By: Alfred Bester Publisher: Franklin Watts Average Rating: Binding: School & Library Binding Label: Franklin Watts Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 197 Publication Date: 1987-04
Book Description: Such is the official verdict on Gully Foyle, unskilled space crewman. But Gully has managed to survive for 170 days in the airless purgatory of deep space after the wreck of his ship, and has escaped to Earth carrying a murderous grudge and a secret that could change the course of history.
The novel which in large part inspired both the cyberpunk movement of the 1980s and the science fiction New Wave of the 1960s, THE STARS MY DESTINATION has an unrivalled claim to be the most influential sf book of all time.
Amazon.com: When it comes to pop culture, Alfred Bester (1913-1987) is something of an unsung hero. He wrote radio scripts, screenplays, and comic books (in which capacity he created the original Green Lantern Oath). But Bester is best known for his science-fiction novels, and The Stars My Destination may be his finest creation. First published in 1956 (as Tiger! Tiger!), the novel revolves around a hero named Gulliver Foyle, who teleports himself out of a tight spot and creates a great deal of consternation in the process. With its sly potshotting at corporate skullduggery, The Stars My Destination seems utterly contemporary, and has maintained its status as an underground classic for forty years. (Bester fans should also note that Vintage has reprinted The Demolished Man, which won the very first Hugo Award in 1953.)
Best sci fi I've been reading sci fi for years yet I was like a blind man until I read Tiger Tiger aka The star's my destination by Alfred Bester. He manages to fit so much in a few pages. It's fast paced and action packed, yet slow enough for you to catch every gem, which you will find in every single line. It forces you to contemplate life, the universe, and everything and will make you laugh while doing it. This is it folks. The best of the best, no wonder his name was Bester. It's cyberpunk before the genre existed. Gully Foyle, wadda character! Greg Bear called Bester's writing Jazz. It's that and at the same time a truly classical piece-the type often imitated but never as good as the original. This topped The foundation series and Ender's game for me-two other fave sci fi books. It is howling roll on the floor as tears stream down your face funny. Laughed out loud quite a few times reading it on the subway. Read in public at your own risk. Don't want you to be hauled off to the madhouse because I highly recommend you read it, but even then it'll be worth it. It's that good. And when you're done, feast your eyes and mind on The demolished man and Psycho Shop.
firey vengence sparks adventure and self-improvement Considering its 50+ age, it's a solid piece of SF. Sometimes heralded as the grandfather of cyberpunk (as many books tend to be labled), it's a interestingly techy novel. Lots of ideas thrown into a tub full of characters on a one-way plot to a fine blend.
What starts out as a sub-average joe works his way through suffering and up to revenge. He transforms himself, through his inferno-like revenge, into an articulate human. However, his actions don't correct themselves as his language patterns had. His conditioning is on display through his relationships with other characters. While he may not be on my top 20 favorite characters in SF, his journey is detailed and novel. On top of a good story, there are surprisingly numerous bits of technology involved in the plot, whether major or minor.
If it were written nowadays, it would have been a 4 star book. But considering its age, the craftsmanship from that era merits this book a 5 star rating.
Dated, but Great This book is over 50 years old, and it shows. There seems to have been a wave of more literature-minded sci fi authors to come later, and works like Dune or Hyperion make this one look rushed, silly, pedantic, and shallow.
However, I think you could consider science fiction of this age to be its own sub-genre, including works by Bester, Heinlein, Asimov, and others. It might seem campy, but it's fun. The allegory may seem overwrought, but these guys were breaking new ground at the time. I think if Bester thought he could have gotten away with writing two 700+ (think Hyperion or Robinson's Mars books) page monsters to tell this story he would have jumped at the chance. I don't know, maybe at the time editors underestimated the attention span of the average scifi reader, maybe grouping them in with comic book fans. The books of this generation are fast-paced, action packed, and brief (for the most part), and basically share a lot of characteristics with pot-boilers, pulp fiction.
I really admire this generation of writers, their quest to serve up something of real substance in such a limited format.
So yeah, I can't really disagree with reviewers here who rip on this book for being farfetched, or the characters for being shallow or archetypes, or for it being just plain silly at times. But I can't help seeing the book in context. It's not great literature, but it's an exciting read, and the reader can't help but be a little intrigued, if not by the science then by the theme (pedantic as the delivery might be).
I guess either you like this subgenre or you don't. I am starting to like it more and more, and I think this is a wonderful book, one of the best from this era.
Bester's Best I have read this book repeatedly since the early 70's when I first learned of the novel. I have also read everything Bester has written in the scifi category. I have lost so many editions of this book (including a first edtion) loaning it to friends for their enrichment only to never have it returned. This book has served me as inspiration of human endeavor and spirit. I have studied psychology and am employed as a Director of Social Services with a treatment program. This book entails many Jungian principles plus confrontation of the bright and dark aspects of our personalities. It is easily read re: length, but do not disservice yourself with a quick read. This book will stir your soul related to intropection and self-assessment. Buy it, borrow it, steal it out of a library if you have to.
Sci fi written without a thought to science I just can't get into a science fiction book in which the author does not understand the science he is writing about. Now i understand this is an older book but some of the things written in here make no sense. Examples include, seeing in the dark because his retina shines light, ...well, if that was the case it would be like the brightest flashlight being shined into your eyes, ...it would blind you not help you see in the dark. That one seems a little obvious to the average person interested in how things work, i.e. science. Another example is a man radiated by exposure to a fission bomb, now he is radioactive i guess and can't spend more than 5 minutes with anyone because it is harmful for them. Well, first of all you don't become radioactive by being radiated, lots of foods today are irradiated so as to kill off bacteria. It doesn't make them radioactive. But for the sake of argument, even if he was radioactive, why is it that he hasn't died? I mean he is harmful to others in 5 minutes, but he's ok? Does not make sense.
I think what makes this book so popular is characters and a very fast moving plot. I did enjoy that but the lack of research into the science he is writing about really sticks out especially when you are used to sci-fi that makes sense or science that may one day be, such as books written by Arthur C Clarke.
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