The Demolished Man

Side note: Available on Kindle.

Postives: Extra-ordinary and classic example of complex world-building imagination. While many of the technological changes envisioned have yet to be realized, and the main adaptation (psychic abilities as useful, business skills of objective benifit) has not; many of the more unforeseeable changes are left unforeseen. Result is a world where humans are different and not different. Classic respose to the creation / evolution question of humankind.

Negatives: Many instances of archiac (for me somewhat unecessarily pretentious) use of obscure language which detracts from an otherwise unclutters writing style. The characters are flat. The plot and storyline (essentially the backdrop of suspense novel) is predicatable and uninspired.

Conclusion: I now understand well the reasons my high school and college english and literature teachers and professors took a rather skeptical view of SciFi as a serious genre of literature. Interesting world, but not a penetrating insight into the human condition on any substantive level.