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The Stars My Destination

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The Stars My Destination

By: Alfred Bester
Narrated by: Gerard Doyle
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About this listen

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 over 50 years.

©1956 Alfred Bester; copyright renewed 1984 by Alfred Bester; special restored text of this edition copyright 1996 by the Estate of Alfred Bester; Introduction copyright 1996 by Neil Gaiman (P)2017 Tantor Adventure Fantasy Fiction Hard Science Fiction Science Fiction Steampunk Thought-Provoking Mind-bending

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This book read in the context of the time it was written is all the more impressive. It has aged somewhat, certainly in the way we view women. Mostly it’s offers up fresh takes on its universe. The human based narrative and subsequent transformation of its thoroughly unlikeable central character is its real compelling element. Few books do this better.

And however simplistic the central premise that people suddenly find they can teleport if they really really want to enough is rather hard to swallow it remains a uniquely readable book.

Old science fiction fanboys like myself will enjoy the journey if they haven’t read this already. Enrich your library and buy this little flawed but glorious gem. It’s worth a gaze.

Grab Tiger Tiger by the tail.

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This is a truly remarkable book, it is engrossing and thought provoking. Rightfully regarded as one of the greatest sci-fi books ever written.

Amazing book, original beyond any normal sci-fi

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Plot, pacing, language, ideas, character, worldbuilding - it has it all. Engaging from the opening sentence. Really well performed. Head and shoulders above other ‘included’ books on audible that I’ve encountered (so far)

Top quality Sci-Fi

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One of the best sci-fi stories of all-time

The stars within. A yell to the wind. Blood the taste of my sin, stripes of my sin.Smoke is my grin. The stars within...Pigs you...The stars within.. Selling your glass beads, stamping pearls to the ground. Why you...The stars within, where is your destination? Pennies you...
.

Spending pennies you ...

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Full of energy and imagination. Really enjoyed it. As always with the best stories of any genre, it’s a wonderful human story.

A wonderful adventure

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Bester takes us on an adventure alongside Gully Foyle, dead set on a quest for blind, vicious revenge. We learn the rules of his strange and distant universe alongside his hurtling through space, we observe this antihero as he commits great evils and desperately seeks punishment and redemption for his own actions.

Well-worth a read!

Exciting, twisting adventure through space

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Sci-fi and ESP. I'd heard they went together in the past, but first story i know about it.


I like the evolution of the a "class" society, where the lower class people and even their language have degraded, and such the leaders have taken it upon themself to be the religion. I also really like the ending, and how this ESP wad intergrated, labyrints to disorientate, people jaunting instead of going on an airplane.
Though it's clear that the book was written in 1950's, as it contains some... people who really had a different charecter and a matter capable of changing the face of warfare, like the atom bomb did.
And all this is just the world where the main charecter is dumped to slowly starve and be wrath incarnate.

But yeah, fascinating story which makes you punder, adequate worldbuilding, and my favorite robot malfunctioning to develop intelligence... which might be common there?

First Sci-fi book ever: Sci-fi, ESP and philosophy

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Been aware of this one for years, and never got 'round to it. Really enjoyed loads of the ideas.

The central antihero character arc is a bit odd. It's not 100% clear to me exactly what changed inside Gully and how. I still recommend it though.

I think this could be updated a little to make a great film.

Dated in places, but still great.

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Unburdened by tech this story is clever, entertaining and timeless. Beautifully narrated too. A real page turner.

A brilliant and intelligent story

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Despite thinking of myself as a Sci-Fi fan, I'd never encountered any Bester before this and as such had no expectations, but my god was I pleasantly surprised. Bester appears to be a master of the anti-hero protagonist (see also Demolished Man) and his scope for world building, nay universe building is second to none. He tells a fantastic story here, reaching through time and space with a huge arc of plot and character development. I was hooked from the first chapter, never once bored and ultimately satisfied by the end.

At first hearing of Gerard Doyle's narration I was a little unsure, but by the third page I was settled in and realised that he's a fantastic talent. To the extent now that I couldn't bear to not have him read Bester. It really is a marriage made in the stars. So make this your next Audible destination!

Absolutely brilliant, epic sci-fi.

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