
By ALFRED BESTER
CHAPTER I
CHAPTER II
CHAPTER III
CHAPTER IV
CHAPTER V
CHAPTER VI
CHAPTER VII
CHAPTER VIII
CHAPTER IX
A weary script‑writer for mystery shows narrates his own uneasy existence in Manhattan, a place he calls “The Rock.” He and his actress wife scrape a modest living, haunted by the clash between public glamour and private anonymity. Their world feels like a tightrope act, where each day is a fragile balance between hysteria and ordinary life.
Against this backdrop, a bizarre television variety program called “Who He?” becomes the unlikely stage for a kaleidoscope of strangers—adventurers, hustlers, and neurotic dreamers—all chasing fortunes that are as mental as they are material. The narrator paints the city as a frontier where subconscious fears surface as easily as a subway’s sudden daylight, turning every street crossing into a chance encounter with hidden desires and sudden danger. Listeners are invited to glimpse the raw, unpredictable pulse of a metropolis where illusion and reality fire the same restless spark.
Language
en
Duration
~8 hours (489K characters)
Release date
2025-01-28
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1913–1987
A restless, inventive voice in science fiction, he helped push the genre toward sharper psychology, faster pacing, and a more modern feel. Best known for The Demolished Man and The Stars My Destination, he left a small body of work with an outsized reputation.
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