Sweet Dreams

The Destroyer #25

by Warren Murphy, Richard Sapir (Series Co-creator)

Fiction, Men's Adventure, Spy, Intrigue

Richard Meyers (ghostwriter) is the main author of this book, with Warren Murphy (the series creator) as co-author, while Richard Sapir, who had nothing to do with the writing of this book, has his name on the cover as series co-creator.

Genres: Thriller, Action, Fiction, Pulp, Martial Arts, Adventure

Paperback

Published January 1, 1989

About the author

Warren Murphy was an American author, most famous as the co-creator of The Destroyer series, the basis for the film Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins. He worked as a reporter and editor and after service during the Korean War, he drifted into politics.

Murphy also wrote the screenplay for Lethal Weapon 2. He is the author of the Trace and Digger series. With Molly Cochran, he completed two books of a planned trilogy revolving around the character The Grandmaster, The Grandmaster (1984) and High Priest (1989). Murphy also shares writing credits with Cochran on The Forever King and several novels under the name Dev Stryker. The first Grandmaster book earned Murphy and Cochran a 1985 Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original, and Murphy's Pigs Get Fat took the same honor the following year.

His solo novels include Jericho Day, The Red Moon, The Ceiling of Hell, The Sure Thing and Honor Among Thieves. Over his career, Murphy sold over 60 million books.

He started his own publishing house, Ballybunion, to have a vehicle to start The Destroyer spin-off books. Ballybunion has reprinted The Assassin's Handbook, as well as the original works Assassin's Handbook 2, The Movie That Never Was (a screenplay he and Richard Sapir wrote for a Destroyer movie that was never optioned), The Way of the Assassin (the wisdom of Chiun), and New Blood, a collection of short stories written by fans of the series.

He served on the board of the Mystery Writers of America, and was a member of the Private Eye Writers of America, the International Association of Crime Writers, the American Crime Writers League and the Screenwriters Guild.

Reviews

[Sidney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably the first Destroyer I read. A friend gave it to me, and I was kind of pleasantly surprised at how funny it was given the stone cold seriousness of so many men's adventure titles at the time. The premise of a machine that lets users view their day dreams is imagined in zany fashion. I backtracked and read earlier entries and stayed with the series for quite a while after.

[Karen Ford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series, dealing with super agent Remo Williams, doesn't take itself seriously, compared with other action and adventure novels penned in the late 1970s. I found myself smiling during long stretches of the book, which deals with a college professor who has developed a device that can take a person's thoughts and project them into a television as if they were watching a movie starting themselves.

Naturally, everyone from the government and the mob want access to the invention, including the television industry, who wants to suppress it in the fear that it will put them out of business. Remo and his mentor, Chuin, are assigned by their top secret agency, CURE, to retrieve the invention at all costs.

If you are in the mood for a not so serious tome, the Destroyer series is perfect to while away a few hours and not feel guilty about it at all.

[Gilbert Stack · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the weaker novels, a scientist has created a device that allows people to watch their daydreams on a television screen. The mafia gets involved and Remo and Chiun have to kill a lot of people. The only slightly interesting twist is that one of the mafiosos realizes that Remo and Chiun are the people who were killing off members of the mafia in earlier books. Unsurprisingly, this knowledge doesn’t help him.

If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.

[Frank McGirk · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was less charmed by this instqllment than I had been with my first meeting with Remo Williams. Not only was the conceit less fresh, but it seemed a bit more "icky" rather than being a level parody of America as a whole.

Still, it was definitely light and was entertaining enough at times to help me wind down at the end of a long day.

Will probably reaad another installment at some point.

[Daniel Lloyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first insight into the world of The Destroyer, a super old, long running kung-fu spy comedy thriller series. It's simultaneously nothing to write home about, quality-wise, and incredibly fun light reading. The sort of read I can't recommend dropping ANY money on whatsoever, but if someone ever throws a Destroyer book at your face, it's worth flipping through.

[Jeff J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better books I’ve read in the Destroyer series. The invention of a television that broadcasts dreams has multiple parties seeking to get control. Madcap humor ensues.

[Eddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not in the top ten or fifty. But good enough to go to sleep for a couple of nights. That's the biz.

[S. Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the sillier novels in the Destroyer series, the central plot revolves around a college professor's invention that enables a person to view their dreams on a television set. Villainy takes the form of both Organized Crime and Big Business, as Gangsters and TV Execs leave a wake of dead bodies behind them as they compete to acquire the "Dreamocizer" at any cost. All Remo wants is a normal life, but hopes of that quickly fade as he tries to keep up with multiple hit men. It's hard to fully grasp why such a device would inspire wholesale slaughter to possess it, but it's enough to get the story in motion, the majority of the book maintains the level of seriousness that such a setup deserves (ie. Not much).

The femme fatale in this one is Patti Shea, a notoriously busty and bitchy television journalist sent by her studio to get the Dreamocizer, but she's rather ineffectual and manages to do little more than provide eye candy and unsuccessfully try to drag Remo into some kinky sex. Then there is the hit man the studio sends to help Patti clean up: T.B. Donleavy, the (self-proclaimed) world's thirty-third greatest assassin. Donleavy prefers flashy assassinations that result in massive collateral damage, and is driven from one assignment to the next by the voices of his previous victims, who chant "Kill for us" in his mind. He manages to make a big impression (and a big mess) before finally running into Remo, and is definitely the most entertaining character out side of the Sinanju Duo themselves.

For fans of the series, Syndicate hit-man Arthur Grassione is on the lookout for Remo after past run-ins with the Destroyer have vastly depleted the Syndicate's workforce, and at one point he reference past instances of mysterious gangland deaths, directly linking this book to Union Bust (#7) and Summit Chase (#8).

[Bryan457 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A professor invents the world's greatest entertainment device, a machine that will project your thoughts and fantasies onto a TV screen. Everyone from the TV networks to the Mafia wants it. Smitty discovers that it can be deadly, and sends Remo and Chiun to check things out.

Strange book, but I enjoyed it. No super villain, no big threats to the government or anything. Just a fun read.

Favorite tidbits: Remo and Chiun mess with the mafia some more. Remo messes with the Boston Marathon; he runs it 5 times while everyone else is running it once. The best runner quits in despair after Remo passes him for the third time. Chiun watches a soap opera called, “All My Offspring.” Remo is caught in a burning building, something in the “Shiva mantra” helps him pass through the fire unscathed. It is not one of the full on Shiva manifestations that happen in later books.

Warning, sex and graphic gory violence.

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the big men's adventure series from the 70's than ran an impressive 145 books. The series while an adventure/action story is also full of satire toward much of the mainstream fads and icons of the time. An interesting main character and the sarcastic mentor makes this a funny action/adventure read. A new type of dream machine is invented and the Mob wants to steal it, Remo and Chiun must protect the machine. Recommended

[Dan Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun Destroyer entry, though this one feels a little more haphazard than other installments. The Remo/Chiun interaction is great as usual and the violence feels a bit more amped up. Well worth reading, as are all the Remo tales.

[DOUGLAS J BERRY · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's the stuff that dreams are made of.

Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir offering. Suitable for teens and adults. A scientist invents a new type dream machine. Remo and chiun try to control it for Cure.

[Waynestennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fast read. Not the best in the series, but not terrible either. Didn't seem to have the kind of closure found in most of the other books.

[Miralinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

В этой книге авторы убивают положительного персонажа довольно жестоко, чего не было в прошлых книгах. Плюс намек на изнасилование, какой-то перебор ангста.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Destroyer is a consistently fun series.