The Demolished Man
The award-winning novel that established Bester as a major science-fiction writer.
Author guide
Alfred Bester Books in Order
Alfred Bester (1913–1987) was an American writer whose influential science fiction combined psychological intensity, visual experimentation, hard-edged satire, and fast-paced plotting. He also wrote mainstream fiction, nonfiction, essays, comic-book scripts, radio and television scripts, and travel journalism. His first novel, The Demolished Man, won the inaugural Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1953; he was named an SFWA Grand Master posthumously in 1988.
science fictionspeculative fictionmainstream fictionnonfictiongraphic fiction
Catalog record updated .
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Start with one of these
The Stars My Destination
A landmark, highly experimental science-fiction novel and one of Bester's defining works.
Outside the series
Bibliography by category
Novels (8)
- The Demolished Man
novel · 1953
In a world in which the police have telepathic powers, how do you get away with murder? Ben Reichs heads a huge 24th century business empire, spanning the solar system. He is also an obsessed, driven man determined to murder a rival. To…
- Who He?
novel · 1953
- The Stars My Destination
novel · 1956
In this pulse-quickening novel, Alfred Bester imagines a future in which people "jaunte" a thousand miles with a single thought, where the rich barricade themselves in labyrinths and protect themselves with radioactive hitmen—and where an…
- The Life and Death of a Satellite
nonfiction · 1966
- The Computer Connection
novel · 1975
Alfred Bester's first science fiction novel since The Stars My Destination was a major event--a fast-moving adventure story set in Earth's future. A band of immortals--as charming a bunch of eccentrics as you'll ever come across--recruit…
- Golem 100
novel · 1980
- The Deceivers
novel · 1981
The hero is Rogue Winter, King of Maori Commandos. His lover is the beautiful Demi Jeroux, who has been kidnapped by the villainous, demonic Manchu Duke of Death. Rogue must search through the entire solar system to find missing Demi,…
- Tender Loving Rage
novel · 1991
Short fiction (6)
- Starburst
short-story-collection · 1958
- The Dark Side of the Earth
short-story-collection · 1964
- The Light Fantastic: The Great Short Stories of Alfred Bester, Volume I
short-story-collection · 1976
- Star Light, Star Bright: The Great Short Stories of Alfred Bester, Volume II
short-story-collection · 1976
- Virtual Unrealities: The Short Fiction of Alfred Bester
short-story-collection · 1997
- Redemolished
short-story-and-essay-collection · 2000
“Bester’s two superb books have stood the test of time. For nearly sixty years they’ve held their place on everybody’s list of the ten greatest sf novels” —Robert Silverberg Before his untimely death in 1987, Alfred Bester had established…
Essays and speeches (2)
- The Science Fiction Novel: Imagination and Social Criticism
essay-collection · 1959
- Experiment Perilous: Three Essays on Science Fiction
essay-collection · 1976
Collaborations (1)
- Psychoshop
co-authored novel · 1998
Other (4)
- The Stars My Destination: The Graphic Story Adaptation: Volume One
graphic-adaptation · 1979
- The Stars My Destination: The Graphic Story Adaptation
graphic-adaptation · 1992
- The Flowered Thundermug: A Science Fiction Comedy
chapbook · 2009
- The Starcomber
chapbook · 2013
Frequently asked questions about Alfred Bester
Who was Alfred Bester, and what was he known for?
Alfred Bester was an American science-fiction author, magazine editor, radio and television scriptwriter, and comic-book scripter. He is best remembered for his innovative science fiction.
When and where was Alfred Bester born, and when did he die?
He was born in New York on December 18, 1913, and died in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, on September 30, 1987.
Sources: sf-encyclopedia.com (opens in a new tab)ebsco.com (opens in a new tab)
What other writing jobs did Alfred Bester have?
Besides writing science fiction, Bester worked on comic books, scripted radio serials and television, and later became a feature writer and senior literary editor at Holiday magazine.
Sources: sf-encyclopedia.com (opens in a new tab)press.uillinois.edu (opens in a new tab)
What influenced Alfred Bester’s writing?
Psychology was especially important to Bester’s fiction. His work also drew on Jacobean revenge drama and Alexandre Dumas’s The Count of Monte Cristo.
What awards and honors did Alfred Bester receive, and why is he important to science fiction?
He won the 1953 Hugo Award for Best Novel, was named an SFWA Grand Master, and was inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame in 2001. His experimental style helped bridge science fiction’s older traditions and the New Wave, and he is often regarded as a forerunner of cyberpunk.
Sources: thehugoawards.org (opens in a new tab)nebulas.sfwa.org (opens in a new tab)mopop.org (opens in a new tab)