De gelijktijdige man

Ralph Blum

ISBN 10: 9022990303 / ISBN 13: 9789022990308

Published by Bruna, 1973

About this Item

Leichte Gebrauchsspuren; Leichte Verformung / umgeknickte Seiten; Leichte Verschmutzung / Farbtonveränderung. Andrew Horne, a Russian-born U.S. scientist known as "Bear," is involved in Project Beta, a covert government initiative focused on perfecting mind control and brainwashing. The project targets hopeless psychiatric cases and death row inmates for its experiments. After a disastrous first attempt, the team decides to model the second Remake on Horne's own psyche. The chosen subject is a Black soldier, designated Prisvol 233/234, sentenced to death for killing an officer. The process begins with ultrasound to erase his memories, followed by immersive reenactments of Horne's life, including his childhood, college experiences, and military service. As the narrative unfolds, it is revealed that Horne himself endured torture and brainwashing during the Korean War, leading him to create a "false self" to survive. Ultimately, 233/234 is transformed into "Black Bear," effectively becoming Horne in a new body. However, when security discovers that Black Bear possesses all of Horne's classified knowledge, they view him as a threat. This realization triggers a series of events that intertwine the fates of both Horne and Black Bear, leading them to confront their shared identities in "East Wing" in Russia.

Seller Inventory # b54e57ef-1a37-4649-a9e9-ee435edb31de

Bibliographic Details

• Title: De gelijktijdige man
• Publisher: Bruna
• Publication Date: 1973
• Language: Dutch
• ISBN 10: 9022990303
• ISBN 13: 9789022990308
• Binding: Softcover
• Condition: Fine

About this title

Synopsis

Andrew Horne (aka "Bear"), a Russian-born U.S. scientist, works at "West Wing" on Project Beta, a secret government mind-control project, which aims to perfect the art of brainwashing until it is possible to completely re-make a person's mind and soul. The Project operates on hopeless cases from psychiatric wards, and "prison-volunteers" who would otherwise be executed.

After the Project's first Remake fails disastrously, they decide to base the second Remake on the mind of Horne himself. The prison-volunteer chosen for the Remake is a Black soldier, referred to as Prisvol 233/234, who has killed an officer and been sentenced to death. The Project first uses ultrasound to destroy his access to his old memories, and then, having washed the slate clean, exposes him to immersive movie reenactments of Horne's childhood, college days, war service, and entry into the Project. (As this is performed, the reader discovers that Horne himself was on the receiving end of torture and brainwashing in the Korean War, which he fought against by creating a "false self" which he betrays to the enemy - the "Lieutenant Kijé defense"). At the end of this process, 233/234, now known as "Black Bear", is, for all intents and purposes, Andrew Horne in a new body.

However, when Security realizes that Black Bear also has all of Horne's secret knowledge, and considers him a security risk, an unstoppable chain of events begins where their mirror image identities lead both Black Bear and Horne to "East Wing" in Russia.