The Stars My Destination | Alfred Bester

The Stars My Destination | Alfred Bester | power of the mind [no spoilers]

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The Stars My Desti...

	The Stars My Destination Alfred Bester Vintage, 1996 - 272 pages average customer review:based on 224 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

This book rocked!!

I was a little tentative going into this book actually. I try to read a highly regarded classic every once in a while, but many times they come off as dated, or just plain not as good as I hoped. Not so with "The Stars My Destination", I just plain loved this book. The main character, Gully Foyle is not at all a likable person, but as a character you become so enveloped in his story you can't help but be captured. The story line is excellent, and comes across as if it could have been written this year just as easily as 1954. I highly recommend this book for its great characters, tight plot, and a fulfilling and provocative ending. This book is truly a classic and deserves every bit of praise it gets.

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power of the mind [no spoilers]

"The Stars My Destination" finds Mechanics Mate 3rd Class Gulliver Foyle on a quest of obsessive vengeance as the sole survivor of Nomad, a derelict spacecraft poised in the void between the Kuniper belt and Jupiter. The clever science is the foundation in a classic tale brimming with personal and social evolutions while there are tensions between the Inner Planets and Outer Satellites.

Jaunte, a term for teleportation with a concentrated thought up to 1,000 miles, creates massive changes. On the individual level, most people no longer have dependencies upon mechanical means of transportation yet the companies servicing those needs fall into difficulties. Gully, an uneducated and unmotivated person, is also known as a Common Man, one unable to Jaunte. When the Vorga, a craft similar to his own, passes by without replying to the rescue beacons, Gully's hatred inspires him to enact retribution on the ship by any means necessary. Which begs the question; does the end justify the means? Many of his actions are absolutely evil and a bit unanticipated given the novel was written in 1956.

Thank you.

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Gully Foyle is my name and Terra is my Nation...

Alfred Bester's The Stars My Destination is usually considered one of the finest works of science fiction ever created. Although largely forgotten now, it is a highly imaginative piece of work which involves a sort of futuristic dystopia and a man named Gully Foyle who tries to change things based on a questionable frame of mind.

Alfred Bester stands in a position on the platform of Science Fiction Greats similar to that of Ray Bradbury, Jules Verne and H.G. Wells. The only difference is that he is standing behind them and as such, is largely unheard of.

The Stars My Destination is about a fictional Earth that has become controlled by the huge conglomerate corporations. The planets in the Solar System are all at war and there is much havoc associated with the Human race. The novel deals with the dark nature of people, how technology advancement can lead to a very possessive and materialistic society with an emphasis on classes and minorities and how a lack of real education brings out various powerful yet primitive factions.

An interesting feature in this novel is the use of an evil hero. Gulliver (Gully) Foyle is a criminal, murderer and rapist but manages to attack the present situation he lives in because of past wrongs done to him and although he is a criminal, you still find yourself rallying on his behalf throughout the novel.

This story turned out to be worthy of all its acclaim and is a fun and interesting one to read. The reader should note the curious aspects between the historical situation Alfred Bester lived in and how what he has written is very similar to a path our present society is following in many ways.

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The next step in evolution

"The Stars My Destination" by Alfred Bester is, in my opinion, an excellent example of classic science fiction. Starting off in the year 2420, it builds a very creditable world complete with sociological and political mores. This society has been irrevocably altered by new "technology", gaining geographical freedom of movement, but losing a great deal of privacy and personal freedom.

Gully Foyle, Mechanics Mate 3rd class, holds the key to the next step in mankind's evolution. How will he use it?

Super Reader

Gully Foyle is marooned in space, and is slowly, bit by bit, running out of resources. A possible rescuer leaves him there, and he gets annoyed. He performs a feat no-one has before, and manages to teleport himself through space.

Now, he is pretty pissed off, and looks to become a destabilising rogue.

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