The Evolution of Science Fiction discussion

This thread is for discussion about the book The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester which was chosen as April's group read. Whether you have read the book already or plan to read in April please feel free to discuss.

This has been on my to-read list for a while. My library didn't have it for download as an ebook or an audio book. Those two formats had saved me from a life of little reading due to deteriorated eyesight. I checked out a hardback printed book version of The Stars My Destination. I was dismayed to see how small the print is. I bought a big magnifier and now I'm a little better than halfway through. Not disappointed.

Buck wrote: "This has been on my to-read list for a while. My library didn't have it for download as an ebook or an audio book. Those two formats had saved me from a life of little reading due to deteriorated..."

I'm glad your enjoying it. Somebody bought me this many years ago and I don't remember really liking it, although as it's so long ago I cam't remember why. I think I'm going to read Childhood's End first then come back to this one.

I found this story almost by accident. I read a story on facebook, of all places, about a woman that had a dozen or so stars tattooed on to her face. The story mentioned the Bester's book and I looked it up on wikipedia. Liked what I saw and then bought it. Although I liked the book I thought that the first half was stronger than the second.

I now don't even remember what it was about, but the moment I finnished it I kind of didn't even understand why it was such a classic :)) Didn't like it.

This is an unusual book, the first of Alfred Bester I have read. Its style evolves. At first it seems maybe like Heinlein. Then something akin to Vonnegut starts to move in and take over. Then it slyly shifts to being Philip K Dick-ish. In the end we are fully immersed in the Burning Man's crazy four-dimensional dreamlike travels. Very strange; very surreal. Without doing much research, I think Bester and the authors whose styles I allude to were more or less contemporaries, but I have no idea who may have influenced whom, or if there were even a mutual awareness.

With regard to to story, a couple of random thoughts: The characters who puzzled me the most were the women: Robin Wednesbury, Jisbella McQueen, and Olivia Presteign. For each of them I could not fathom their reaction to and feelings for Gully Foyle, nor his towards each of them. The science fiction is not hard science at all, but wild imagination conjuring up whatever is needed to forward the story.

This book was originally entitled Tiger, Tiger - An unremarkable but not bad name for it. The Stars my Destination doesn't seem particularly fitting until the penultimate page:
Gully Foyle is my name
Terra is my nation
Deep space is my dwelling place
The stars my destination

Bottom line: This is certainly an appropriate book to read in following the evolution of science fiction. I gave it four goodreads stars.

One of the best books I have ever read. I do not necessarily think of a book in connection to others, but rather on its impact on me at the time of the reading. And a man with a permanent mask on his face burning under the stars is an image I will never forget. It was unexpected, surreal, with a touch of horror but also with a dream like quality that only good poetry has.

Is anybody else reading this one?

Buck wrote: "Is anybody else reading this one?"

I plan to start it next week.

After much putting this off I started to read it yesterday so hopefully I will finish before the end of the month. I'm curious to see if I will enjoy it more the second time.

Looking at the polls for next month I see that in the Heinlein poll The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Have space suit - will Travel currently have the same number of votes and the Sirens of Titan is winning the other. As i've not read any of these, if it stays like this I will be busy next month if I have to read three books!

I read it and I like it, Alfred Bester is one of my favorite science fiction writers.

(view spoiler)[
The question he asks and then answers himself at the end of the book, was a question I used to have, it was about what would you do if you have something in your hands that you know it could change all mankind, but you don't know how humans will act: Do you hide the knowledge because of fear of what they can do?, or do you make it public anyways?
(hide spoiler)]


spam-pd: One of my top 10 fav short-stories is "The Pi Man". Read it if you have the chance.

I first read this many years ago and I didn't remember really liking it. I've just finished part one and contrary to my expectations it's a really fascinating book. Gully Foyle is very unlikeable but the imagery and the imagination of Bester is really compelling. Fortunately for me i've forgotten how it ends, in fact so much so that before I started I was expecting the story of The Demolished Man with Gully Foyle!

I actually read this book in April as well - too bad I didn't know about this group then!
As much as I liked this book - I also found it very frustrating to read. I agree with Buck - the relationships with all the woman in the novel made absolutely no sense to me. But along with that, some of the prose was so well written it made up for it IMO. Like Andrea said - it's the kind-of story that you don't easily forget.

my review

I have The Demolished Man as well but have yet to read it. Is it good?

The Demolished Man is good but Bester does like to write unlikeable characters.

Jo wrote: "The Demolished Man is good but Bester does like to write unlikeable characters."

I'm trying to think if I know any other authors who write unlikable protagonists but I can't think of any. Seems like an unusual writing strategy.

Vonnegut in The sirens of Titan creates characters that aren't particularly likeable.

Another book with an unlikeable protagonist is one of our previous group reads A Voyage to Arcturus. A very peculiar book.

It's a good book but it's got nothing on Alfred Besters other success: “The Demolished Man". Easily one of the best books I've ever read.

Buck wrote: "At first it seems maybe like Heinlein. Then something akin to Vonnegut starts to move in and take over. Then it slyly shifts to being Philip K Dick-ish."

I don't really see Vonnegut in this book, but here's a timeline for you:

1939 Heinlein begins publishing short stories, wrote juvies for most of the '50s
1948 Against the Fall of Night by ACC
1950 The Dying Earth by Jack Vance
1952 Player Piano (first Vonnegut novel)
1952 PKD starts publishing short stories
1953 Childhood's End
1956 To Live Forever by Jack Vance
1957 Stars My Destination
1959 Sirens of Titan (second Vonnegut novel)
1961 The Man in High Castle (First famous PKD book)
1964 First Demon Prince novels by Jack Vance

I added some Arthur C. Clarke and Jack Vance because the connection seemed strong.

Looking at these dates, I would suggest that Bester took inspiration for the ending from Clarke, and the amoral main character from Vance. The Space Opera aspect could come from any number of influences including EE Smith, Heinlein, and early Vance.

PKD probably found some inspiration in the psychedelic/experimental portions of the book, and Vance reworked the plot for the Demon Princes series.

Phil wrote: "Buck wrote: "Looking at these dates, I would suggest that Bester took inspiration for the ending from Clarke, and the amoral main character from Vance. The Space Opera aspect could come from any number of influences including EE Smith, Heinlein, and early Vance.

PKD probably found some inspiration in the psychedelic/experimental portions of the book, and Vance reworked the plot for the Demon Princes series. "

Thanks, Phil, for your insight.