Sordman the Protector

In Short

Set in a future where psychic "Talent" is a real, perilous, and highly regulated force, this story follows Andrew Sordman, a government-sanctioned Protector. Sordman must navigate a society polarized by fear of his abilities to solve a series of murders in a massive, city-like hotel. Through a blend of Zen-Christian philosophy, drug-assisted ritual, and profound empathy, he attempts to bridge the gap between the hunted and the hunters. It is a taut, thoughtful exploration of the burden of power and the necessity of compassion in a fragile world.

The Story

The narrative opens in the colossal Hotel Mark Twain, a three-hundred-story vertical city, where a group of terrified residents has kidnapped a girl they suspect is a "witch" responsible for recent murders. Andrew Sordman, a powerful psionic adept, arrives to investigate. He is not a physical lawman in the traditional sense, but a man whose own emotions dictate the behavior of those around him. By sheer force of will and spiritual discipline, he convinces the mob to stand down, promising to find the true killer before midnight.

Sordman’s investigation leads him and his advisors—the experienced lobbyist Lee Shawn and the skeptical psychologist George Aaron—to the family of the first victim, Administrator Esponito. Through his Talent, Sordman senses the deep-seated resentments within the household. He uses a ritualized process involving drugs, juggling, and a divining rod to track the psychic residue of the crime, eventually identifying a second target: Raven English. When the team confronts Raven, they uncover a web of marital strife and professional jealousy involving her husband, Leonard Smith.

Smith, a man crippled by his own sense of inadequacy and hatred for Talents, has been pushed to a breaking point. As Sordman closes in, Smith flees into the hotel’s expansive wilderness park, armed with a hatchet. A group of vengeance-minded tenants pursues him, determined to enact their own justice. Sordman rushes to intercept them, knowing that a violent confrontation will likely lead to Smith’s death.

The climax takes place in the park, where Smith has already wounded or killed several of his pursuers. Sordman arrives and enters a dangerous, deep psychic link with both the murderer and a vengeful rifleman. By forcing each man to experience the other’s profound pain, frustration, and humanity, Sordman breaks their cycle of violence. Smith is neutralized, not through force, but through the overwhelming weight of shared empathy. Though the mission is a success, the psychic toll on Sordman is immense. The story concludes with the quiet realization that the burden of being a Protector is a permanent, exhausting, and never-ending commitment to a humanity that often fears him.

How It Unfolds

The standoff begins Sordman arrives at a beer hall where fourteen men hold an innocent girl captive. He uses his mastery of emotion to project calm, convincing the group to hold their fire while he investigates the murders.

The hunt for clues Accompanied by Lee and George, Sordman probes the minds of the victims' families. He observes how personal secrets, marital contracts, and professional failures drive the suspects' erratic behaviors.

The ritual of power Sordman prepares for his most difficult task by using drugs and ritualized juggling to heighten his psionic sensitivity. He uses a divining rod to locate the psychic trail left by the killer.

The chase ensues Leonard Smith, the unstable engineer, flees into the park to commit further violence. Sordman struggles to get to the scene before a group of armed, frightened tenants can kill him.

The final synthesis Sordman confronts Smith in the wilderness. He forces a psychic union between the murderer and his victim-to-be, successfully stopping the violence through an exhausting act of supreme empathy.

The People

Andrew Sordman is the protagonist, a young man who possesses immense psionic power. He balances his "Talent" through a strict Zen-Christian faith and a genuine love for the physical world. His struggle is to maintain his moral center while acting as a lightning rod for the world's collective fears and hatreds.

Lee Shawn is a seasoned lobbyist for the Guggenheim Foundation who fights to protect the rights of Talents. She acts as a grounded, maternal figure to Sordman, providing political insight and understanding the symbolic weight she carries in his psyche.

George Aaron is a psychologist and a mentor to Sordman. As a confirmed skeptic, he provides a necessary reality check, constantly warning Sordman against the dangers of overextending his psyche and losing himself in the "flow" of his power.

Leonard Smith represents the "unopened personality"—a man trapped by his own limitations and jealousy. His inability to find fulfillment in his work or his marriage turns his latent frustrations into a destructive hatred of those he views as "witches."

In Its Own Voice

"Two things kept him from destruction by his own Talent. He loved the physical world and he believed in God."

Sordman explains the foundation of his mental stability to his companions before entering the dangerous environment of the hotel.

"Many people need you."

George reminds Sordman of the heavy social responsibility that comes with being one of the world's only developed psionic adepts.

"I'm Sordman, the Protector of all, of the hunters and the hunted."

Sordman attempts to reach through the madness of the killer's mind by establishing a connection based on empathy rather than authority.

What It's Really About

The central argument concerns the isolation of power. The book posits that true strength is not the ability to force one's will upon others, but the ability to remain compassionate in the face of deep-seated human malice. It explores the tension between individual privacy and communal safety in a society where thoughts themselves can be dangerous. Sordman’s struggle suggests that to be a "Protector" is to be a martyr for the sanity of others; he must constantly absorb the fear and anger of those around him, yet remain "a bubble bouncing on the flow" of existence, never fully becoming part of the turmoil he is tasked to resolve.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy mid-century science fiction will appreciate the clean, brisk prose and the philosophical depth hidden within a detective story. It is a story for those who prefer character-driven internal conflict over bombastic action. The setting—a massive, self-contained vertical city—feels remarkably contemporary, echoing modern concerns about urban isolation and the surveillance of private life.

The reader should be prepared for the idiosyncratic world-building of the 1960s, including its specific views on "marriage contracts" and the era’s fascination with psychedelic, drug-enhanced consciousness. While the story is short, it moves with the intensity of a fever dream, shifting from bureaucratic legalism to moments of intense, almost religious, emotional release. You may find the protagonist's mix of Zen koans and violent mental exertion jarring, but it is precisely this dissonance that makes him memorable. What stays with you is the final, quiet admission from Sordman: the realization that the work of empathy is an exhausting, lifelong labor that offers no final victory, only the daily choice to keep caring.