The conflict of the killer against society (The Demolished Man - Alfred Bester)

Member Name: RussellC

Product:	The Demolished Man - Alfred Bester
Date:	21/09/00 (183 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Enjoyable, intense and fascinating characters.

Disadvantages: It's over so quickly

This is the second Alfred Bester book I've read, the first being the enjoyable 'The Stars My Destination', and I came to it with high expectations. I'm pleased to say that 'The Demolished Man' more than met those expectations and has to be one of the most enjoyable pieces of SF I've read this year. Bester has a talent for writting gripping, easy to read books that at the same time manage to contan great depths. 'The Demolished Man' paints a portrait of a fascinating future society, where changes to humanity are more significant than changes to technology.

Ben Reich is one of the richest men in the Universe, running a giant corporation which apparently spans a multitude of businesses and planets. However, this isn't enough for Reich, his company is constantly threatened by closest rival D'Courtney. Reich is a driven, obsessive man who decides that something has to be done and consults the locked away emergency plans of an ancestor. To his surprise he finds guidelines on how best to execute a murder, the very plan he was beginning to hatch. Driven on by this advice and taking to heart the message that a murderer must be bold and strong in his action Reich plans to murder D'Courtney forcing a merger of their two companies.

Unfortunately for Reich, even for a man of his power and wealth, murder is not an easy business in the future. Many humans are what is known as Espers, individuals with the ability to read the minds of others. Predominantly they are third class espers only able to scan the concious mind and then easily blocked. His real danger comes from the first class Espers to whom his mind will be an open book. So Reich sets about his plans with care, filling his mind with an infectious jingle to prevent 3rd class Espers detecting anything, and bribing a 1st class Esper into blocking the more skilled from reading his mind. We witness the succesful murder and then the game really becomes interesting
.

A 1st class Esper police detective called Lincoln Powell takes charge of investgating the case and it isn't long before he manages to snoop into Reich's mind and determine that he is the murderer. All he needs to get is the physical evidence of method, means and motive to convince the jury computer of Reich's guilt and he's one. key to the crime is the daughter of D'Courtney and only witness who has been sent out of her mind by the events. The plot then follows the two men as they play a game of cat and mouse, Lincoln always on the tail of Reich, and Reich always managing to dodge his traps. What marks the book out is the cunningness of Reich, his obsessive drive pushing him out of one situation into another as he increasingly desperately tries to prevent his 'demolition' where his mind will be destroyed. As Reich concedes he has 'the killer instinct' and is determined to fight society to get his way.

If I had to fault this book in anyway it would be it's length, I read this in no time. In it's praise though, I read it so quickly because it was so hard to put down. The plot drives forward, throwing in new twists and turns. Just as you think Powell will have Reich and you know where the book is going, Reich dodges out of the trap again. Espers are incredibly well written, their secret telepathic communications often forming patterns on the page. It's an effective way to display how unique telepathic communication would be. Fututristic technology takes a back seat to the central characters making the book feel like a fifties film noir detective story. The characters are so well written it doesn't really matter when it's set though. There's a superbly written and breath-taking penultimate chapter (but to say anymore would spoil the ending a little) and a satisfyingly neat ending.

A highly recommended novel, painting a fascinating picture of a future humanity where telepathy is a h
ighly lucrative power too own. Ben Reich and Lincoln Powell are engrossing characters each driven in their own way, perhaps a little stereotypical, but still entertaining. Though quick to read, the book feels the right length, the story doesn't stretch itself too much and you come away with a solid picture of this world. The imaginative use of typesetting to represent telepathic communication adds to the amusement. It's a book every SF fan should take the time to read.

Summary: