Mercy Men

by Alan E. Nourse

book

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

Alan Edward Nourse was an American science fiction (SF) author and physician. He also wrote under the name Dr. X
He wrote both juvenile and adult science fiction, as well as nonfiction works about medicine and science.
Alan Nourse was born to Benjamin and Grace (Ogg) Nourse. He attended high school in Long Island, New York. He served in the U.S. Navy after World War II. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1951 from Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey. He married Ann Morton on June 11, 1952 in Lynden, New Jersey. He received a Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree in 1955 from the University of Pennsylvania. He served his one year internship at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle, Washington. He practiced medicine in North Bend, Washington from 1958 to 1963 and also pursued his writing career.
He had helped pay for his medical education by writing science fiction for magazines. After retiring from medicine, he continued writing. His regular column in Good Housekeeping magazine earned him the nickname "Family Doctor".
He was a friend of fellow author Avram Davidson. Robert A. Heinlein dedicated his 1964 novel Farnham's Freehold to Nourse. Heinlein in part dedicated his 1982 novel Friday to Nourse's wife Ann.

His novel The Bladerunner lent its name to the Blade Runner movie, but no other aspects of its plot or characters, which were taken from Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? In the late 1970s an attempt to adapt The Bladerunner for the screen was made, with Beat Generation author William S. Burroughs commissioned to write a story treatment; no film was ever developed but the story treatment was later published as the novella, Blade Runner (a movie).
His novel Star Surgeon has been recorded as a public domain audio book at LibriVox
His pen names included "Al Edwards" and "Doctor X".

He died in Thorp, Washington.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

I believe I must have read an earlier version of this book, A MAN OBSESSED, a -long- time ago, because parts of the current novel seemed quite familiar as I went along. It's a good example of science fiction as we knew it forty or fifty years ago, but nothing especially outstanding. One or two specific themes are explored, but the rest of the world seems unchanged from the contemporary as-it-was. Nourse did have a fine ear for dialog and a good sense of pacing.

[***Dave Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good mix of hunter/hunted adventure, medical sf, and psi work. And one of the more interesting twists on psi powers even to this day. Nourse was a favorite author of mine, and his work still holds up all these years later.

[Dreamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this when I was 13. My diary entry says 'very good'..

[John Tetteroo · Rating 2 out of 5]

In de toekomst leidt de mensheid in toenemende mate aan een ontredderende psychische ziekte, een wereldwijd financieel ondersteund instituut is speciaal opgezet om dit fenomeen te onderzoeken en een oplossing te vinden. Tegen deze achtergrond gaat een jongeman geobsedeerd op jacht naar de moordenaar van zijn vader en belandt in de greep van het instituut waar de moordenaar naartoe gevlucht is als hij geen andere uitweg meer voor zich ziet.

Ik zou zeggen, een mooi opzetje voor een spannend en bij tijd en wijle reflectief verhaal. Helaas komt dat niet erg uit de verf. Het boek voelt als een overvolle zolder waar de ideeën en personages lukraak op elkaar gestapeld zijn en de schrijver met zijn hoofdpersoon rondstommeld in een poging om iets van orde in aan te brengen. Maar de enige orde die ik ontdek is het feit dat er vier hoofdstukken zijn met een titel die de plotlijn doet vermoeden, maar niet echt bevestigt.

Onlogisch is het verhaal ook, met een geheim onderzoeksprogramma, waar iedereen van weet. Met doktoren die werken in het belang van de mensheid, maar bewakers hebben aangesteld om de gevangenen in elkaar te slaan als ze een verkeerde afslag in het complex nemen. Eigenlijk jammer, want het idee is zo goed en de roman heeft ook wel zijn goede momenten, vooral in de opbouw als er nog sprake is van een mysterie dat niet wordt uitgesproken, maar wel onherroepelijk vragen oproept bij de lezer. Jammer uiteindelijk dat de verklaring aan het einde van de roman zo'n verward exposé is geworden. Zo verwarrend dat ik zelfs nog even op de laatste blanko pagina's en de achterflap zat te kijken of er nog een nagestuurde verklaring stond. In de zin van "Voor degenen die het gemist hadden.. de clou staat op pagina 105 waar Jeffrey zegt.. Maar helaas. Ik blijf alleen achter met mijn ideeën en die van de andere reviewers.

Dit is één van die momenten dat ik in mijn arrogantie bij mijzelf zeg, geef maar even hier dan schrijf ik er nog 100 pagina's aan vast en dan maak ik de door jou geschapen verwachtingen bij de lezer echt waar. Mijn vingers jeuken. Dus, drie sterren voor het idee en de opbouw, een ster voor de uitwerking en de verwarrende deceptie aan het einde.

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this gem randomly at a used book shop! This book is only about 156 pages, but for being a quick read, it sure had me going ! This book follows Jeff in his search for what happened to his father. For some reason, he blames a man he's never met before named Conroe, but deep down, he's positive this man is responsible. His search takes him to the Hoffmen Medical Research Center, one of the world's leading medical facilities dedicated to saving the world from a killer virus. Rumors of this hospital talk of a hidden group of people known as " The Mercy Men" these groups of people sacrifice their brains and sometimes even their own lives in the name of science for a chance to take home a large sum of money. Jeff witnesses Conroe run into this building and decides to volunteer himself as a Mercy Men member to try and find him. Little does he know, he learns something spectacular about his own brain and what really happened to his father. This is a fast paced sci fi thriller set in 2100. Fantastic! 5/5!!

[Joachim Boaz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Full review: https://sciencefictionruminations.com...

"Alan E. Nourse’s The Mercy Men (1955) contains all the necessary parts for a riveting 1950s SF thriller: a disturbing future America where the destitute sell their bodies for medical experimentation, a world wrecked by increasing waves of mental illness, and a hero with a manic obsession with finding the man who killed his father. However, Nourse’s strategic dousing of the characters and scenes with Extra Sensory Perception [...]"

[Alien · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wie besessen jagt Jeff Meyer einen Mann, von dem er glaubt, dass er der Mörder seines Vaters sei. Als dieser sich in die riesige, unheimliche Forschungsklinik flüchtet, meldet sich Jeff als "Freiwillige Versuchsperson", obwohl er weiß, dass ihn das den Verstand oder das Leben kosten kann.

Das ganze schien von Anfang an unplausibel und lebensfremd. Die Motive der Handelnden rätselhaft. Nachdem der Leser mehr erfährt, macht das ganze mehr Sinn. Leider ist der Hintergrund der Handlung eines meiner Lieblings-Hass-Themen: Psi

[Patrik Sahlstrøm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Totally forgettable book, but not that bad considering when it was written. The main character is hunting the man that killed his father, but ends up as a testsubject in a nasty lab. Plot is aboverage and the writing isn't bad. But the author doesn't waste words on frivolities like giving the main character a personality or the reader a reson to care about what happens. Can't really recommend it

[Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting world is sketched in but not explored in detail, and the ending is a bit pat. It was hard to care about even the main character because he is not fleshed out as a person. The book kept my interest, but was ultimately not very satisfying.

[Giuliana Angotti · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sturgeon’s law states that 90% of a given thing is bad. So then out of the 10% of this book that’s good, 90% of that is also bad. But then, just then in that 1%… I absolutely loved it and couldn’t put it down.

[Benson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a conflicting one. There are elements that work, the world setting is quite interesting and the psionic episodes are left feeling rushed towards the end. This in theory could be picked up for a short adaptation. 3.5 stars

[Eugene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this as a lad, and loved it. Fired my (and my brother's) imagination with its tale of Jeff Meyer and his terrifying ESP power ...

[Parish · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a nice little pocket book. The cover gets a lot of weird looks in public, which delights me. The ending was a bit underwhelming, but still enjoyable.

[Julia Francone · Rating 3 out of 5]

It lacks a lot of woman characters, and is more plot-focused than character-focused I feel (which can be bad or good depending on what you like in books) but it is an interesting book. I feel the ending would have been more interesting to read if it had gone in the other direction...that's all I'll say for those who haven't read it. It's very short and will be a fast read that you can almost certainly finish in a day, if you have some time that day.

[Caroline · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was enthralled until the end. I found the end not only a little confusing with some questions unanswered, but also a little disappointing. Is it a book supposed to imply that the government is always correct? If they want to trap you and test your brain they should be allowed to and have all rights to do so if you are strange? I'm not sure I like that message...

[SciFiOne]

1983 grade A+
2014 abandoned

aka Man Obsessed

[Fred Conrad · Rating 4 out of 5]

The copy I downloaded from Gutenberg Press used the alternate title "A Man Obsessed." Also, had a nice plot twist at the end that I did not see coming but liked.