The Demolished Man

Alfred Bester's The Demolished Man is a classic of science fiction, and is also cited as one of the forerunners of the cyberpunk genre, due to the role corporate intrigue plays in the exposition, as well as one setting (a labyrinth of a brothel, built on a post-nuclear site). It's an engaging, entertaining novel, that holds true to many fifties-era sci-fi conventions. Whether that adds to its charm, or hurts suspension of disbelief is an exercise for the reader.

Despite the fact that the novel is set in the early 24th century, in a world where telepaths are commonplace, it's unmistakably a product of the fifties -- much of the dialogue has a "gee whiz" feel. So while this may be a forerunner or anticipator of cyberpunk, it's certainly not a cyberpunk novel -- both the pro- and antagonist are initially likable characters, and the plot is relatively straightforward.

Bester's treatment of the emergence of telepaths is slightly more imaginative than most sci-fi or fantasy -- he organizes them into levels (for whether they can read thoughts, or delve into the unconscious mind), and has them formed into a guild. Said guild is the center of life for the telepaths -- one who has been sanctioned by the guild is exiled, and no other telepath will communicate with them. This is maddening, and many go crazy with loneliness -- the analogy is made to deaf-mutes. (One thing that bothers me about novels in the future, that The Demolished Man is particularly guilty of, is that many analogies are made to the mid-late 20th century, but few, if any, are made to the intervening period between then and the present of the novel)

While The Demolished Man is not perfect, it's still one of the best science fiction novels produced in the 1950s. Bester is able to create a compelling, mostly believable world, and a hell of a detective story. Absolutely up there with anything by Arthur C. Clarke, and I'd prefer him to Heinlein or Asimov.