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A review by warragh
The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester
3.0
Basically a simplified version of The Count of Monte Cristo in space. I feel like I'm missing something about this book. It is highly regarded and often praised but I can't really tell why. Sure, it's a great B novel. It has some cool scenes and intriguing ideas but overall it kinda falls flat.
First of all, a lot of the concepts presented in the book and a lot of the rules of the world in which the story takes place go unexplained. The principal mechanic, the "jaunting" (basically a sort of teleportation) is explained to the extent of "a guy was so stressed that he teleported". Granted, how could personal teleportation affect a society would be a fascinating topic and it is touched upon here but only briefly. The author then establishes that jaunting is possible only if one knows the coordinates of both the start and the end position and that a single look is enough to establish these (how? God knows). Telepaths are also established without any explanation as to how they appeared. This all builds to an ending which is just bonkers. Don't get me wrong, it's fun and probably the best part of the book, but it's completely mad and silly. And I have a feeling that it wasn't meant to be silly.
At the end of the day the biggest problem for me is the protagonist. Gulliver Foyle is not even an antihero, not even close. He is just a villain. He kills, steals, lies, rapes, threatens and overall does everything he wants and everything he thinks is right without regard for consequences. I really struggle with the point of this character. He is revealed to have some extra special unique powers which, like most other things, end up unexplained. And while the character does grow, it is only superficial growth. His is motivations are flimsy and while the author keeps telling the audience how he changes, how he gets a consciousness and so on, this is all a ruse. Gully Foyle is just as arrogant and self-centered at the end of the book as he is when he starts. Not to mention that the reason why he is like this is a complete joke (he is described as a very simple and limited person and that he needs "something" to unlock his potential; a very flimsy "something" happens and he becomes a ruthless genius who can learn anything and everything and instantly becomes a master in everything).
Overall I'd say it is an okay read. Maybe I'm missing something that all other people have noticed but I can't rate it any higher than that.
First of all, a lot of the concepts presented in the book and a lot of the rules of the world in which the story takes place go unexplained. The principal mechanic, the "jaunting" (basically a sort of teleportation) is explained to the extent of "a guy was so stressed that he teleported". Granted, how could personal teleportation affect a society would be a fascinating topic and it is touched upon here but only briefly. The author then establishes that jaunting is possible only if one knows the coordinates of both the start and the end position and that a single look is enough to establish these (how? God knows). Telepaths are also established without any explanation as to how they appeared. This all builds to an ending which is just bonkers. Don't get me wrong, it's fun and probably the best part of the book, but it's completely mad and silly. And I have a feeling that it wasn't meant to be silly.
At the end of the day the biggest problem for me is the protagonist. Gulliver Foyle is not even an antihero, not even close. He is just a villain. He kills, steals, lies, rapes, threatens and overall does everything he wants and everything he thinks is right without regard for consequences. I really struggle with the point of this character. He is revealed to have some extra special unique powers which, like most other things, end up unexplained. And while the character does grow, it is only superficial growth. His is motivations are flimsy and while the author keeps telling the audience how he changes, how he gets a consciousness and so on, this is all a ruse. Gully Foyle is just as arrogant and self-centered at the end of the book as he is when he starts. Not to mention that the reason why he is like this is a complete joke (he is described as a very simple and limited person and that he needs "something" to unlock his potential; a very flimsy "something" happens and he becomes a ruthless genius who can learn anything and everything and instantly becomes a master in everything).
Overall I'd say it is an okay read. Maybe I'm missing something that all other people have noticed but I can't rate it any higher than that.