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The Stars My Destination | Alfred Bester

QUESTION 3: “Jaunting” is probably the most truly “science-fictional” aspect of the story. Do you think it could ever really be possible?

#ClassicLSFBC

KathyWheeler, Lizpixie, julesG, Deblovestoread, majkia, LeticiaToraci, kwmg40, CatLass007, CSeydel, RamsFan1963, ravenlee, TheSpineView, Bookwomble, Roary47, PageShifter

RamsFan1963 I liked the idea of "jaunting" by mental energy alone, but a mechanical method would have been more realistic, like Star Trek's transporters. 12mo

Ruthiella @RamsFan1963 Agreed. He did use it to quickly get characters from one location to another. But he also used it at the end maybe to also show Foyle‘s innate talents - his ability to jaunt further than any human had previously. 12mo

Bookwomble Psionics is the SF equivalent of fantasy magic, so, no I don't think jaunting is ever likely to become a reality. It's a fun story element, though. Again with the metaphors (!), Foyle's latent power = the potential of the oppressed to overthrow the oppressor if they can harness their inherent strength. The more I reflect, the more strongly I'm developing a specific view of what the underlying narrative is, & it's deeper than it initially seemed. 12mo

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Roary47 Honestly, I was tired of hearing the term over and over. It‘s an interesting concept and way to get characters around. However, I was thinking about how my mind just goes places without warning. As in I‘m driving in my car and think about a situation at work. Poof now I‘m at work and my car is driving itself. 😅 Or I‘m in the shower and I think about my friends house party. Poof… yikes. I hope it‘s never in my future 🤣 (edited) 12mo

Ruthiella @Roary47 😂 One does wonder how they actually managed “jaunting” traffic. 12mo

Lizpixie With the current state of the human brain, no. Maybe centuries from now when science tinkers with our dna & brain mapping enough, possibly🤔? But I think it‘ll be machines that make it possible instead. Like @RamsFan1963 said, #BeamMeUpScottie 12mo

RamsFan1963 @Lizpixie @Bookwomble @Ruthiella @Roary47 If jaunting were possible, could it create a utopia? Borders and nationalities would be meaningless. You could live anywhere you wanted, then jaunt to your job. Would you still be considered an American citizen if you lived in the South of France or Monaco, but worked in the US? It would be nice if it lead to a brotherhood of man, but more likely you'd get the corporate takeover scenario played out here. 12mo

julesG @RamsFan1963 Now that is an interesting thought. I wish globalisation was more about growing together as humans rather than exploiting resources "there" to make a profit "here". 12mo

Roary47 @julesG I agree with you on that front. Since I live so close to the boarder of Mexico. I worked with people (and still do) who live in Mexico, but work here. So they bring that revenue across the boarder. Many of our citizens and winter visitors also have doctors across the line causing us to not have quality care because doctors do not have work, or prices to inflate. 12mo

CSeydel I‘m always fascinated by quantum entanglement. While I can‘t imagine how something like jaunting could ever really happen - seems like we would have discovered it by now, if it were an innate human ability? - I know there is a tremendous amount we don‘t know about long distance forces and properties of matter. (edited) 12mo

Ruthiella @CSeydel You know, I raised my eyebrows at jaunting but had no problem accepting the quantum leap time travel of the burning man because the concept is so familiar to me from tv and movies. 🤔 12mo

RamsFan1963 @Ruthiella I think I've watched enough episodes of Doctor Who that the idea of a character meeting a future or past version of themselves didn't make me bat an eye. 12mo

kwmg40 Jaunting didn't seem very realistic to me, but then again, this is science-fiction and I'm quite willing to suspend my disbelief. 11mo

Ruthiella @kwmg40 I accepted jaunting as a given in the story, but it didn‘t seem realistic to me either. 😅 11mo

37 likes14 comments

The Stars My Destination | Alfred Bester

QUESTION 2: The story has a redemptive arc. Did it work for you? Is Gully more or less victimized than victimizer?

#ClassicLSFBC

KathyWheeler, Lizpixie, julesG, Deblovestoread, majkia, LeticiaToraci, kwmg40, CatLass007, CSeydel, RamsFan1963, ravenlee, TheSpineView, Bookwomble, Roary47, PageShifter

Bookwomble I was sceptical of Bester being able to redeem Foyle, and ultimately I don't think it is a redemptive arc. It struck me as more about actualisation, of an unreflective stimulus/response 'drone' gaining self-awareness, agency, and self-determination. At no point did I like Foyle, and he didn't seem to regret any of the terrible things he'd done, but then he's an archetype or metaphor rather than a person we're supposed to sympathise with. 12mo

Bookwomble As a metaphor for a process by which an oppressed majority might finally become aware of its oppression by a powerful exploitative elite, and develop from brutal mob reaction to an organised idealistic liberationist collective, I thought it was good. 12mo

Ruthiella Maybe transitional arc would be a better term. I do think that Gully felt remorse for how he abused Robin and abandoned Jizbella (what a name!). But it was never enough for him to stop his quest for revenge. I like your metaphor, but is then the ultimate message not rather bleak? Gully tries to preach to the masses at the end, but they won‘t listen? 12mo

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Bookwomble @Ruthiella It is bleak and realistic, as people do seem to continue to support the systems and figureheads of those systems that exploit them. There's a scintilla of hope in the novel - maybe this time enough people will choose freedom and throw off their shackles! It's basically about becoming "woke", and the vehemence of the current establishment backlash against "woke" tells you how dangerous they see it to their position of privilege. 12mo

Roary47 I agree with @Bookwomble I never liked Foyle. I can understand his need for revenge considering what he had to go through for months. I can also understand that his lack of society standing would make him socially awkward in not being able to have compassion. From a teacher view I see him as a higher functioning autistic person, and it provides for me some small redemption properties, but this was written before this so… yeah not a fan. 😅 12mo

Ruthiella @Roary47 I see him more as a victim, used by the powerful as a tool to be discarded to serve their interests, only he upended the plans with his monomania of revenge. I also never liked him, though I occasionally felt sorry for him. 12mo

Lizpixie I think he was victimised but he chose to continue on the path he did. Wasn‘t much of a redemption in the end really🤷🏻‍♀️ 12mo

Ruthiella @Lizpixie Yes. I do think redemption was the wrong word. He isn‘t redeemed, but he is transformed. The ending struck me as quite cynical. 12mo

CSeydel I agree with others who said it didn‘t feel like a redemptive arc, quite. Like a lot of SF from that era, the story is less concerned with characterization than with plot and ideas. Foyle works as a metaphor for the underclass, but I didn‘t really think he made sense as a realistic character. He had no skills, no education, no ambitions, but he‘s miraculously able to acquire whatever skills he needs to advance the story. 12mo

Ruthiella @CSeydel Yes. The “hypno-learning” enabled him to learn huge amounts in such a short time was a plot device, for sure. Good point about the preeminence of ideas over characterization. I found this to be true of the Asimov books I‘ve read in the past too. 12mo

kwmg40 Gully seems equally victim and victimizer. That made it hard to relate to him as a character, though at times I felt that I ought to. I definitely agree with the comments that the ideas take precedence over characterization in this story. 11mo

35 likes11 comments

The Stars My Destination | Alfred Bester

I thought I‘d post a few discussion questions after all. I‘m tagging those who expressed interest in this #ClassicLSFBC splinter group. Anyone want to be added or removed, let me know! 😀

QUESTION 1: The book was originally published in 1956. How did it feel dated? How did it still feel relevant?

KathyWheeler, Lizpixie, julesG, Deblovestoread, majkia, LeticiaToraci, kwmg40, CatLass007, CSeydel, RamsFan1963, ravenlee, TheSpineView, Bookwomble, Roary47, PageShifter

RamsFan1963 Obviously its attitude toward women is horribly dated, something I've come across before in Stugeon's work, but pretty much in line with the attitudes of the time. 12mo

Ruthiella @RamsFan1963 True that. But the concept of the 1% continuing to hold most of the power and money is still quite relevant. Was he reflecting the mid century or was he making a prediction? 12mo

RamsFan1963 @Ruthiella I think it was a combination of both. Even in the 1950s, it was obvious that there was a gap between the wealthy and the middle & lower classes. I think it was partly a prediction, like good dystopian literature, it takes the current situations and expands them exponentially to their worse ends. Does anyone else consider this dystopian or is it just me? 12mo

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Bookwomble Bester refers to the position of women, particularly in the asteroid belt, having worsened, so I think it's possible to read at least some of the sexism as commentary rather than incorporating contemporary cultural attitudes. There's an obvious commentary on capitalism, given the "aristocratic houses" are named after real-world corporations, which makes Foyle's struggle a class struggle. 12mo

Bookwomble @RamsFan1963 It is dystopian. That it's recognisably Western culture gives pause for thought! 12mo

Ruthiella @RamsFan1963 Yes, I would agree this is a dystopian novel. 👍 12mo

Roary47 @RamsFan1963 and @Bookwomble Said it way better than I could have. I also would note the sexism as dated, and the rich having better opportunities and standing as relevant to our time still. Definitely dystopian. 12mo

Lizpixie The sexism and class issues are definitely dated, the class may have a lot to do with the fact he was in 50s England while writing this too. 12mo

RamsFan1963 @Bookwomble @Ruthiella @Roary47 @Lizpixie I like the Lizbella character. She tried to help Gully, to have him use his brain instead of just his brawn, and when he betrayed and abandoned her, as he has been abandoned before, she chose not to get revenge when the opportunity to ruin him was available. She's more developed than the shallow, superficial Olivia Presteign or the naive Robin Wednesbury. 12mo

Ruthiella @RamsFan1963 I liked Jisabelle too. I would have liked her to be even more bad ass than she was portrayed here. I thought Olivia Prestegin was interesting. Like Jiz, she was rebelling against the societal constraints placed on women. I mean, she was a monster, but one can see how she came to be. (edited) 12mo

CSeydel The aspect that hit me the most weird was how everyone reacted to Foyle‘s face tattoo. I know it was supposed to be a metaphor, but the characters‘ over the top reactions to his face seemed vaguely comical. 12mo

CSeydel Also the names of the dynasties gave me a chuckle, considering how many of them no longer exist or have declined in stature. 12mo

Ruthiella @CSeydel He got the dynastic concept of ruthless corporations right, just the wrong ones - like Montgomery Wards. That‘s a name I haven‘t heard in decades. 12mo

kwmg40 @CSeydel @Ruthiella I found the names of the dynasties amusing too. This definitely made the book seem dated in one sense. 11mo

34 likes14 comments

Lizpixie

The Stars My Destination | Alfred Bester

so-so

Bk1 of #NovelNovember #readathon is this months #ClassicLSFBC book. I know this is a classic SFF book by a celebrated author, but wow did I want to punch the MC then go take a shower! Won‘t go into a full review here, I‘ll wait till we all discuss this, but it‘s definitely a so-so from me. Great storytelling, horrible protagonist. #BookspinBingo #NoShameReadathon #Rushathon

DieAReader, Andrew65, Nessavamusic, TheAromaofBooks, GHABI4ROSES

Nessavamusic Excellent! 12mo

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 12mo

Andrew65 Well done 👏👏👏
Amazing how many so called ‘classics‘ don‘t hold water when you read them. Same happened to me when I read Wide Sargasso Sea over the weekend. 12mo

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DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 12mo

Ruthiella There aren‘t going to be any set discussion questions for the #ClassicLSFBC reads because we‘re not as organized as @TheSpineView . 😅 Should I post a couple and tag everyone? 🤔 12mo

Lizpixie @Ruthiella oh I‘m sorry! I just assumed there would be. If we take a poll on who wants discussion questions maybe? 12mo

39 likes6 comments

CatLass007

The Stars My Destination | Alfred Bester

This post contains spoilers

show me

pick

I joined the inaugural #ClassicLSFBC #BuddyRead with this selection. I finished it yesterday but I‘m not sure what I think about it. I think its take on teleportation, Jaunting, is unique as far as I am aware. No equipment necessary, just the power of the mind. Gully Foyle begins as an aimless brute, but because of his abandonment by the Vorga some part of him is awakened by his thirst for vengeance. This is the catalyst that causes him (cont)⬇️

Ruthiella, RamsFan1963, Bookwomble

CatLass007 to discover who he is and reinvent himself, not just on the outside, but also on the inside. By the end of the book he has come to understand and regret the pain he has caused others. He learns of the futility of his thirst for revenge. When he learns what PyrE is and how it is activated, he basically blackmails those in charge into either destroying humanity or figuring out how to make peace. (edited) 12mo

CatLass007 I would like to add that this is not a future in which I would care to live. There are very few haves and a multitude of have-nots. And I could never tolerate the anti-woman attitude that prevails. I‘m sure in some part of the book‘s human society, there are women wearing metal chastity belts. 🤬 (edited) 12mo

Ruthiella Great review! It was interesting that he proposed a society where women were often completely isolated and restricted, though it seemed to be only the upper classes that did so. 12mo

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CatLass007 @Ruthiella Thank you. There were times when I had to remind myself when it was written. Usually when $20 million of platinum bricks is enough to do everything he found necessary. If I earned $20 million playing the lottery in this day and age, I‘d find myself living in considerably more luxury than now, but I still would have to live in a frugal manner if I wanted to have enough to get me through to the end of my life and (cont)⬇️ 12mo

CatLass007 allow me to leave something for my family. Now you have to have billions to be considered wealthy. I would imagine that by the 25th century even billions would not be enough to be truly powerful. 12mo

Bookwomble Great review 😊 And, no, it's not a future I'd want to live in, either. 12mo

CatLass007 @Bookwomble Thank you. 12mo

12 likes7 comments

CatLass007

The Stars My Destination | Alfred Bester

I remember being required to read what I think was a short story. I don‘t believe it was an excerpt of anything. I think it was when I was in college. We won‘t mention that makes it more than 40 years ago. I seem to recall that there was a man who worked in the boiler room or something on a cruise ship. There was a female passenger who saw him, maybe she fell or dropped something and he tried to help her, maybe he encountered her in some (cont) ⬇️

CatLass007 other way. Whatever the type of encounter, she was repulsed by him. She called him a name which was very demeaning. Something like “filthy ape” or “stupid ape” or something that would have caused him to break into the zoo at night and try to communicate with the apes there. I can‘t remember if he broke into the gorilla cage or what exactly happened but the gorilla squeezed him to death. The reason this came to mind is because all the (cont) ⬇️ 12mo

CatLass007 women who meet Gully Foyle are repulsed by him, they seem to have a visceral reaction to his presence. (cont) ⬇️ #ClassicLSFBC 12mo

CatLass007 Does my summary of a story I read so long ago ring any bells for anyone. These are pretty much all the details I remember and it‘s making me nuts that I can‘t remember the name of the story. Any help would be appreciated.🤔🧐 12mo

The_Book_Ninja No idea, but now I need to read this ape squeezing story!🦧 12mo

CatLass007 @The_Book_Ninja If I find out I‘ll tag you with the info. 12mo

21 likes5 comments

Deblovestoread

The Stars My Destination | Alfred Bester

pick

I honestly don‘t know what to think about this book. Part of it is my current headspace. I also think I might have had a better experience in print rather than audio. I had a hard time keeping track of who and where, etc. I‘ve also read very little classic SciFi. It was a ride for sure but one that I felt lost in. 3🌟

#ClassicSFBC

@RamsFan1963 @Ruthiella @Bookwomble

Bookwomble I thought this a worthwhile read, but not one of my favourites in the genre. I think next month's book might hit the spot more sweetly 😊

More Than Human

12mo

RamsFan1963 I read this like 40 years ago, I don't remember it very well so I'm looking forward to rereading it.

More Than Human

12mo

Ruthiella Sci-fi just doesn‘t age as well as other genres. But I thought it was worth reading for the ideas. 12mo

57 likes3 comments

CatLass007

The Stars My Destination | Alfred Bester

I just started listening to this a couple of hours ago. Is anyone else from #ClassicLSFBC listening? And for those reading this in print, does your version include the introduction “Of Time, and Gully Foyle” by Neil Gaiman? Gaiman is a fine writer and he has a wonderful voice, but he is not narrating his intro, and that‘s a disappointment. The method of teleportation Bester has created is innovative and has captured my imagination.

RamsFan1963

RamsFan1963 I thought this book was good, but not Bester's best (forgive the wording) novel. Maybe later we can read The Demolished Man, which I think is the better novel, and one of the great sci-fi detective stories. 12mo

CatLass007 @RamsFan1963 The Demolished Man is on my TBR so reading it sometime sounds good to me. (edited) 12mo

Ruthiella I did listen to some of it but I didn‘t care for the narrator. 12mo

CatLass007 @Ruthiella The narrator is not that good but this is what I‘ve got. 12mo

40 likes4 comments

The_Book_Ninja

The Stars My Destination | Alfred Bester

pick

Although the MC starts off as a pretty heavy handed representation of the “lumpen” (both physically & within Marxist theory) I don‘t think this tale is truly committed to being allegorical. It‘s satire, with targets that range from pulp sci-fi to religion, the machinations of corporate capitalism & the bizarre pageantry of the upper classes. The bigger message is the destructive nature of revenge. This would have made a good Python/Gilliam movie

Ruthiella I love that cover! It would be great to see it adapted. Some of the dated aspects could be smoothed out. I‘d particularly like to see Jiz portrayed a little more fiercely, for example. 12mo

The_Book_Ninja @Ruthiella Yep, I agree. Some tweaking would be needed. For a 1950s sci-fi novel it‘s so, so close to breaking stereotypes and having 3 strong and interesting female characters, all quite individual and with one being Black. Sadly, she‘s described using outdated terminology and overall the women classically melodramatic (edited) 12mo

27 likes2 comments

julesG

The Stars My Destination | Alfred Bester

bailed

Maybe it's me, but this didn't age well.

I managed about 40%. Just didn't like any of the characters.

I liked Gaiman's introduction. 😜

julesG #ClassicLSFBC @RamsFan1963 12mo

Bookwomble It does actually come together at the end and transforms the seemingly b-movie revenge plot into something more, but another 60% is a lot to read if you're not enjoying it 🙂 12mo

julesG @Bookwomble Thanks. I might give it another try - on audio, possibly on 2x speed. 12mo

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RamsFan1963 Hopefully you'll find December's selection, More Than Human, more enjoyable. 12mo

Ruthiella I did listen to some on audio, but ended up preferring the print version. Now, maybe if Neil Gaiman had read it aloud …😅 12mo

julesG @Ruthiella 🤔 well, if Gaiman had read it,... 🤔 12mo

61 likes6 comments

majkia

The Stars My Destination | Alfred Bester

I just never got into this book. DNF about half way through.

#ClassicSFBC

julesG Same. 12mo

RamsFan1963 Hopefully you will enjoy December's selection more than this one. 12mo

Ruthiella I understand. It was a little tough going in parts for me too. 12mo

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Pedagogy of the Oppressed: 30th Anniversary Edition

Tiger! Tiger! | Alfred Bester

pick

#ClassicLSFBC @RamsFan1963 @Ruthiella
As an individual, I intensely disliked the MC, Gulliver Foyle, & really wasn't sure I wanted to keep reading, but about ⅓ through I started thinking of him as a personification of the struggle of the lumpenproletariat to achieve class consciousness, and that seemed to work for me, though I wasn't sure if that was Bester's intention. Ultimately, it did sit with me that way, and the story is, if imperfectly ⬇️

Bookwomble ... a dramatised sci-fi setting of Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed, the cosmic ending symbolising Foyle's awakening to his potential as a revolutionary liberationist figurehead. It was worth sticking with.
A couple of names struck me as being symbolic, though I'm struggling to fully integrate them, so maybe I'm seeing what's not there:
Gulliver Foyle - Gullible Foil - Gullible Fool
Presteign - Pristine - Prestige - Priest-Stain

(edited) 12mo

RamsFan1963 Wow!! You're review is very enlightening, I see the book in a different way. You definitely got more out of the book than I did, even though I gave the book a pick. 12mo

Bookwomble @RamsFan1963 I really had to work to find something to keep me reading, as I was close on bailing as Foyle of the early section reads like a libertarian übermensch wet-dream, which I don't grok 😆 It being a group read made me try harder to connect with it, and I'm glad I did as I think what I took from it was what Bester put there rather being wholly my own interpretation. 12mo

Ruthiella I struggled a bit in the middle too, but the end really does change one‘s perspective. I love your interpretation. 👍 I do think the author was trying to show that class or social strata does stifle potential, but the ending was a little bleak. Some people on Goodreads noted it was a reworking of The Count of Monte Cristo, which I‘ve not read, but I found that comparison interesting. 12mo

Bookwomble @Ruthiella I'd seen the comparisons with Monte Cristo, too, which I read in the '80s, so can't recall all the plot points. I can see the similarities in respect of the revenge scheme arising from an unfair imprisonment and the use of an acquired fortune and social status to further that end but, from memory, I don't think Bester and Dumas were delivering the same message, but, as I say, it's been a while 😏 12mo

31 likes5 comments

The Stars My Destination | Alfred Bester

pick

#ClassicLSFBC
Every genre has its progenitors and this is one for Sci-Fi. I‘m not that well read in the genre, but I think one can see seeds for the Expanse series and Neuromancer in this title.

It‘s a story of revenge and transformation. Gully Foyle, a low life from whom no one expects anything, is abandoned and left for dead. This spurs him to a life of reinvention and education as he sets out to punish those who so callously cast him aside.

53 likes

RamsFan1963

The Stars My Destination | Alfred Bester

pick

116/150 I don't believe I've ever read a book with a MC I liked less than Gully Foyle. He's a horrible person, and animal, murderer, rapist, and terrorist. Fuelled by his thirst for revenge, he will do anything to see those who wronged him brought low. I thought the ending was a little out there, getting a bit too cosmic for me, but overall I enjoyed the story, without liking the man. 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
1st book finished for #ClassicLSFBC

RamsFan1963 41st book finished for #RushathonExtended @DieAReader @GHABI4ROSES @Andrew65 12mo

DieAReader 🥳🥳🥳 12mo

RamsFan1963 For those that have finished the book, do you feel the ending was a cop out? Gully never faces the consequences of his actions, he goes all cosmic powers and slips away. 12mo

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Ruthiella I hope to finish this weekend. It sure is a crazy ride! 12mo

Ruthiella @RamsFan1963 Not really. Because he was a pawn all along. Maybe there‘s a certain irony in how he ends up, but there were so many others who also committed crimes and who will never be punished because they are the status quo. 12mo

RamsFan1963 @Ruthiella That's very true. I guess I just found the ending and abrupt change of pace, from a more gritty realistic view to something more cosmic and metaphysical 12mo

Andrew65 Excellent 👏👏👏 12mo

64 likes7 comments

Tiger! Tiger! | Alfred Bester

#ClassicLSFBK @Ruthiella @RamsFan1963 @The_Book_Ninja
A comment I made on one of Ruth's earlier posts had me pausing to reflect more deeply on what I'm reading. I'm up to Part 2, Chapter 8, which is page 118 in my edition, so I'll hide my thoughts in a comment behind a spoiler.

Bookwomble I'd not much liked Gully up to now. His desire for revenge has him casually not give a damn how many people he might kill in his first escape from the Sargasso Asteroid (great name, though!), & he rapes Robin Wednesbury, so I was feeling very much that I didn't care for him as MC. Then I clicked that Bester has called him a typical Common Man, & the story so far makes sense as an allegory, with Gully representing the unindividuated mass of ... 12mo

Bookwomble ... oppressed people, striking out blindly at the apparent cause of oppression (the Vorga) rather than the actual oppressor (Presteign), & trampling anything in his path. As a metaphor for class struggle, I feel better about the possible narrative arc as, awful as Gully's actions are, I'm not required to empathize with him, I can deplore them as examples of the flow of historical events, and hope that Bester is leading towards some ethical point. 12mo

Bookwomble Apologies if that's TLDNR, or over thought 🙃 12mo

Ruthiella Hmmm, very interesting. Is he showing what any “common man” might be capable of, given the right motivation and opportunity? I am also curious to see where the story goes. 12mo

33 likes4 comments

The Stars My Destination | Alfred Bester

For my #TBRTarot “choose a book which has a person on the cover “ this month, I can use this Sci-Fi classic . 🚀 I‘m four chapters in and enjoying it.

CBee

CBee Awesome 👏🏻 12mo

Bookwomble I'm hoping for character development with Foyle, though I'm not sure that Bester can redeem a murdering rapist - we'll see 🧐 12mo

Bookwomble Hmm - I'm having additional thoughts! 🤔 12mo

Ruthiella @Bookwomble I‘m so far just enjoying the details. Like “The Scientific People” and the fact that the ultra rich use retro technology to set themselves apart from the masses. 12mo

62 likes4 comments

Tiger! Tiger! | Alfred Bester

Starting "Tiger! Tiger!" aka "The Stars My Destination" for the #ClassicLSFBC ?? @RamsFan1963 @Ruthiella @TheSpineView @The_Book_Ninja
Couple of pages in, and Bester has coined the word "jaunt" for psionic teleportation, thus establishing that the writers of the '70s kids TV show The Tomorrow People had also read it, as they stole that off him! An auspicious start, and a fantastic first paragraph.

Ruthiella 😂 I don‘t know the tv show, but I also read the first paragraph yesterday and liked it. 12mo

TheSpineView Great job! 12mo

36 likes2 comments

Tiger! Tiger! | Alfred Bester

"This was a golden age, a time of high adventure, rich living and hard dying ... but nobody thought so. This was a future of fortune and theft, pillage and rapine, culture and vice ... but nobody admitted it. This was an age of extremes, a fascinating century of freaks ... but nobody loved it."

#FirstLineFridays (with apologies for overstepping the brief, but ... it was an age of pushing boundaries ... though nobody asked for it.)
@ShyBookOwl

34 likes

Tiger! Tiger! | Alfred Bester

@RamsFan1963 @Ruthiella @TheSpineView

I got a 1967 edition in the end, with a sweet Alan Aldridge cover, for the inaugural #ClassicLSFBC
I'm good to go - when's blast off? 🚀😁

Ruthiella Today! Start reading. 😃 🚀 12mo

RamsFan1963 Wow!! I love that cover!! 12mo

TheSpineView That cover! 💙📘 12mo

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Bookwomble @Ruthiella Ha! Sir! Yes, sir! 🫡😁 12mo

Bookwomble @RamsFan1963 @TheSpineView It was the edition I really wanted to get, so I'm pleased to have secured it 😊 It's a bit fragile, so I'll not be carrying it about! 12mo

The_Book_Ninja Just dug out my own copy. Can I come to the Gully Foyle party? 👉🏼👈🏼 12mo

Bookwomble @The_Book_Ninja Yes, absolutely 😊 12mo

swynn Gorgeous 12mo

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LitsyEvents

The Stars My Destination | Alfred Bester

Repost for @Ruthiella

Because we REALLY, REALLY want to read it and it doesn‘t look like it‘s gonna make the #LitsySciFiBookClub choice for Nov. 2023, @Bookwomble and @RamsFan1963 and I are offering a parallel #ClassicLSFBC #readalong of the tagged book. It‘ll be💯low key, just read it and post your thoughts in November as you wish.
#BuddyRead #LSFBC

See the original post at https://www.litsy.com/web/post/2651144

Ruthiella Thanks for reposting! 😊 13mo

30 likes1 comment

The Stars My Destination | Alfred Bester

🚀 Because we REALLY, REALLY want to read it and it doesn‘t look like it‘s gonna make the #LitsySciFiBookClub choice for Nov. 2023, @Bookwomble and @RamsFan1963 and I are offering a parallel #ClassicLSFBC readalong of the tagged book. If you‘d like to join this splinter group, please do! All are welcome. I‘m tagging the #LSFBC group, if any of y‘all are interested. 😃 It‘ll be💯low key, just read it and post your thoughts in November as you wish.

BookmarkTavern, wanderinglynn, Readergrrl, Johanna414, Lizpixie, BookBelle84, Larkken, julesG, Deblovestoread, majkia, LeticiaToraci, sebrittainclark, kwmg40, CatLass007, BookwormAHN, CSeydel, ravenlee, TheSpineView, bnp, PaperbackPirate, Klou, Roary47, AuthorCjwhitcomb , PageShifter, MerlinTheSlightlyAwkward, Books_et_al

CatLass007 This is going to be fun! Sign me up! 13mo

CSeydel Splinter group! I‘m in 13mo

Roary47 I‘m in! 13mo

See All 21 Comments

majkia I'll join you! I probably read this in the 70s, but I don't remember the story. I did enjoy Bester. 13mo

kwmg40 Count me in! I'll try to get to this in November. 13mo

Ruthiella @CatLass007 @CSeydel @Roary47 @majkia @kwmg40 Thanks for joining the Rebel Alliance! 😂 It appears to be a pretty short book (wafer thin) so it shouldn‘t get in the way of our other planned reading. 13mo

KathyWheeler I‘ve never read Bester but always wanted to after I watched Babylon 5. 13mo

ravenlee I think I‘m in. It‘s about time to overwhelm myself with November reads like I‘ve done for October. 🤣 13mo

Ruthiella @KathyWheeler This is your chance! I only watched a few seasons of B5 back in the‘90s but I googled the connection to Chekov…er Walter Koenig and the character he played on the show. 13mo

Ruthiella @ravenlee That‘s the spirit! 😃 13mo

Deblovestoread Free to me on Audible, easy to decide to join you 😊 13mo

julesG @Deblovestoread Snap! 13mo

KathyWheeler @Ruthiella Yeah, when he first showed up on B5, I had to stop myself from calling him Chekhov all the time. 😄 13mo

Ruthiella @Deblovestoread Yay! It‘s also on Hoopla on audio if any have access to that through their library. (edited) 13mo

LeticiaToraci I read it before and it's very entertaining. 13mo

Ruthiella @LeticiaToraci Excellent! Now I‘m looking forward to reading even more. 😀 13mo

PageShifter I have to see if I can read next month 13mo

Liz_M @LitsyEvents 13mo

Ruthiella @PageShifter Of course. Take your time. ❤️ (edited) 13mo

Lizpixie I just bought a copy on Amazon so I‘ll be joining in too. The more SciFi the better as far as I‘m concerned!🚀 13mo

Ruthiella @Lizpixie Yahoo! 🚀😃 13mo

48 likes21 comments

LostInSpace

The Stars My Destination | Alfred Bester

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I‘m really into the SF masterworks atm🌏🌝

We follow a man called Gulliver Foyle who is dragged into a conspiracy much bigger than he is, he is just a man who minds cargo on a spaceship.

This novel has twists and turns and it was completely unpredictable, it was really forward for it‘s time, as it was written in 1956.

It questions our moral compass and our responsibilities to people and the world around us, a really thought provoking read 🪐

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KMM

The Stars My Destination | Alfred Bester

Finally getting around to reading this one (that I optimistically bought back in 2015). I have been trying to read some of the SFF classics so this will be one more off that list.

3 likes

HighLordGugu

The Stars My Destination | Alfred Bester

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Nice one time read.

SpaceCowboyBooks

The Stars My Destination | Alfred Bester

Thinking about reading this one next. I've heard that it's wonderful but I'm not sure if I should read this or Demolished Man first. #sciencefiction

16 likes1 stack add

The Stars My Destination | Alfred Bester

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The Count of Monte Cristo in the 25th century

5 likes

The Stars My Destination | Alfred Bester

Lunch and a book #mycover

RamsFan1963 Excellent book choice! 6y

rwmg @RamsFan1963 It's a great story and I am enjoying it but I'm not as blown away as every one else seems to be 6y

10 likes2 comments

LeticiaToraci

The Stars My Destination | Alfred Bester

A Wrap-up picture of some of the physical books I read this Winter. I'll soon post a Wrap-up in my Blog at leticiatoraci.wordpress.com

7 likes

LeticiaToraci

The Stars My Destination | Alfred Bester

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This book is a trip and you'll want to jaunt yourself after reading it, LOL. Some allowances have to be made since this was written in the 50s, but I can fully understand why this is in a science fiction masterworks list. All the settings this book goes through, often in a disturbing and very possible dystopian way, make it the revered classic that it is.

5 likes

Mtroiano

The Stars My Destination | Alfred Bester

Beach reads 🏖

23 likes

GypsyKat

The Stars My Destination | Alfred Bester

Another Audible daily deal that I just can‘t pass up today! 👍

2BR02B I picked this one up too! I liked The Demolished Man more than I expected to.

The Demolished Man

6y

GypsyKat @2BR02B Good to know! I may have to add that to my list! 👍 6y

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Carolyn11215

The Stars My Destination | Alfred Bester

Really enjoyed this quirky classic sci-fi book! #emojimadness @Tiffy_Reads @JoeStalksBeck

15 likes

The Stars My Destination | Alfred Bester

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Fun SF but but doesn't really live up to its reputation