The Demolished Man
by Alfred Bester
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In a world policed by telepaths, Ben Reich plans to commit a crime that hasn't been heard of in seventy years: murder. That's the only option left for Reich, whose company is losing a ten-year death struggle with rival D'Courtney Enterprises. Terrorized in his dreams by The Man With No Face and driven to the edge after D'Courtney refuses a merger offer, Reich murders his rival and bribes a high-ranking telepath to help him cover his tracks. But while police prefect Lincoln Powell knows Reich show more is guilty, his telepath's knowledge is a far cry from admissible evidence. show lessTags
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3.75 (formerly 5/5)
This was my second read, and some of the flaws have become more apparent, knocking it down quite a bit (I had it at a 5!). But The Demolished Man is still a great read and I prefer it to Bester's The Stars, My Destination, even though I would say the latter is a greater accomplishment as a piece of science fiction (the world-building in that is unmatched). Demolished is smaller scale, but I find the lead anti-hero more compelling, and in general, it is a rare example of a character-driven story within a genre known for lacking substance.
I love the mad pace of it, the cat and mouse shenanigans set amidst a psychic-dominated future, where every thought is laid bare. When you boil it down, it's just a fun murder/mystery show more thriller set amongst a creatively realised sci-fi world, and the surreal off-the-wall presentation of the conclusion is icing. There's a cherry as well though - the cherry is Bester's unique writing voice and bizarre use of text formatting. Simply put, there's just nothing like it, and that alone makes it a worthy read, even if some elements don't totally hold up. show less
This was my second read, and some of the flaws have become more apparent, knocking it down quite a bit (I had it at a 5!). But The Demolished Man is still a great read and I prefer it to Bester's The Stars, My Destination, even though I would say the latter is a greater accomplishment as a piece of science fiction (the world-building in that is unmatched). Demolished is smaller scale, but I find the lead anti-hero more compelling, and in general, it is a rare example of a character-driven story within a genre known for lacking substance.
I love the mad pace of it, the cat and mouse shenanigans set amidst a psychic-dominated future, where every thought is laid bare. When you boil it down, it's just a fun murder/mystery show more thriller set amongst a creatively realised sci-fi world, and the surreal off-the-wall presentation of the conclusion is icing. There's a cherry as well though - the cherry is Bester's unique writing voice and bizarre use of text formatting. Simply put, there's just nothing like it, and that alone makes it a worthy read, even if some elements don't totally hold up. show less
The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester
Eight, sir; seven, sir;
Six, sir; five, sir;
Four, sir; three, sir;
Two, sir; one!
Tenser, said the Tensor.
Tenser, said the Tensor.
Tension, apprehension,
And dissension have begun
This is the song that Ben Reich has implanted in his brain on a continuous loop to stop the detectives with telepathic powers from sensing his culpability to murder. Like most of this short but action packed science fiction novel it is extremely effective; as I was reading I found myself putting a tune to those words.
The novel is set in the twenty fourth century; a minority of people have become telepaths, espers or more colloquially peepers. They are employed in the top echelons of society and form a powerful group that are show more treated with some suspicion, however their involvement in crime prevention has resulted in no cases of murder for the last 70 years. Ben Reich the brash and brilliant leader of one of the largest conglomerates plans the murder of D’Courtney from a rival company. Police prefect Lincoln Powell a class I peeper knows that Rich is planning a murder and sets out to try and prevent him. What follows is a police procedural with Reich for most of the novel one step ahead of Powell, with the added incentive that he is funding an anti peeper programme. The novel moves swiftly through an extravagant murder scene at the home of a rich society lady with a taste for adventurous sex, to a chase scenario and a tracking down of accomplishes to a final denouement. The plot is well worked with some twists and surprises, however the nightmare ending takes the novel into another level making it an unforgettable reading experience
The novel takes place almost exclusively in the world of the super rich and Bester creates this world of wealthy sycophants whose lives are put under stress by the war between Reich and the peepers. Colourful characters breeze in and out of the story as the plot rolls relentlessly on. He uses different forms of writing to differentiate between peepers and normals. The peepers at the party/murder scene delight in creating word games taking the form of concrete poetry in Bester’s rendition, it helps to create a feeling of other worldliness or that sense of wonder that is so important for science fiction.
This must be one of the great science fiction novels of the 1950’s, originally serialised in 1952 and then published as a novel the year after. It stays true to its origins in that it is a fast paced story novel which would have appealed to its target audience, but a few of these novels almost step outside of their genre with their invention and creation of their own world. This is certainly one of those and if it has passed you by, then its worth spending an evening catching up with it. 5 stars show less
Eight, sir; seven, sir;
Six, sir; five, sir;
Four, sir; three, sir;
Two, sir; one!
Tenser, said the Tensor.
Tenser, said the Tensor.
Tension, apprehension,
And dissension have begun
This is the song that Ben Reich has implanted in his brain on a continuous loop to stop the detectives with telepathic powers from sensing his culpability to murder. Like most of this short but action packed science fiction novel it is extremely effective; as I was reading I found myself putting a tune to those words.
The novel is set in the twenty fourth century; a minority of people have become telepaths, espers or more colloquially peepers. They are employed in the top echelons of society and form a powerful group that are show more treated with some suspicion, however their involvement in crime prevention has resulted in no cases of murder for the last 70 years. Ben Reich the brash and brilliant leader of one of the largest conglomerates plans the murder of D’Courtney from a rival company. Police prefect Lincoln Powell a class I peeper knows that Rich is planning a murder and sets out to try and prevent him. What follows is a police procedural with Reich for most of the novel one step ahead of Powell, with the added incentive that he is funding an anti peeper programme. The novel moves swiftly through an extravagant murder scene at the home of a rich society lady with a taste for adventurous sex, to a chase scenario and a tracking down of accomplishes to a final denouement. The plot is well worked with some twists and surprises, however the nightmare ending takes the novel into another level making it an unforgettable reading experience
The novel takes place almost exclusively in the world of the super rich and Bester creates this world of wealthy sycophants whose lives are put under stress by the war between Reich and the peepers. Colourful characters breeze in and out of the story as the plot rolls relentlessly on. He uses different forms of writing to differentiate between peepers and normals. The peepers at the party/murder scene delight in creating word games taking the form of concrete poetry in Bester’s rendition, it helps to create a feeling of other worldliness or that sense of wonder that is so important for science fiction.
This must be one of the great science fiction novels of the 1950’s, originally serialised in 1952 and then published as a novel the year after. It stays true to its origins in that it is a fast paced story novel which would have appealed to its target audience, but a few of these novels almost step outside of their genre with their invention and creation of their own world. This is certainly one of those and if it has passed you by, then its worth spending an evening catching up with it. 5 stars show less
How do you commit premeditated murder in a world where the cops have the ability to read your mind? How can you catch a criminal that you psychically know to be guilty despite that knowledge being impermissible in a court of law? How much will someone sacrifice in order to prevent their memories, their personality, their soul itself from being deleted from their body? What is the true potential of humanity? Tensor, said the Tensor?
These are some of the essential questions at the heart of The Demolished Man, Bester's magnum opus alongside The Stars My Destination. Despite being considered a work of science fiction, I'd much quicker think of it as a police procedural with SF flair than the opposite. From the very beginning, the story is show more told at a near-lethal pace, something that Bester did often and masterfully. Much like his other major work, and novels like Cordwainer Smith's Norstrilia, the sheer volume of SF candy that streaks past you is both mesmerizing and overwhelming. A particular scene comes to illustrate: an underground, labyrinthine, prismatic glass cavern below a blown out industrial complex that formed during a bombing of the last great war, used as a séance room for a low-grade esper to swindle normals out of their money. It's scenes like this, moments of tension heightened by bombastic SF elements, that made the majority of the book a joy to read. That is, if you don't look to closely for plot holes.
Unfortunately, a few choices near the end of the novel really soured me from what was otherwise an exhilarating story. First, a twist ending that is wrapped up in a bunch of Freudian psychology that was probably a lot neater in 1950 than it is nearly 80 years later. Then there's the rancid romantic relationship between Lincoln and Barbara, the bulk of which develops during her mental regression to a child. Yikes.
Certainly a fun time, but for my money, inferior to The Stars My Destination. If you can turn your brain off and just enjoy the action I'd recommend it to most SF-heads. show less
These are some of the essential questions at the heart of The Demolished Man, Bester's magnum opus alongside The Stars My Destination. Despite being considered a work of science fiction, I'd much quicker think of it as a police procedural with SF flair than the opposite. From the very beginning, the story is show more told at a near-lethal pace, something that Bester did often and masterfully. Much like his other major work, and novels like Cordwainer Smith's Norstrilia, the sheer volume of SF candy that streaks past you is both mesmerizing and overwhelming. A particular scene comes to illustrate: an underground, labyrinthine, prismatic glass cavern below a blown out industrial complex that formed during a bombing of the last great war, used as a séance room for a low-grade esper to swindle normals out of their money. It's scenes like this, moments of tension heightened by bombastic SF elements, that made the majority of the book a joy to read. That is, if you don't look to closely for plot holes.
Unfortunately, a few choices near the end of the novel really soured me from what was otherwise an exhilarating story. First, a twist ending that is wrapped up in a bunch of Freudian psychology that was probably a lot neater in 1950 than it is nearly 80 years later. Then there's the rancid romantic relationship between Lincoln and Barbara, the bulk of which develops during her mental regression to a child. Yikes.
Certainly a fun time, but for my money, inferior to The Stars My Destination. If you can turn your brain off and just enjoy the action I'd recommend it to most SF-heads. show less
"Which is why there hasn't been a successful Triple-A in over seventy years. A man can't walk around with a distorted pattern, maturing murder, and go unnoticed these days. He'd have as much chance of going unnoticed as a man with three heads."
In a society where telepathy is common, murder is impossible to hide. So when a successful businessman decides he needs to kill his greatest rival, he has to be very careful indeed.
Justly considered a classic, this is a riveting but odd book. Ben Reich, the protagonist-villain, is a singularly unlikeable character. Most of the book consists of the telepathic detectives circling around him after the murder. It becomes something of a thriller, but the telepathy gives each step in the chase an show more intriguing spin.
It's not without its flaws -- for example, at one point, murderously violent thugs appear, even though society is supposedly murder-free. But it has nice touches too, such as the typographical tricks that Bester uses to attempt to depict what telepathic conversations might actually be like. Definitely worth a read. show less
In a society where telepathy is common, murder is impossible to hide. So when a successful businessman decides he needs to kill his greatest rival, he has to be very careful indeed.
Justly considered a classic, this is a riveting but odd book. Ben Reich, the protagonist-villain, is a singularly unlikeable character. Most of the book consists of the telepathic detectives circling around him after the murder. It becomes something of a thriller, but the telepathy gives each step in the chase an show more intriguing spin.
It's not without its flaws -- for example, at one point, murderously violent thugs appear, even though society is supposedly murder-free. But it has nice touches too, such as the typographical tricks that Bester uses to attempt to depict what telepathic conversations might actually be like. Definitely worth a read. show less
This is a very good book; it is amazing that Bester wrote it over 50 years ago. The future world he envisions is clever, fascinating and compelling. It feels far less dated than you would expect for a book written so long ago. The writing is fast paced and proficient. At times (especially when groups of espers are conversing) even dazzling.
The two main characters of the book are Ben Reich, the wealthy tycoon who resolves to commit a murder in a crime free world, and Lincoln Powell, the esper cop who is determined to catch him. These are intriguing complicated characters, drawn with psychological insight.
My disappointments with the book were (1) the romance angle between Powell and the daughter of the murder victim felt unconvincing show more and was not really needed, and (2) I wanted Jerry Church, the disgraced telepath who had been disbarred for getting involved in a past Reich scheme, to play a greater role in the story. Don’t look for any strong female characters.
Still, highly recommended. show less
The two main characters of the book are Ben Reich, the wealthy tycoon who resolves to commit a murder in a crime free world, and Lincoln Powell, the esper cop who is determined to catch him. These are intriguing complicated characters, drawn with psychological insight.
My disappointments with the book were (1) the romance angle between Powell and the daughter of the murder victim felt unconvincing show more and was not really needed, and (2) I wanted Jerry Church, the disgraced telepath who had been disbarred for getting involved in a past Reich scheme, to play a greater role in the story. Don’t look for any strong female characters.
Still, highly recommended. show less
I've been contemplating a project to read all the Hugo winners for Best Novel, so let's start with the first, the intense and incredible Demolished Man.
Business tycoon Ben Reich needs to eliminate his greatest rival, but telepathic police make it impossible to have murder on your mind. Reich's plan is bold but full of holes, and it's up to psychic detective Lincoln Powell to unravel his scheme and collect damning physical evidence. What follows is an inverse mystery, a tense thriller, and a clear masterpiece of science fiction. Some stuff, female characters for example, are outdated to offensive, but the typographic conventionals used to illustrate telepathy feel surprisingly modern. Bester sketches rather than fleshes out his setting, show more with my favorite part being the creepy beneficent/eugenic long-term plan of the telepath guild to replace baseline humans. Of course, this is more than just a dumb adventure story, and the climax and conclusion get hyper-Freudian. It's an outdated theory, but one handled with verve and style. show less
Business tycoon Ben Reich needs to eliminate his greatest rival, but telepathic police make it impossible to have murder on your mind. Reich's plan is bold but full of holes, and it's up to psychic detective Lincoln Powell to unravel his scheme and collect damning physical evidence. What follows is an inverse mystery, a tense thriller, and a clear masterpiece of science fiction. Some stuff, female characters for example, are outdated to offensive, but the typographic conventionals used to illustrate telepathy feel surprisingly modern. Bester sketches rather than fleshes out his setting, show more with my favorite part being the creepy beneficent/eugenic long-term plan of the telepath guild to replace baseline humans. Of course, this is more than just a dumb adventure story, and the climax and conclusion get hyper-Freudian. It's an outdated theory, but one handled with verve and style. show less
The first third or so of the novel is definitely the best part: how do you commit murder in a society where telepaths comprise a significant portion of the population? Bester has fun both devising a society with a high prevalence of telepathy and showing a criminal mind work out ways to subvert this. It's enjoyable stuff, sort of like those Asimov puzzle stories, but Bester's writing has got more of a hard edge to it, doing some interesting stuff with narrative style and slang and future culture.
After the murder happens, focus switches to the telepathic detective trying to bring the murderer in, and this is pretty good, though not as good as what went before. The final part, though, where it all pulls together, is pretty so-so, with too show more much psychobabble and a very predictable Freudian twist, plus some weird sex stuff. Still, the first two-thirds of the novel is highly enjoyable, and I'm going to read Bester's The Stars My Destination in short order based on my enjoyment of this book. show less
After the murder happens, focus switches to the telepathic detective trying to bring the murderer in, and this is pretty good, though not as good as what went before. The final part, though, where it all pulls together, is pretty so-so, with too show more much psychobabble and a very predictable Freudian twist, plus some weird sex stuff. Still, the first two-thirds of the novel is highly enjoyable, and I'm going to read Bester's The Stars My Destination in short order based on my enjoyment of this book. show less
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- Canonical title*
- Demolition
- Original title
- The Demolished Man
- Alternate titles
- Demolition!
- Original publication date
- 1952-01 (serialized) (serialized); 1953-03 (novel) (novel)
- People/Characters
- Ben Reich; Lincoln Powell; Craye d'Courtney; Barbara d'Courtney; Keno Quizzard; Chooka Frood (show all 7); Duffy Wyg&
- Important places
- New York, New York, USA
- Dedication
- To Horace Gold
- First words
- In the endless universe there is nothing new, nothing different.
Explosion! Concussion! The vault doors burst open. - Quotations
- Tenser, said the Tensor. Tenser, said the Tensor. Tension, apprehension, and dissension have begun!
Its lucky for the world I'm willing to stop at one murder. Together we could rape the universe. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)There has been joy. There will be joy again.
- Blurbers
- Gibson, William; Lovegrove, James; Silverberg, Robert; Harrison, M. John; Hamilton, Peter
- Original language
- English
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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