James Mustich's 1000 Books to Read Before You Die discussion

Discussion for the second and last part of the book, including chapters 8–16.

Mariella wrote: "Discussion for the second and last part of the book, including chapters 8–16."

I enjoyed this book. I thought the intellectual and moral evolution of Gully was its strongest point. I also liked the speculation about how jaunting would compel major social and economic changes. I thought the treatment of religion was silly, and the ending was a letdown. 3/5 stars.

Being my first Science-Fiction reading, I was a bit skeptical about the genre — lots of unmotivated prejudices, I must confess — but this book has completely changed my mind: I've enjoyed it so much I can't find the right words to describe how I am feeling.
Stunning. Futuristic. It's hard to believe it was written as early as 1956!
The synaestesia interlude in Chapter 15 has echoed in my mind the famous scene from Walt Disney's Dumbo.

Have just finished and my general review is the following, but will post more on the general discussion thread:
Despite, in spite or because of its dated quality, this is still a breathtaking adventure story of a future; a future where “jaunting” allows teleportation between known locations. Our story is about an everyman, Gully Foyle, a mechanic’s mate 3rd class on a 25th century spaceship within the solar system; an everyman who becomes a “tiger” (or driven protagonist), consumed by vengeance, along the lines of The Count of Monte Cristo. Bester maintains an adrenaline rush of relentless pacing, jumping from one scenario to the next, piling up characters, technologies and world building historical background to create a cracking story.

If you have not read much science fiction, I would imagine that this is an excellent introduction. I read a lot of science fiction, many years ago, and so for me it’s an enjoyable adventure story, fantastic in the old fashioned sense of the word, but for me, it doesn’t stand out from other equally memorable SF books.