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| Just another day working for CURE. |
Background Information
The Destroyer is a long series of action adventure novels by Warren Murphy. The first novel Created, The Destroyer was published in 1971 but the manuscript for it was written in 1963. It is long-running, and hasn't truly reached a conclusion yet. The entries in the series number in over a hundred and fifty different novels today. Suffice to say, it is not an easy series to get into for the uninitiated. However, it has maintained a generally steady amount of quality control and you can expect a good story regardless of which book you pick up. The story starts as Remo Williams, our main protagonist for most of the series, is framed for a murder he did not commit. The civil rights organizations want his head for killing a black drug dealer who was pushing dope, and he gets the chair. Just like in real life police officers always get the short end of the stick in these situations.
His life as a Newark Police Officer comes to an abrupt end.
However, this turns out to all just be a ploy by the secret organization known as CURE. They wished to recruit him, and have him act as their professional assassin. The goal of this organization was simple. They acted outside of the constitution to remedy the world of all evil. They would be the cure for it. After Remo Williams is recruited by CURE he is quickly assigned to the position of Chiun's apprentice. Chiun being their greatest and most formidable assassin at the time. He would learn from Chiun, and become their greatest weapon against the cancer known as organized crime. Those who would use the constitution to loophole their way past any punishment would meet their end by their hands.
It is a great series, and relevant even today preciesly because of how sickeningly politically correct the world has become. It also has a lot of dark humor, and doesn't hesitate towards being transgressive whenever it can.
Canonicity
The original series. Which means books 1~107, 111~133, and 146~152. The infamous trio of 108~110 and the 134~145 books were considered non-canon by Warren Murphy. He also considered the comic book adaptations of his works "perfect," and exactly how he envisioned the characters. That their portrayal was the way they "ought to be."
Standing in the Battledome
The Destroyer is a pretty powerful universe with a multitude of superhuman characters. These range from superhuman martial artists, psychics, dinosaurs, cyborgs, undead vampires, aliens, and even mythological gods. The most prominent being the practitioners of sinanju. As the lead characters Remo and Chiun are the masters of it. In terms of speed we have characters being able to outrun neutrons from a fission reaction, dodge lasers, move faster than electrical signals and oscillate trillions of times per millisecond. In terms of strength characters can overpower water-jets powerful enough to destroy California. People like The Dutchman who can destroy planets like Venus, and hollow out the universe by destroying all celestial bodies in it. The Masters of Sinanju who can twirl galaxies around. Their mastery of the spirit breath allows them to achieve oneness with the universe, and grants them a plethora of exotic abilities. Such as the ability to destroy all of the mitochondria inside of someone's body, or rearrange microscopic particles in order to transmute matter.
Above them are the immortal gods capable of distorting reality in any way they wish, existing beyond time and space, and amongst them the strongest god is Shiva. The eponymous destroyer. Who lays sleeping within Remo Williams until the Tandava. When he would destroy and recreate the universe with but a dance.
A thread discussing and analyzing the series can be found here.
Supporters of the Series
- Elric of Melnibone
OBD Profiles
Character Profiles
- Chiun