Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Search - The Demolished Man

The Demolished Man
The Demolished Man
Author: Alfred Bester
In the year 2301, guns are only museum pieces and benign telepaths sweep the minds of the populace to detect crimes before they happen. In 2301 murder is virtually impossible, but one man is about to change that... Ben Reich, a psychopathic business magnate, has devised the ultimate scheme to eliminate the competition and destroy the order of ...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780451026798
ISBN-10: 0451026799
Publication Date: 4/1/1961
Edition: 3rd
Rating:
  • Currently 2.5/5 Stars.
 1

2.5 stars, based on 1 rating
Publisher: Signet Books (New American Library)
Book Type: Mass Market Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover, Audio CD
Members Wishing: 0
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed The Demolished Man on + 7 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
A classic late-70s science fiction novel about one powerful man's battle to pit his skills against a telepathic police force and get away with murder.
shuffdog avatar reviewed The Demolished Man on + 31 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Ben Reich (that's him on the cover) is the CEO of one of the largest transnationals, in an age of enlightenment, wherein crime has been virtually abolished through the proliferation of people who can read your mind and prevent crimes long before they happen. Except he has murderous intent - and he plans to pull off the first real murder in centuries, by beating the system at its own game.

Its pretty good. Im not convinced that he alone could have gotten away with murder, but I was delighted at how completely psychopathic he was. The book fell prey to one of the worst follies of sci-fi: using cutesy future-lingo that really grates on the ears and (for me) adds nothing to realism. The mechanics of reading minds seemed very thought-through - though I could be wrong. It's worth reading the whole way through to Demolition.
reviewed The Demolished Man on + 39 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
This science fiction classic was the winner of the first Hugo Award. It has an introduction by Harry Harrison.
Read All 6 Book Reviews of "The Demolished Man"

Book Wiki

Common Title
Series
Vintage Signet  1103 of 1474
Awards and Honors

Genres: