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on_a_sunbeam's review against another edition
dark
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
It was not as good as The Demolished Man by any means, but it was still a well put together and engaging book. Bester seems to like his late act twists and I’ve got to hand it to him because he executes them well.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Sexism, and War
djkwm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
leax's review against another edition
3.0
Typical sci-fi from the 50s. Very out there, teleportation and psychic powers being normal, lots of freaks, and lots of women hating the hero but loving him at the same time...
The book plot does get interesting towards the end though. I'm glad it was only 200 pages!
The book plot does get interesting towards the end though. I'm glad it was only 200 pages!
dinsdale's review against another edition
2.0
This was a book I had sitting in my library for years and finally got around to reading. It is regarded as one of the all time science fiction classics, and I even remember shopping at The Stars Our Destination Bookstore on Belmont in Chicago so I figured if a bookstore was named after this book it was going to be pretty good. It was a bit of a disappointment for me, I thought it was just OK. What I liked: the overall story was fast-moving and always interesting, there were a lot of odd and unique characters, a lot of grand sci-fi ideas, great world building, and the last 30 or so pages were a mind-bending trip. There was also a lot I didn't like. None of the characters were likeable; there was nobody in the book I was rooting for. The main character, Gully Foyle, was an absolute lout: a self professed rapist, thief, murderer, blackmailer, etc. It was hard to really care what happened to him or have any empathy towards him. The relationships between the sexes were ridiculous – Gully would call his lady friends derogatory names and use them as punching bags and five minutes later they were being intimate and throwing the word “love” around as if it was a bad soap opera. What? How any of the women in the book loved ol’ Gully was hard to imagine, but they always seemed to give in to his “charm”. The book was written in the 1950’s so I expected some parts to be dated but the relationships seemed to be the most obviously dated parts. In summary, I’m glad I finally got around to reading this classic but I felt it didn’t live up to the widespread acclaim bestowed upon it. I'll give Bester another shot when I eventually check out his other highly regarded book “The Demolished Man”.
davmon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
silas_ever's review against another edition
5.0
This book was unlike most other books I've read. A book about a man driven solely by pure rage. I could barely put it down! I highly recommend reading this one, a true masterpiece.
coinoperatedcthulhu's review against another edition
5.0
The perfect cyberpunk/sci-fi novel. It's got the gruff protagonist, mysterious corporations and a single minded purpose. It starts so simple but escalates beautifully.
vickeyfoggin's review against another edition
3.0
This was one of the few on a list of classic sci-fi that I hadn't read so added it to my to-read list. It's an exciting story with some excellent sci-fi themes and some layered politicking that would fit into a more modern novel. It's inspired by The Count of Monte Cristo, which is one of my favourite novels, and inspired The Expanse. It's got a lot going for it BUT it's definitely a product of the 50's. Everyone's racist, and the Everyman protagonist Gully Foyle is a manly asshole who rapes his way through the solar system and thinks the women should be grateful for the privilege. He was not someone I enjoyed spending time with so I can't really rate the book highly.
fcs627's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75