Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester

7 reviews

mrsori's review against another edition

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You hear ‘powerful/dangerous man’ and you can be sure there will be rape. Alas, there it is, just for the fun of it. (not even important for the story)

This book might be a classic, but for me it’s so cliche and crude that I can’t find any enjoyment in it.
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jovanh's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

I didn't love this book. Perhaps if I had first read The Count of Monte Cristo, the story's inspiration, I'd have better appreciation for this story. I do appreciate Bester's typographic attempt at simulating synesthesia, and his worldbuilding is pretty cool.
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ewelshie's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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itsnicholaslashay's review against another edition

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adventurous dark reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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lalu's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

read in 2020

It's the 24th century. Gully Foyle (who is less than average in every aspect) is the only survivor after the space ship where he works gets destroyed. When an other space ship turns a blind eye to his distress signals, a manic urge to get revenge rises within him.

What other writers would have told in 700+ pages, Bester condenses to 240. There is no time for doubts, no time for hesitation - I could feel how driven the protagonist is.
What bothered me a lot was that apparently gender norms didn't change one bit between 1950 and ~2350. There's even a woman who secretly works in a man's job.
Apart from that it was an interesting and well written book, it just didn't meet my personal taste.
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teabeakay's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark slow-paced
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Honestly I'm not sure what the big deal is about this one. Perhaps it's just dated by its tropes. Certainly I can see how some of the concepts would have been novel in its time, but they only really comprise a small part of the book. The rest is just 'literature'.
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torpidcup's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Unmitigated insanity. 
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