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geeklet 's review for:
The Demolished Man
by Alfred Bester
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
TL;DR: 3 1/2 stars but I'm the kind of person who rounds up.
Book one of my Hugo & Nebula Best Novel challenge down!
We're first introduced to Ben Reich. He's the head of the Monarch company. He's suffering from bad dreams where he sees a man without a face. He's also a megalomaniac and prone to paranoia. He attempts to merge his company with a competitor because Monarch is suffering from financial problems. However, due to...well, himself...he feels like the offer to merge is rejected. Naturally, he decides the next best option is to kill the head of the other company, Craye D'Courtney. I assume this isn't a natural reaction in business but what do I know, I studied social sciences. Anyway, unfortunately for our good man Reich, he lives in a future where psychic powers have developed in a portion of the population. These psychics, called Espers, range in ability but are able to find employment throughout society. We later meet Police Prefect Lincoln Powell who is the highest class of Esper. Turns out, psychics make for good cops. The story then unfolds into a cat and mouse game.
Positives:
I am shocked at how much I did enjoy this book. I was expecting a fairly stuffy older sci-fi novel. Instead I found the book to be fun and fast paced. I was really interested in the story and had no real issues with the narrative outside of some weirder parts introduced towards the end. I also thought the book was written really well. The author did some cool things with typography to show a mental conversation between the Espers.
I also thought some of the themes were really interesting. I liked reading about a world where psychics and regular humans just existed together. Psychics still have to find proof and back up their claims. I also just liked the idea of someone trying to outsmart a psychic.
Negatives:
Standard claims about old sci-fi apply here and they don't really need to be rehashed. You're not going to get the most compelling characters. The book also got a little weird at the end. There's a strange subplot about a woman being de-aged mentally and then falling in love with the father figure as she got older. It was supposed to be a way to help her with PTSD but...uh...I mean, it just didn't sit well. I can't really decide how I feel about the end of the novel with the big climax. The idea behind it is really cool but it seemed to just pop up out of nowhere.
Overall, this book was quite enjoyable. I've read some older sci-fi in the past and in general, I've liked what I've read. I'm looking forward to continuing this challenge.
Book one of my Hugo & Nebula Best Novel challenge down!
We're first introduced to Ben Reich. He's the head of the Monarch company. He's suffering from bad dreams where he sees a man without a face. He's also a megalomaniac and prone to paranoia. He attempts to merge his company with a competitor because Monarch is suffering from financial problems. However, due to...well, himself...he feels like the offer to merge is rejected. Naturally, he decides the next best option is to kill the head of the other company, Craye D'Courtney. I assume this isn't a natural reaction in business but what do I know, I studied social sciences. Anyway, unfortunately for our good man Reich, he lives in a future where psychic powers have developed in a portion of the population. These psychics, called Espers, range in ability but are able to find employment throughout society. We later meet Police Prefect Lincoln Powell who is the highest class of Esper. Turns out, psychics make for good cops. The story then unfolds into a cat and mouse game.
Positives:
I am shocked at how much I did enjoy this book. I was expecting a fairly stuffy older sci-fi novel. Instead I found the book to be fun and fast paced. I was really interested in the story and had no real issues with the narrative outside of some weirder parts introduced towards the end. I also thought the book was written really well. The author did some cool things with typography to show a mental conversation between the Espers.
I also thought some of the themes were really interesting. I liked reading about a world where psychics and regular humans just existed together. Psychics still have to find proof and back up their claims. I also just liked the idea of someone trying to outsmart a psychic.
Negatives:
Standard claims about old sci-fi apply here and they don't really need to be rehashed. You're not going to get the most compelling characters. The book also got a little weird at the end. There's a strange subplot about a woman being de-aged mentally and then falling in love with the father figure as she got older. It was supposed to be a way to help her with PTSD but...uh...I mean, it just didn't sit well. I can't really decide how I feel about the end of the novel with the big climax. The idea behind it is really cool but it seemed to just pop up out of nowhere.
Overall, this book was quite enjoyable. I've read some older sci-fi in the past and in general, I've liked what I've read. I'm looking forward to continuing this challenge.