The Destroyer (novel series)

The Destroyer

Author	Warren Murphy Richard Sapir
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	Adventure fiction
Media type	Print (hardcover and paperback), e-book, audiobook

The Destroyer is a series of paperback novels about a U.S. government operative named Remo Williams, originally by Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir. The first novel was published in 1971, although the manuscript was completed on June 25, 1963. Over 150 novels have been published. The main characters were adapted to film in Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985).

Authors

The series was initially co-authored by Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir, with each writing a portion of each book separately. In the late 1970s, the relationship between the two became tense, and Sapir withdrew. In the early 1980s, Murphy began using ghostwriters to help with the series, among them his wife Molly Cochran. In the mid-1980s, Sapir returned to participating in the series.

In the late 1980s, Will Murray took over the sole responsibility of writing the series with #74, having written several previous books with Murphy (and one with Cochran). After Sapir's death, Murray continued the series until the late 1990s. When Murray left after novel #107, three novels were written by interim ghostwriters (#108 & #110 by Mike Newton; #109 by Alan Philipson). Jim Mullaney took over for novels #111-#131, followed by two more by Newton. Tim Somheil was ghostwriter from #134 through #145. Marvel Comics writer Doug Murray wrote two related novels in the series, both involving the Destroyer's battle with a werewolf.

The last Gold Eagle Publishing book, Dragon Bones, was released in October 2006. On July 11, 2006, it was announced that The Destroyer would be moving to Tor Books. Somheil was replaced by Mullaney, who co-wrote the new novels with Warren Murphy. The first Tor novel, The New Destroyer: Guardian Angel, was published in May 2007, accompanied by a re-release of three older novels collected as The Best of the Destroyer. There were a total of four (4) novels in 2007-2008 (#s 146-149), listing Murphy & Mullaney as authors. 'The End of the World' (#150) did not come out until 2013 and lists Murphy as sole author; this book and many reprints marked the start of Destroyer Books as the franchise's own publication company. The last three books (so far), cover the period of 2016-2019 and listed Murphy and R.J. Carter as authors.

In 2002 Murphy started his own publishing house, Ballybunion, as a vehicle for Destroyer spin-off books. Ballybunion, now known as Destroyer Books, has reprinted The Assassin's Handbook, as well as the original works Destroyer World: The Assassin's Handbook II , Destroyer World: 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.

In 2011 the rights to most of The Destroyer novels reverted to Warren Murphy. They are being released as e-books. Murphy is also reissuing many of the older titles in print format.

In 2017 Gene Donovan Press began publishing new books in the series (starting with Bully Pulpit) written by author R.J. Carter. #151 and #152 show a writing credit of "Warren Murphy with R.J. Carter" while #153 shows "R.J. Carter with Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir".

In 2024, Bold Venture Press published a new anthology produced under license from Warren Murphy Media, LLC. Remo Williams, The Destroyer: The Adventures Continue features 11 new stories by various authors (several of who were ghost writers for Warren Murphy, or previously considered as ghost writers). A twelfth story, "Terminal Philosophy" by Warren Murphy and Will Murray, was originally published in All-Star Action Heroes #1 (Starlog Group, 1989), and previously unreprinted.

Description

The series' hero is Remo Williams, a Newark cop framed for a crime and sentenced to death. His death is faked by the government so he can be trained as an assassin for CURE, a secret organization set up by President Kennedy to defend the country by working outside the law. The head of CURE is Harold W. Smith, a man selected by the President not only for his brilliant mind but also because of his integrity. Smith is a former law instructor at Yale and served in the Office of Strategic Services during World War II.

Remo's trainer and father figure is Chiun, a deadly assassin and the last Master of Sinanju. It has also emerged that Remo is the Avatar of Shiva, as prophesied in the legends of Sinanju. In 1985, a revision of The Assassin's Handbook was published as Inside Sinanju, a companion book to the series. This is narrated primarily in the first person, from Chiun's perspective. It covers anecdotes as well as information on the various villains and history of the series.

The series' basic formula had taken shape by about the third book, but many elements have been introduced into later stories about the early days of Remo's training. In the first book, the word Sinanju is not used at all to describe the martial arts that Chiun teaches Remo. Zen, karate, aikido and judo are used instead. Remo has many trainers for other aspects of being an undercover operative; he is taught to use different types of firearms, and trained in close-quarters assassination. He smokes tobacco, drinks alcohol, and eats red meat, all activities that would later prove harmful or impossible as his body was changed by the harsh Sinanju training regimen. Remo uses a gun to shoot somebody, although it is only to wound, and all his actual kills are hand-to-hand. He does make a conscious choice not to use weapons, after a fight in which he kills a man who had been pointing a gun at him. He realizes that Chiun never carried a gun and is over 70, whereas MacCleary, who had told him to always carry a gun, is dead. The retelling of Remo's origin in the story "The Day Remo Died" in The Assassin's Handbook and in The Destroyer #120-121 and #128 resolve later developments more fully with his origins.

Villains

Remo and Chiun have encountered a number of colorful villains, both human and superhuman. Their foes have run the gamut of pulp fiction, from mobsters to mad scientists to satires of famous real people. Notable examples include:

• Mr. Gordons, a shapeshifting android created by NASA with limited emotional capabilities.
• Cartoonist Uncle Sam Beasley, revived from cryogenic sleep and armed with an animatronic eye and hand.
• Super-soldier Elizu Roote, a cyborg with electricity-based superpowers.
• Friend, an artificial intelligence dedicated to making as much money as possible.
• Nuihc ("Chiun" reversed) the Renegade, Chiun's first pupil and nephew. Once trained, Nuihc deserted his duty of providing for the village of Sinanju to seek personal profit. This forced Chiun out of retirement to train Remo Williams.
• Jeremiah Purcell (a.k.a. the Dutchman), Nuihc's protege and a strong psychic and pyrokinetic.
• Kali, the Hindu goddess who is linked to Remo.
• The Master, a Chinese vampire.
• Wu Ming Shi (a.k.a. Dr. Fu Manchu)
• Sagwa, the bodyguard and right-hand man of Wu Ming Shi, a pastiche of martial artist Bruce Lee
• Rasputin, an undead Russian monk.
• Dr. Judith White, a scientist specializing in genetic engineering who changed herself into a weretiger.
• The Krahsheevah, a Russian soldier with the ability to walk through walls and transmit his physical form by converting into energy and traveling on phone lines, as well as other unique powers.

Given Remo and Chiun's talents as assassins, few of their enemies have survived their initial encounter with them, but some of the above have managed to escape and return in subsequent stories.

Other media

Film

Main article: Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins

In 1985, The Destroyer concept was adapted for the theatrical movie Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, starring Fred Ward as Williams, Joel Grey as Chiun and Wilford Brimley as Harold W. Smith. The film shows the first meeting of Remo and Chiun, and centers on a corrupt weapons manufacturer who is selling guns to the US Army.

In 2014 Sony Pictures hired director Shane Black, a fan of the book series, to begin work on a script by Jim Uhls and The Destroyer series co-author James Mullaney. In a 2018 interview Black said the project was "still very much in play", and he planned to work on the script with Fred Dekker and Jim Mullaney. He praised Mullaney's books in the series as equal to those of Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir's.

Television

Main article: Remo Williams: The Prophecy

In 1988, an American television pilot, Remo Williams, aired but did not lead to a series. It was a follow-up to the first movie incorporating footage from the movie in the opening credits. It starred Jeffrey Meek as Williams, Roddy McDowall as Chiun, and Stephen Elliott as Harold W. Smith and is loosely based on the novella "The Day Remo Died". Set one year after the events of the feature film, the pilot episode (titled "The Prophecy") was directed by Christian I. Nyby II and the teleplay written by Steven Hensley and J. Miyoko Hensley. The episode featured guest stars Carmen Argenziano, Judy Landers, and Andy Romano. Craig Safan, who scored the movie, returned to provide the music for the pilot; his score was later released by Intrada Records (paired with Safan's score for the TV movie Mission of the Shark: The Saga of the U.S.S. Indianapolis).

The television pilot had not been seen since 1988 until the Encore cable television channel began airing it in the summer of 2009.

On December 8, 2022, it was announced that Gordon Smith will be adapting a TV series version of The Destroyer for Sony Pictures Television with Adrian Askarieh executive producing.

Comic books

There have been several Destroyer comic book and magazine series published by various companies including Marvel.

Audio book

Books 95–122 in the series were released in audiobook format by GraphicAudio.

Books 3, 12 and 19 in the series were also released in audiobook format. These were produced by Speaking Volumes, LLC.

Assassin's Playoff was published by Speaking Volumes (ISBN 978-1-935138-02-0), number 20 in the list of audiobook format. Not sure if the three book numbers are incorrect or if there was a fourth release.

Series listing

1. Created, The Destroyer (1971)
2. Death Check (1972)
3. Chinese Puzzle (1972)
4. Mafia Fix (1972)
5. Dr. Quake (1972)
6. Death Therapy (1972)
7. Union Bust (1973)
8. Summit Chase (1973)
9. Murder's Shield (1973)
10. Terror Squad (1973)
11. Kill or CURE (1973)
12. Slave Safari (1973)
13. Acid Rock (1973)
14. Judgment Day (1974)
15. Murder Ward (1974)
16. Oil Slick (1974)
17. Last War Dance (1974)
18. Funny Money (1975)
19. Holy Terror (1975)
20. Assassin's Play-Off
21. Deadly Seeds
22. Brain Drain
23. Child's Play
24. King's Curse
25. Sweet Dreams
26. In Enemy Hands
27. The Last Temple
28. Ship of Death
29. The Final Death
30. Mugger Blood
31. The Head Men
32. Killer Chromosomes
33. Voodoo Die
34. Chained Reaction
35. Last Call
36. Power Play
37. Bottom Line
38. Bay City Blast
39. Missing Link
40. Dangerous Games
41. Firing Line
42. Timber Line
43. Midnight Man
44. Balance of Power
45. Spoils of War
46. Next of Kin
47. Dying Space
48. Profit Motive
49. Skin Deep
50. Killing Time
51. Shock Value
52. Fool's Gold
53. Time Trial
54. Last Drop
55. Master's Challenge
56. Encounter Group
57. Date With Death
58. Total Recall
59. The Arms of Kali
60. The End of the Game
61. Lords of the Earth
62. The Seventh Stone
63. The Sky Is Falling
64. The Last Alchemist
65. Lost Yesterday
66. Sue Me
67. Look Into My Eyes
68. An Old-Fashioned War
69. Blood Ties
70. The Eleventh Hour
71. Return Engagement
72. Sole Survivor
73. Line of Succession
74. Walking Wounded
75. Rain of Terror
76. The Final Crusade
77. Coin of the Realm
78. Blue Smoke And Mirrors
79. Shooting Schedule
80. Death Sentence
81. Hostile Takeover
82. Survival Course
83. Skull Duggery
84. Ground Zero
85. Blood Lust
86. Arabian Nightmare
87. Mob Psychology
88. The Ultimate Death
89. Dark Horse
90. Ghost in the Machine
91. Cold Warrior
92. The Last Dragon
93. Terminal Transmission
94. Feeding Frenzy
95. High Priestess
96. Infernal Revenue
97. Identity Crisis
98. Target of Opportunity
99. The Color of Fear
100. Last Rites
101. Bidding War
102. Unite and Conquer
103. Engines Of Destruction
104. Angry White Mailmen
105. Scorched Earth
106. White Water
107. Feast or Famine
108. Bamboo Dragon
109. American Obsession
110. Never Say Die
111. Prophet of Doom
112. Brain Storm
113. The Empire Dreams
114. Failing Marks
115. Misfortune Teller
116. The Final Reel
117. Deadly Genes
118. Killer Watts
119. Fade To Black
120. The Last Monarch
121. A Pound of Prevention
122. Syndication Rites
123. Disloyal Opposition
124. By Eminent Domain
125. The Wrong Stuff
126. Air Raid
127. Market Force
128. The End of the Beginning
129. Father To Son
130. Waste Not, Want Not
131. Unnatural Selection
132. Wolf's Bane
133. Troubled Waters
134. Bloody Tourists
135. Political Pressure
136. Unpopular Science
137. Industrial Evolution
138. No Contest
139. Dream Thing
140. Dark Ages
141. Frightening Strikes
142. Mindblower
143. Bad Dog
144. Holy Mother
145. Dragon Bones
146. Choke Hold
147. Guardian Angel
148. Dead Reckoning
149. Killer Ratings
150. The End of the World
151. Bully Pulpit
152. Continental Divide
153. Monumental Terror
154. Blood Brotherhood
155. Trial by Fire

• The Assassin's Handbook (1983) features a novella The Day Remo Died. It was republished in 1985 as Inside Sinanju.
• Remo: The Adventure Begins... (1985): a novelization of the script by Christopher Wood
• The Best of the Destroyer (May 1, 2007): a collection of three early Destroyer books: Chinese Puzzle, Slave Safari, and Assassin's Playoff.

In 2007, Tor Books published four books in the series; due to contractual issues, the titles were changed to "The New Destroyer", although the characters were unchanged. The numbering also restarted, so the first book is called "The New Destroyer #1", rather than "Destroyer #146".

1. Guardian Angel (May 2007)
2. Choke Hold (October 2007)
3. Dead Reckoning (April 2008)
4. Killer Ratings (July 2008)

The series also includes several novellas, now available online from many of the different e-reader companies:

1. The Day Remo Died (a reissue of the story from The Assassin's Handbook)
2. Savage Song (March 2012)
3. Number Two (October 2012)

Starting in November 21, 2012, the Legacy spin-off series, featuring Remo's father (Bill "Sunny Joe" Roam), Remo's son (Stone Smith), and Remo's daughter (Freya Williams; Stone's half-sister), was introduced. It was co-written by Warren Murphy and Gerald Welch until Murphy's death in 2015, after which Gerald Welch continued it on his own:

1. Forgotten Son (November 21, 2012)
2. The Killing Fields (July 29, 2013)
3. Overload (May 7, 2014)
4. Trial and Terror (October 30, 2014)
5. Mother Mine (December 4, 2015)
6. Laughing Matter (January 13, 2017)
7. 100 Proof (August 18, 2018)
8. Homecoming (May 15, 2021)

Even though both of the original creators have been deceased since 2015, new books in the Destroyer series are still being published:

151. Bully Pulpit (February 18, 2016)

152. Continental Divide (January 2018)

153. Monumental Terror (September 2019)

154. Blood Brotherhood (2021)

155. Trial by Fire (December, 2021)

See also

• Able Team
• Death Merchant
• Nick Carter-Killmaster
• Phoenix Force
• Mack Bolan

External links

• DestroyerBooks.com — the official site of the Destroyer series
• JamesMullaney.com - James Mullaney, co-author of The New Destroyer series
• WarrenMurphy.com - Series Co-Creator and Co-Author
• Sinanju.com - Book series site
• Sinanju.net - Destroyer Fan Site
• TheNewDestroyer.com - New Book series site