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The Destroyer #47
Dying Space
Dr. Frances Peyton-Holmes is an alcoholic, sex-crazed, abusive boss, but her methods produce results, which makes for an endless stream of government funding for UCLA. Her latest invention could forever change the course of international diplomacy… if the device can be found. Was it thrown out by an over-zealous sanitation team? Has it fallen into the clutches of Russian agents? Something worse? And what on earth does that weird looking man mean by “Hello is all right?”
Remo Williams is The Destroyer, a New Jersey beat cop recruited—through highly unorthodox methods—by a secret government law-enforcement organization. Trained to become the most deadly assassin, Remo is America's last line of defense against mad scientists, organized crime, ancient undead gods, and anything else that threatens the Constitution. An action-adventure series leavened with social and political satire, the Destroyer novels have been thrilling readers worldwide for decades.
Remo Williams is The Destroyer, a New Jersey beat cop recruited—through highly unorthodox methods—by a secret government law-enforcement organization. Trained to become the most deadly assassin, Remo is America's last line of defense against mad scientists, organized crime, ancient undead gods, and anything else that threatens the Constitution. An action-adventure series leavened with social and political satire, the Destroyer novels have been thrilling readers worldwide for decades.
136 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1982
20 people are currently reading
82 people want to read
About the author
Warren Murphy
294 books123 followersWarren 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 19, 2025
2.5/5
This was barely a Destroyer book much to my disappointment. Nearly the entire book was centered around the recurring character of Mr. Gordon. The story of Mr. Gordon was decent but it was not what I was reading the book for, I read these books for Remo and Chuin and their fun and humorous interplay and adventures.
This was barely a Destroyer book much to my disappointment. Nearly the entire book was centered around the recurring character of Mr. Gordon. The story of Mr. Gordon was decent but it was not what I was reading the book for, I read these books for Remo and Chuin and their fun and humorous interplay and adventures.
June 13, 2017
The Destroyer #47: “Dying Space” by Warren Murphy (Molly Cockran). Mr. Gordons is back. A Russian spy enters a secret lab to steal a super computer at UCLA. He can’t escape with it openly, so places in next to the trash bin for pick up the next day. That night the garbage truck arrives early and carts the LC 111 computer to the trash dump. It’s also the location where the remains of the robot, Mr. Gordons were left. Gordons is a survival robot and immediately incorporates its remains into the super computer and they assimilate. Mr. Gordons doesn’t have all his memory yet, but knows where LC 111 originated, and goes there to find the professor in charge. Chium and Remo are sent to find the missing computer, plus the Russian spy is trying to find it. Thinking the computer has been taken to Russia, the Remo and Chiun head there, and so do Mr. Gordons and the professor. This was a fun little story, and a fast read.
August 20, 2021
The survival machine, Mr. Gordons, returns for what is his most unusual adventure yet. Mr. Gordons is an assimilator machine who believes that its survival is threatened by the existence of Remo and Chiun. To defeat them, he is constantly searching for a way to become “creative”. After his last encounter with Remo, he was dismantled and destroyed, but enough of his parts survived that when (through a strange confluence of events) they came into contact with an extremely high-tech computer, he was able to put himself back together again—but with memory problems that cause him to seek out the creator of the high-tech computer for assistance. Strangely, the android who has been so horrific in past adventures, forms a friendship with this scientist, even as he continues his crusade against Remo.
Things get rather complicated after that and I don’t want to give away any surprises, so I’ll just say that this book will make you wonder if the killer robot could actually become a hero. It’s a bit silly at times, but thoroughly enjoyable.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
Things get rather complicated after that and I don’t want to give away any surprises, so I’ll just say that this book will make you wonder if the killer robot could actually become a hero. It’s a bit silly at times, but thoroughly enjoyable.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
March 7, 2020
Rating between 2.5 & 3
An average entry in this series. The returning vehicle Mr Gordon didn’t help improve the story very much at all I think. Even allowing for the fantastical nature of the series and the ‘skills’ that sinanju teaches this particular enemy pushes the concept too far into the fantasy/science fiction genres, for me at least.
An average entry in this series. The returning vehicle Mr Gordon didn’t help improve the story very much at all I think. Even allowing for the fantastical nature of the series and the ‘skills’ that sinanju teaches this particular enemy pushes the concept too far into the fantasy/science fiction genres, for me at least.
July 3, 2017
The return of one of the silliest enemies Remo and Chiun have faced. But this time the story takes an unexpected turn and is not quite as formulaic as many past Remo and Chiun stories.
July 19, 2020
#47 in the Destroyer series. Remo & Chiun are stalked by a shape-changing Android. Much chaos ensues.
February 12, 2016
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. The killer android Mr. Gordons returns for his 3rd fight against the heroes. Recommended
December 22, 2007
read 06.11.84
April 30, 2017
His name was Remo and he was catching bullets.
Ghostwritten by Warren Murphy's wife Molly Cochran, Dying Space features the return of Mr. Gordons, the rogue "survival machine" hell-bent on killing Remo Williams. The botched theft of a missile defense computer by a soviet spy leads to the resurrection of Mr' Gordons, who seeks out the computer's creator to help alter his programming to allow creativity. When Remo and Chiun become involved in tracking down this missing computer to prevent a soviet missile from infecting the moon with a space virus (it could happen), they inevitably run into Mr. Gordons, all hell breaks loose. This Destroyer novel is a great throwback to eighties Cold War era entertainment, with everything from missile defense systems to exploding pens and cyanide capsules, not to mention the killer android. It's a quick read and a fast-paced story, great fun from the golden age of the Men's Adventure Novel.
Ghostwritten by Warren Murphy's wife Molly Cochran, Dying Space features the return of Mr. Gordons, the rogue "survival machine" hell-bent on killing Remo Williams. The botched theft of a missile defense computer by a soviet spy leads to the resurrection of Mr' Gordons, who seeks out the computer's creator to help alter his programming to allow creativity. When Remo and Chiun become involved in tracking down this missing computer to prevent a soviet missile from infecting the moon with a space virus (it could happen), they inevitably run into Mr. Gordons, all hell breaks loose. This Destroyer novel is a great throwback to eighties Cold War era entertainment, with everything from missile defense systems to exploding pens and cyanide capsules, not to mention the killer android. It's a quick read and a fast-paced story, great fun from the golden age of the Men's Adventure Novel.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews