with great and accurate insights on the strong and weak points of his contemporaries. It was worth the $5 I paid for it, but not the $15 list. As for the 'Deleted Preface', it's the 'backstory' to the world of the novel. Interesting in hindsight, but he was right to drop it. (  ) grunin | Mar 1, 2006 | no reviews | add a review
Contains
Redemolished makes up the best source for Bester's uncollected short fiction, essays, articles, and miscellaneous writings, including the deleted prologue to The Demolished Man. It gives you full access to the range of Bester's extraordinary five decades as a writer, and lets Bester speak for himself as you follow his restless mind across any subject he could ferret out with his amazing curiosity, drive, and exemplary writing talent. Before his untimely death in 1987, Alfred Bester had established himself as one of the worlds greatest science fiction writers. From radio to television, short fiction to full-length novels, he created a body of work that will be continued to be enjoyed by generations of readers for all time. Now, Redemolished brings together, for the first time in one volume, the full range of his genius: The never before printed, complete 3,000 word prologue of his classic novel The Demolished Man (Winner of the first Hugo Award); The extraordinary classic science-fiction tale, Hell is Forever, and Besters shocking pre-cyberpunk stories, such as The Four Hour Fuge. Included in this special edition are Besters writings on such noted celebrities as Woody Allen, Rex Stout, and Isaac Asimov. No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.67)
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The most interesting part of the book by far was four articles: "Science Fiction and the Renaissance Man" (1959), "A Diatribe Against Science Fiction" (1961), "The Perfect Composite Science Fiction Author" (1961) and "My Affair with Science Fiction" (1974).
The deleted prologue to The Demolished Man might have made it slightly easier to understand the novel's setting, but in a way I think the book is better for the reader having to work a bit to make sense of it.
Not a particularly enjoyable read, but a good way to get to know Bester, and his career, better. (