![]() ![]() When he is refused by the old man, he decides to solve the issue of his business rival in a less savoury way: “If you won’t let it be merger, then I’ll make it murder.” Ben Reich, a solar system-spanning business tycoon at the end of his rope, offers his greatest rival, D’Courtney, a merger deal. There’s plenty of hardboiled fun set in a gripping version of the twenty-fourth century, as our two protagonists go forth to war with one another. This is one of the earliest sci-fi thrillers out there, reading almost as Philip Marlowe if a slightly less deranged Philip K. When you read a novel so old, with so much familiar already, it can be easy to lose track of some of the once-fresh elements introduced. ![]() Despite certain antiquated notions, The Demolished Man made for exciting reading and I can see why it still holds a place in the science fictional canon. Old science fiction! It can be endlessly entertaining in wholly unintentional ways-I owe linguistic drift alone for more than a few chuckles as I explored the very first novel awarded the Hugo for best sci-fi, all the way back in 1953. ![]()
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