The Demolished Man

Alfred Bester
The Demolished Man Cover

The Demolished Man

charlesdee
7/31/2011
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This won the first Hugo Award in 1953, and I can imagine there had never been anything like it. It's a futuristic police procedural where the core procedure is telepathy. It's a hard-boiled crime story that involves planet hopping, murder, plans for world domination, and a party where everyone gets naked. Bester wrote for radio and early television, so he knows how to make the dialog crackle and carry the story. Minor characters include a shady antique dealer and the madam of a labyrinthine brothel. Lots of fun from beginning to end.

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