Average Bufph Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Alfred Bester
2011-06-06
#5 in the Millennium SF Masterworks series, a library of the finest science fiction ever written. “Science fiction has only produced a few works of actual genius, and this is one of them.” —Joe Haldeman #5 in the Millennium SF Masterworks series, a library of the finest science fiction ever written. “Science fiction has only produced a few works of actual genius, and this is one of them.” —Joe Haldeman "Bester at the peak of his powers is, quite simply, unbeatable” —James Lovegrove Marooned in outer space after an attack on his ship, Nomad, Gulliver Foyle lives to obsessively pursue the crew of a rescue vessel that had intended to leave him to die. When it comes to pop culture, Alfred Bester (1913-1987) is something of an unsung hero. He wrote radio scripts, screenplays, and comic books (in which capacity he created the original Green Lantern Oath). But Bester is best known for his science-fiction novels, and The Stars My Destination may be his finest creation. With its sly potshotting at corporate skullduggery, The Stars My Destination seems utterly contemporary, and has maintained its status as an underground classic for fifty years. (Bester fans should also note that iBooks has reprinted ReDemolished, which won the very first Hugo Award in 1953.)
An intoxicating dive into a futurist's fever dream, 'The Stars My Destination' defies convention with its non-linear narrative and anarchic charm. Bester's prose is a riot of color and chaos, much like a digital art piece come to life. The protagonist's relentless pursuit of revenge through the power of teleportation is as thrilling as it is absurd, creating a wild ride through space that's both disorienting and exhilarating. The book's retro-futuristic aesthetic and its critique of class divides offer a fresh, albeit brutal, perspective on the human condition in an advanced society. It's a stark reminder that not all futures are optimistic, yet there's a strange beauty in Bester's chaotic vision.
