The Manchurian Candidate

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Manchurian Candidate
Author	Richard Condon
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Thriller novel
Publisher	McGraw-Hill
Publication date	1959
Media type	Print (Hardback)
Pages	311 pp
ISBN	NA

The Manchurian Candidate is a 1959 thriller novel written by Richard Condon, adapted into films in 1962 and 2004. It is about the son of a prominent political family who has been brainwashed into becoming an unwilling assassin for the Communist Party. The novel has been banned in communist states "for political reasons" and was "condemned by the American Legion."^[1].

1 Plot summary
2 Film adaptations
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Plot summary

Captain Bennett Marco, Sergeant Raymond Shaw and the rest of their platoon are captured during the Korean War in 1952. They are all brainwashed into believing Shaw saved their lives in combat, for which he receives the Medal of Honor when they return to the US. After the war is over, Marco begins to have a recurring nightmare in which Shaw kills two of his comrades. When he learns that another platoon member has been having the same dream, he sets out to uncover the mystery.

The Communists intend to use Shaw as a sleeper agent and, using the queen of diamonds in a deck of playing cards as a subconscious trigger, compel him to follow their orders, which he does not remember afterwards. Shaw is controlled by none other than his own domineering mother, who is working with the Communists in a plot to overthrow the government.