The Stars My Destination in Beyond Reality

Mar 24, 2011 mark monday rated it really liked it

Shelves: rain-man-reviews, scifi-classic

¡WOW BOB WOW!
GULLY FOYLE IS FAST AND FURIOUS!
A MADMAN OUT FOR VENGEANCE, LEFT FOR DEAD NOT ONCE - BUT TWICE!
HE IS HUMAN JUGGERNAUT, HE IS FORCE MAJEURE, HE IS BOTH ROCK AND HARD PLACE!
HE HURTLES THROUGH SPACE & TIME & MISADVENTURE, HE WEARS MANY FACES, A LOVER AND A RAPIST, THE MOST VIOLENT MAN IN THE ROOM, THE ANGRIEST BOY EVER, A HUMAN TIMEBOMB!
HIS FACIAL TATTOOS:
A TIGER, A TIGER!
BURNING BRIGHT!
THE ONLY GIRL FOR HIM - ANOTHER SOCIOPATH!
THE ONLY DESTINATION FOR HIM: THE S ...more

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Jun 21, 2008 Sandi rated it liked it

Shelves: sci-fi, 2008

I have two thoughts on "The Stars My Destination" by Alfred Bester. One is that it really reads modern for a book written in 1956. The other is that it has some really antiquated ideas about the future.

First for the positive. For the first 200 of the 250 or so pages of the story, I couldn't stand the protagonist, Gulliver Foyle. However, he grows as a human being to the point that I ended up spending the last 50 pages cheering him on. Bester did an excellent job of taking Foyle from being almost I have two thoughts on "The Stars My Destination" by Alfred Bester. One is that it really reads modern for a book written in 1956. The other is that it has some really antiquated ideas about the future.

First for the positive. For the first 200 of the 250 or so pages of the story, I couldn't stand the protagonist, Gulliver Foyle. However, he grows as a human being to the point that I ended up spending the last 50 pages cheering him on. Bester did an excellent job of taking Foyle from being almost an animal to a self-educated man with no conscience to a man who cares deeply about mankind and its future. The story is tightly written and the pacing is practically perfect. I had a hard time putting it down even while I was really hating Gully. I can see that this book has had a huge impact on modern science fiction writers. It is nothing like the typical science fiction novels of the mid-Fifties.

Now, for the negative. The things that really bothered me had mostly to do with the sensibilities of the Fifties expressed in the book. Women were protected and kept morally pure. They were more like possessions than anything else. You'd think that 500 years in the future, women would be a bit more equal to men. Also, while I really loved the character of Robin Wednesbury, I hated how Bester felt it necessary to say something about her being a Negro every time he talked about her. It's clear that he thought it would be really cool to have an intelligent, capable Negro "girl" character and he acts like it's really remarkable. I think she's a wonderful character and well-written other than the constant references to her race which I found distracting and dated. In contrast, he only mentions Olivia Presteign's albinism a couple of times, not every time she appears. Isn't albinism a much more remarkable trait than being an intelligent black woman?

Despite the racism and sexism in the book, I did like it. The flaws reduced my rating by a star though. I've read enough books from the Fifties and earlier to know that they are not typical of the better writing of the time and I feel that Bester's biases just got the better of him. ...more

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Oct 12, 2016 Tom Britz rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

This book which was published in 1956, is a typical science fiction novel for two thirds of its unfolding. It is, at least for me, the final third that this story becomes a classic that transcends time. The story's punch could be cast from today's headlines. Though it is couched in science fictional draperies, the underlying truths could be the way out of our problems today. That being the all pervading secrecy that is the body, blood and spirit of all governments. The major take away from this ...more

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Sep 21, 2011 Banner rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi

I've never read Moby Dick, but I think this book could be a not so distant cousin. This is a book about the obsession of revenge. No other protagonist have I ever hated/loved like Gully. He is a driven man, with thoughts of vengeance. I like intense characters and this one pulls it off.

The story works if you don't get caught up in "how does this work" and just go with it. The pace is fast and the plot has plenty of twists to keep you guessing.

...more

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