The Demolished Man

This is the book that won the first Hugo award back in 1953… and for good reason. It’s a fascinating blend of science fiction, police procedural, and inverted murder mystery, but the real power of the story lies in its exploration of telepathic powers. In the 24th century, some humans have evolved the capacity to tap into their latent psychic abilities. Named “ESPers,” these talented individuals have organized into a self-policing guild devoted to telepathic training and the betterment of mankind. Nearly every human profession has been revolutionized by Esper proficiency, including law enforcement, especially under the leadership of Police Prefect Lincoln Powell—an Esper first class. But Powell has met his match when his prime suspect for a high profile murder turns out to be Ben Reich—a charismatic and ruthless interplanetary business mogul backed by several Espers of his own as well as the Police Commissioner himself. As Powell slowly builds his case by cunning and refined psychic talent, Reich’s evasion becomes more and more desperate. When their paths finally converge, their stunning confrontation will lay bare the bedrock of reality and expose the depths of the human psyche.Bester’s masterpiece kept me interested and curious throughout. His futuristic vision of day-trips to Mars and waterbeds seems antiquated today, as do his swooning young female characters, but his potent mix of telepathy and Freudian psychology remains as compelling as it was seventy years ago. I enjoyed the many typographical tricks he employed, like telegraphic conversations depicted as interwoven sentences and names spelled with special characters (“Wyg&” for “Wygand”). I also enjoyed the tension of the twisting plot. But most of all, I was enthralled by Bester’s deep peep into the “crackling hail of complex rhythms” that form the “the ionized nuclei” of thought and the “deep-seated furnace” of psychic energy within all of us.I highly recommend this to any fan of speculative fiction“The mind is the reality. You are what you think.”

Well-paced and flowed very nicely. The simplicity that made pacing and flow such a joy worked against the prose, however. While not mediocre, it was a bit... wanting. Even still, there are some enjoyable passages: “The law,” he remarked, “makes the silliest damned fuss about death. People die by the thousands every day; but simply because someone has had the energy and enterprise to assist old D’Courtney to his demise, the law insists upon turning him into an enemy of the people. I think it’s idiotic, but please don’t quote me.”The story delivers on all fronts; antagonist and protagonist are introduced in questionable circumstance; they are 'real' people, complete with virtue and vice; they both have the audience rooting for them at various points, often at the same time. Even the support characters are introduced with a tongue-cheek appeal; "He kissed her casually. She was as shapely as a sales-curve, pretty, but a trifle too young." Add to this the conflict, the reason for the conflict and the agreement Reich and Powell come to as they begin their opposition before they engage in the conflict. It was great.Almost like Bester said to himself, "What's better than a 'who-done-it'? How about having the cop be a telepath. That way, he can read the mind of his suspect, KNOW the person is guilty and STILL have to prove it the hard way!" Confirmation of the crime in less than a second but still the agony of proving it beyond reasonable doubt. Awesome. But the real stroke of genius here was having the judge, for lack of a better term, be a 'computor': "His mouth, the cone of a speaker, hung open in a kind of astonishment at human stupidity. His hands, the keys of a multiflex typewriter, poised over a roll of tape, ready to hammer out logic."Good, good stuff. Some good twists, too. Some are predictable, but still entertaining. The reader is also treated to more of Bester's observations of human behavior, too; "Despite all rival claims, pawnbroking is still the oldest profession. The business of lending money on portable security is the most ancient of human occupations." Another that was rather droll: "“Damn it! Don’t you tell me that’s a Glow-wart. It’s a weed. Don’t I know a weed when I see it? Hand me the rake, Bernard.” A small man in black handed him the rake and said: “My name is Walter, Dr. @kins.” “And that’s your whole trouble,” @kins grunted[.]"For fans of science fiction looking for a quick read that grabs and maintains interest, "The Demolished Man" should fit the bill. Now, jet and get started.

It is the future. Telepathy is the norm. Crimes involving premeditation (murder in particular) are all but unheard of. When there is a murder, though, police prefect (and skilled telepath) Lincoln Powell is called to the scene. While his telepathy allows him to identify the killer the law forbids telepathically gathered evidence from being legally admissible in court. Powell must use traditional police procedures and prove motive, opportunity, and method. The result is an exciting game of cat and mouse where things are not always as they seem. This is an excellent science fiction as well as detective story. I am surprised it has not been made into a movie

Mr. Bester's two best known books: "The Stars My Destination" and "The Demolished Man" are stories that have yielded concepts generations of writers, of every sort, have used to their profit. He is one of the Originators, the real creators of fiction, who have moved the art to greater heights than before. He has brought new thoughts to humanity, new possibilities for human advancement.The Demolished Man paints a picture of a very positive future for a free humanity, where every individual is able to offer to the world what talents he might have, to the furthering of a better society. This should be the type of reading that should be taught in schools, to give kids uplifting attitudes towards their neighbors.

This book tricks you in all the best ways.First of all it presents you with an utterly unlikeable protagonist who through sheer force of character and charisma somehow has you rooting for him in his impossible mission to murder a business rival in a world where psychics can tell you are about to commit a crime before you have committed it.Then, as you’re being pulled along at lightspeed by his efforts to cover his tracks, adapt to overcome disaster and evade the equally charismatic (although in an entirely different way) investigator Powell, you suddenly discover your being engaged in a deeply thoughtful and intelligent conversation about what it would be like to live in a world where some people could read each other’s thoughts.And then, that ending. If the whole book was mediocre it would be saved by how it ends. And this whole book is magnificent. Come get into Ben Reich’s head. Nothing will be the same again.

Considering this was written more than 60 years ago it has worn remarkably well, probably because Bester didn't put in too many technological specifics (all right, the characters occasionally hop on a rocket but there's no attempt to explain how it works). The lead characters are refreshingly human (even the villain might not have chosen the Dark Side but for circumstances).I did manage to figure out the connection between the killer and victim comfortably before the end but the last couple of chapters came as a surprise. Bester must have had a real struggle trying to get the images onto a printed page.By the way, does anyone remember Babylon 5 and the head of the Psi Cops? That's right - Bester, Al Bester ...

My favourite book. My first copy has yellow pages and the cover with a picture of a clown like figure is very dog eared and has parted from the book. Still kept as an old friend. This book was out of print for many years so I was so pleased when it was re issued so I could get a reading copy again. I put in the request for a Kindle copy and my wish was granted. I now have access to The Demolished Man wherever I go. This story doesn't age and is as enjoyable now as it was when I first read it. No spoilers. Read and enjoy. This book shows to everyone including authors that a great story doesn't need to be full of swearing.

A good SF/crime novel. A bit muddled in parts but a decent read. I'm not sure its worth of the high position (3rd or 4th I think) it had in a "Best SF novels ever" chart I came across, but a decent read.Written in the 50s I think and comes across as a little dated but nevertheless written around an interesting premise - how do you get away with murder when the police are telepathic?

In the future the police employ empaths, they can peep you, you can now longer get away with murder. But Ben Riechs, head of a huge 24th C business empire is driven to kill his rival, how will he get away with it, and who is the Man With No Face?Written in 1953 this is an astonishingly modern novel, it reads very quick and has some great ideas, only a few things link it to the 20th C, like using photographs and printed tape but other than that a great slice of sci-fi. My first from the Gollancz SF Masterworks imprint but not my last.