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A review by ryanberger
The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester
adventurous
dark
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"When the stars threw down their spears
And water'd heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?"
- The part of the Blake poem that I think works even better, but you can't sell books with Lambs when Tigers are available
I could lead with what I liked about this book. But better yet, I can try and communicate the experience of this reading this book.
To read The Stars My Destination is to be locked in a cage with a dangerous animal with the lights off. It behaves erratically. Behind the eyes is an intelligence, one you can't accurately guess the size and nature of. It moves quickly, keeping you on your back foot. It holds your attention in a vice and forces you to believe that hate is our most effective natural resource.
Bester's prowess as a comics writer (Bester is cited as the writer/creator of the Green Lantern Oath) is evident in his writing that is best thought of as a comic-panel approach to space and time. Things move at a breakneck speed, expecting the reader to keep up, and I suspect might even take pleasure in how we stumble.
I list these qualities first because it's what made the biggest impression on me: the writing style and perfect marriage between a compelling frame and a protagonist willing to do dark deeds within it at all costs.
I think The Stars My Destination has a strong case for the best Science Fiction book with the absolute worst scientific premise I think I've ever heard: Humans learn to teleport by simply thinking about it hard enough. Can't believe I never thought of it first.
Much of the book is concerned with feeling over logic, akin to what I might say about Philip K Dicks work. But it ends up tying into the themes of the book, particularly in the ending where this book went from a 4-star to a 5-star in its final chapter.
Teleportation has a fascinating effect on society in countless ways-- particularly in the lives of the rich. One could think of this book as a precursor to a lot of what was to come out of the Cyberpunk movement from its depictions of oppulance, mawkish worldbuilding and fasterfasterfaster pace of writing.
Everybody has the power to "jaunt", the book's word for teleportation. It's not just a tool for the protagonist, allowing the narrative to twist and jump from continent to continent within the scope of a single paragraph. In the hands of Gully Foyle, one of the most driven, dangerous protagonists I've ever read, it ends up being a bit of a form-story. The teleportation leads to a kind of choppy (in a good way, if that's possible) narrative as people chop out the middleman of their transportation needs. Danger exists around every corner in a world built for an instant-teleportation society.
I've not said much about Foyle, who I find extremely compelling and is the focal point of most reviews, but also where I think some of the book's elements don't age well. Forget morally grey: Foyle is a man with hate in his heart and murder on his mind. Where the journey will take him is for you to read and decide, but there are some elements that made me cringe. Much of it is justified in the narrative, but not all. I'm willing to chalk it up to "product of its era", and it's clearly not enough for me to take off a star, but I am conscious about how I refer to Foyle when talking about what kind of character he is. Spoilers keep me from speaking openly on multiple levels, so I will have to let that be the end of it.
Fantastically written, unforgettable worldbuilding clever structure, compelling characters, and a deft reveal in the end that all these break-neck and seemingly random pieces all fit together all the way down to the poem at the very start.
A masterpiece of golden age SF.
And water'd heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?"
- The part of the Blake poem that I think works even better, but you can't sell books with Lambs when Tigers are available
I could lead with what I liked about this book. But better yet, I can try and communicate the experience of this reading this book.
To read The Stars My Destination is to be locked in a cage with a dangerous animal with the lights off. It behaves erratically. Behind the eyes is an intelligence, one you can't accurately guess the size and nature of. It moves quickly, keeping you on your back foot. It holds your attention in a vice and forces you to believe that hate is our most effective natural resource.
Bester's prowess as a comics writer (Bester is cited as the writer/creator of the Green Lantern Oath) is evident in his writing that is best thought of as a comic-panel approach to space and time. Things move at a breakneck speed, expecting the reader to keep up, and I suspect might even take pleasure in how we stumble.
I list these qualities first because it's what made the biggest impression on me: the writing style and perfect marriage between a compelling frame and a protagonist willing to do dark deeds within it at all costs.
I think The Stars My Destination has a strong case for the best Science Fiction book with the absolute worst scientific premise I think I've ever heard: Humans learn to teleport by simply thinking about it hard enough. Can't believe I never thought of it first.
Much of the book is concerned with feeling over logic, akin to what I might say about Philip K Dicks work. But it ends up tying into the themes of the book, particularly in the ending where this book went from a 4-star to a 5-star in its final chapter.
Teleportation has a fascinating effect on society in countless ways-- particularly in the lives of the rich. One could think of this book as a precursor to a lot of what was to come out of the Cyberpunk movement from its depictions of oppulance, mawkish worldbuilding and fasterfasterfaster pace of writing.
Everybody has the power to "jaunt", the book's word for teleportation. It's not just a tool for the protagonist, allowing the narrative to twist and jump from continent to continent within the scope of a single paragraph. In the hands of Gully Foyle, one of the most driven, dangerous protagonists I've ever read, it ends up being a bit of a form-story. The teleportation leads to a kind of choppy (in a good way, if that's possible) narrative as people chop out the middleman of their transportation needs. Danger exists around every corner in a world built for an instant-teleportation society.
I've not said much about Foyle, who I find extremely compelling and is the focal point of most reviews, but also where I think some of the book's elements don't age well. Forget morally grey: Foyle is a man with hate in his heart and murder on his mind. Where the journey will take him is for you to read and decide, but there are some elements that made me cringe. Much of it is justified in the narrative, but not all. I'm willing to chalk it up to "product of its era", and it's clearly not enough for me to take off a star, but I am conscious about how I refer to Foyle when talking about what kind of character he is. Spoilers keep me from speaking openly on multiple levels, so I will have to let that be the end of it.
Fantastically written, unforgettable worldbuilding clever structure, compelling characters, and a deft reveal in the end that all these break-neck and seemingly random pieces all fit together all the way down to the poem at the very start.
A masterpiece of golden age SF.