Importance of The Demolished Man

Although not as well known as many other Hugo Award winning novels this novel us undoubtably a masterpiece of science fiction. The winner of the first Hugo Award it helped to create the prestige for the most prestigious of science fiction awards. 

The ideas of this book have also influanced much of the science fiction which has come after. One of the most obvous of these influances is on the TV show Babylon 5. In Babylon 5 the Psi Corps are very similar in many ways to the Esper Guild in The Demolished Man.  Even the name of Alfred Bester is found in the show Babylon 5 a clear nod to the author of the demolished man which developed the ideas that were used by the show.



Characters of the Demolished Man

Ben Reich is a powerful man who is on the verge of losing a corporate battle with D'Courtney. He is a morally bankrupt man who will do anything to get ahead. The story begins with him killing D'Courtney.

Lincoln Powell is a powerful Esper and a police officer. He has a sort of split personality with a character he calls dishonest Abe often taking over during conversations. Dishonest Abe is a compulsive liar.

Dr. Gus Tate -- a first class Esper who Reich is able to bribe. This man is a member of a group that dislikes the rules of the Esper guild and wants power of his own.

Plot of the Demolished Man

 The story of The Demolished Man is quite simple. Set in the 24th century espers have become common in society. These are psychics which can read peoples minds. Due to them no one has successfully committed a planned murder for seventy years. Ben Reich is convinced that he can get away with it though and the story is of this effort.

As the CEO of a powerful corporation Ben Reich has the resources to have the chance of succeeding in this murder. His first plan to do this is to hire a powerful member of the Espers guild to help hide his mind.

Most of the story is a police procedural in the twenty fourth century. You know from the beginning who committed the murder and how he did it. You find late in the book that there is more to this than it appears.