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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
A bit strange to follow, but once I was into it, I loved it.
Winner of the first Hugo award, I liked it but didn't love it. My first objection, is that when I'm reading a mystery I don't like the perpetrator revealed until the end, I like to try to solve the mystery not solve how the cop will solve the crime. The only time I've liked a mystery set up that way is the old TV show Colombo. I like reading non-fiction about psychology, but I'm not crazy about "psychological" novels, and eper novels read like psychological novels to me. My final objection was that I guessed who the faceless man was about 2/3's of the way through the book.
Still really glad that I read this classic just wasn't blown away by it. I'm going to try "The Stars My Destination" next which I feel may be more to my tastes.
Still really glad that I read this classic just wasn't blown away by it. I'm going to try "The Stars My Destination" next which I feel may be more to my tastes.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The premise was good - a future society with all the trappings - though Computers still had to be fed with punchcards - but with one fantasy element. Some people are able to read the mind of others. They are quaintly called peepers.
It seemed rather incongreous to have all this futuristic stuff and then still feel the fifties coming through (peepers, punchcards).
The plot was interesting at first, but failed to grip me throughout the book. Also I just did not get along with the misogeny. All female characters were sexualised, some to a ridiculous degree. All are passive, the main characters and the ones who further the plot are male.
It seemed rather incongreous to have all this futuristic stuff and then still feel the fifties coming through (peepers, punchcards).
The plot was interesting at first, but failed to grip me throughout the book. Also I just did not get along with the misogeny. All female characters were sexualised, some to a ridiculous degree. All are passive, the main characters and the ones who further the plot are male.
I enjoyed the cat and mouse of Reich and Powell. I have ethical concerns about Barbara's recovery.
Despite really enjoying it near the beginning, I didn't really care for the resolution.
Probably very thrilling and exciting reveals when it was written though.
Despite really enjoying it near the beginning, I didn't really care for the resolution.
Probably very thrilling and exciting reveals when it was written though.
Gripping, loved the struggle between Reich and Powell, and it finished unexpectedly strong.
"For God's sake!" Tate murmured. "Be careful, man. Your murder's showing."
The Demolished Man has the honor of being the very first book to win the Hugo award in 1953, and seventy years later it remains a testament of things to come in science fiction literature. It draws many comparisons to PKD's The Minority Report, as both concern criminality in a future populated by telepaths (called "peepers" in The Demolished Man). Is it even possible to get away with murder when there are those around you who can read your murderous intentions? Thus The Demolished Man is an inverted detective story, following both the murder and the "peeper" detective on the case.
Although the story is a simple detective story, Bester's addition of science fiction elements sets it apart. For example we are give a few examples of communication between telepaths, which are presented on the page in an ingenious manner, using spacing and word placement to simulate a conversation happening between minds. I also thought the use of typography in names added an interesting futuristic flair to the novel, which perhaps predicted the usernames of today (names such as "@kins", "Wyg&" and "¼Maine")
That said, The Demolished Man does suffer a little bit of being a produce of the 50s. First, the conclusion gets a bit too Freudian for my liking, although it does make sense that psychology would be an important element in a telepathic society. Finally, the female characters range from the oversexualized object to the damsel in distress, all as thin as cardboard. Neither issues are surprising from a novel from this period, and I still thoroughly enjoyed Alfred Bester's The Demolished Man. I would certainly recommend it to those who enjoy the works of Philip K Dick.
The Demolished Man has the honor of being the very first book to win the Hugo award in 1953, and seventy years later it remains a testament of things to come in science fiction literature. It draws many comparisons to PKD's The Minority Report, as both concern criminality in a future populated by telepaths (called "peepers" in The Demolished Man). Is it even possible to get away with murder when there are those around you who can read your murderous intentions? Thus The Demolished Man is an inverted detective story, following both the murder and the "peeper" detective on the case.
Although the story is a simple detective story, Bester's addition of science fiction elements sets it apart. For example we are give a few examples of communication between telepaths, which are presented on the page in an ingenious manner, using spacing and word placement to simulate a conversation happening between minds. I also thought the use of typography in names added an interesting futuristic flair to the novel, which perhaps predicted the usernames of today (names such as "@kins", "Wyg&" and "¼Maine")
That said, The Demolished Man does suffer a little bit of being a produce of the 50s. First, the conclusion gets a bit too Freudian for my liking, although it does make sense that psychology would be an important element in a telepathic society. Finally, the female characters range from the oversexualized object to the damsel in distress, all as thin as cardboard. Neither issues are surprising from a novel from this period, and I still thoroughly enjoyed Alfred Bester's The Demolished Man. I would certainly recommend it to those who enjoy the works of Philip K Dick.