Alfred besters novel, the stars my destination, is multilayered. It tells the story of an unambitious and directionless man named gulliver foyle who is abandoned in a damaged spaceship and, through his own rage and a series of mishaps, remakes himself as an aristocrat in a society wrecked by the invention of. The stars my destination by alfred bester an infinity plus. The stars my destination and the hugo award winning the demolished man. The stars my destination is absolutely bursting with ideas. Blow yourselves to christ gone or come and find me, gully foyle, and i make you men. His extraordinary book, the demolished man, was the first winner of the hugo award for best novel and was followed by the brilliant novels the stars my destination, the computer connection, golem100, and the deceivers, and numerous short stories. An age where humanity has spread across the solar system a golden age that no one knows they are living in.
The stars my destination is one of the books that made alfred bester who he is. His fiction career included writing for the pulp magazines, comics, radio, and television. I have read many others describe gully foyle as an antihero. The stars my destination by alfred bester librarything. The best book in the world, says m john harrison, who knows a thing or two about writing good books. In many ways, the stars my destination is a science fiction version of alexandre dumas the count of monte cristo. The stars my destination alfred bester page 19 read.
Is it necessary to read that first before reading the stars my destination. Oct 21, 2014 gullys escape and revenge triggers one of the crazier rides in modern literature, with each chapter giving a new snapshot into this strange protocyberpunk universe of besters creation. The stars my destination alfred bester elif the reader. Gully foyle is one of the most memorable antiheroes of science fiction i have ever read. At its most basic level, the stars my destination is a revenge story. He is an unpleasant but strangely fascinating character that lies, betrays, rapes and brutalizes his way towards seeking revenge. There are more than 1 million books that have been enjoyed by people from all over the world. Deep space is my dwelling place,the stars my destination. Oct 23, 2010 the stars my destination is a title riddled with ironic hope. The stars my destination by alfred bester 1956, galaxy magazine and a new gully foyle is born. Not funny haha not always anyway, but funnyweirdat least for me.
What he believes will quench this fire is the destruction of a spaceship. Alfred besters the stars my destination also known as tiger. This is the books greatest theme, and besters flawless handling of it means that the stars my destination deserves all the praise it has garnered. The stars my destination is a science fiction novel by american writer alfred bester. Like neil gaiman, i prefer the original british title.
The stars my destination alfred bester, alex eisenstein. When another space vessel, the vorga, ignores his distress flares and sails by, foyle becomes a man. Book for children until finally adult are different content. Bester explores what would happen if people could jaunte teleport by the power of the mind. Alfred bester 1987 was born in new york and educated at the university of pennsylvania and columbia. It is the story of gully foyle, a grunt in the interplanetary merchant navy who is the. The stars my destination is a classic of technological prophecy and timeless narrative. Alfred besters first science fiction novel since the stars my destination was a major eventa fastmoving adventure story set in earths future. The stars my destination by alfred bester 1956 we hadnt picked this up since our early teen years, when we gobbled up science fictions novels as fast as we could tear through them it blew us away then and it blew us away now. Always update books hourly, if not looking, search in the book search column.
The stars my destination kindle edition by bester, alfred. Jul 17, 2017 sorry to disappoint, i didnt actually draw all over my face. A film adaptation of the stars my destination has been in development for decades, but no filmmaker has managed to crack alfred besters influential 1957 scifi novel. Set in the 24th or 25th century, which varies between editions of the book, when humans have colonized the solar system, it tells the story of gully gulliver foyle, a teleporter driven by a burning desire for revenge. The stars my destination was first published in 1957 and has maintained its reputation as a classic for over 40 years. When another space vessel, the vorga, ignores his distress flares and sails by, foyle becomes a man obsessed with revenge. Nov 18, 2018 the stars my destination audio book download. Get ebooks the stars my destination on pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi and audiobook for free. Hugely influential on both the sf new wave of the 60s and the cyberpunks of the 80s, besters second novel is a fastmoving pyrotechnic extravaganza with enough bloodshed for tarantino and enough social analysis for marx. The stars my destination the greatest literature of all time. The stars my destination alfred bester read online free books. Gully foyle is my name terra is my nation deep space is my dwelling place the stars my destination scifi from its formative days is funny. The stars my destination has often been called one of science fictions greatest works, sometimes the greatest.
The stars my destination our book choice for july 2008 is the stars my destination by alfred bester. Yet, the first time i read it, i didnt get the fuss. Two of his eight novels are frequently listed among the best books the genre has produced. I am often unable to get over the clunky writing and wispy plots despite the many cool ideas on display. Get e books the stars my destination on pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi and audiobook for free. This study guide consists of approximately 40 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the stars my destination. A scifi escape to the stars based on the count of monte cristo, alfred besters saga the stars my destination will transport you off the couch and into a roiling world of. Someone bought it for me when i was about 11 in a large collection of short sf novels. Like an old western or film noir, the book becomes a revenge story and all hell breaks loose as gully is nothing if not focused. And deaths my destination alfred bester produced many excellent short stories in his career, but he is best known for two novels. This book tells the story of an illiterate common space sailor gully foyle, his psychological death.
Gully foyle goes from animal to man, and then on to something more. The stars my destination is a title riddled with ironic hope. The stars my destination the complete graphic story. Alfred besters the stars my destination is classic scifi from the 1950s that stands the test of time.
Gully foyle is my nameterra is my nationdeep space is my dwelling placethe stars my destinationscifi from its formative days is funny. Gully foyle has no great ambition and he has no imagination. Deep space is my dwelling place and death s my destination. The stars my destination by alfred bester goodreads. Cela devrait etre impossible, mais son vaisseau repart et les naufrages.
Mar 29, 2010 at its core the book is a fast moving thriller of retribution as gully bounces between weird space cult, underground prison, parties of the super rich, and nuclear exchanges in an increasingly deadly war. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. I hope this extraordinary book, which is a favourite among science fiction readers, will. At its core the book is a fast moving thriller of retribution as gully bounces between weird space cult, underground prison, parties of the super rich, and nuclear exchanges in an increasingly deadly war. Paramount pictures is talks to acquire featurefilm rights for the classic scifi novel the stars my destination for producer mary parent. According to some details, bester based his story in part on a newspaper clipping from world war ii. Set far into the future, the 25th century, humans have settled the solar system out to neptune. Always update books hourly, if not looking, search in.
The stars my destination audiobook by alfred bester. The stars my destination audiobook alfred bester hd audio. Aug 29, 2010 alfred besters the stars my destination also known as tiger. Alfred bester gully foyle, mechanics mate 3rd class, is the only survivor on his drifting, wrecked spaceship. This is partly because it was under this title that i first read this book, but mostly because it better fits the character of gully foyle. Gully foyle is my name terra is my nation deep space is my dwelling place the stars my destination summary 0. I read the whole collection several times, and i have almost no memory of what else was in it. Gully foyle, uneducated, great at nothing with no real desire to be better than he already is, is a crew member aboard a star ship. He was gulliver foyle, mechanics mate 3rd class, thirty years old, big boned and rough. The stars my destination is a book i first read when i was way too young to understand it. Mar 09, 20 this book is fantastic, packed full of ideas and such a gripping story. The stars my destination, by alfred bester its my other bester book for vintage sf month. Phyllis eisenstein gully foyle, mechanics mate 3rd class, is the only survivor on his drifting, wrecked spaceship.
Hes also hateful and callous and tremendously resourceful, particularly compared to the dullard he was before. Even though the book is not as well known as some of the more popular science fiction classics like dune or stranger in a strange land, i have enjoyed this book more than any science fiction novel i have ever read, and i have read science fiction since i was in junior high school. Gully foyle, mechanics mate 3rd class, is the only survivor on his drifting, wrecked spaceship. Gully foyles who i should a started with, but its too late now. He survives the destruction of the spaceship nomad on which he is. There are several parallel plots with strong characters, and four female characters play key roles in the development of the gully foyle storyline. Jul 14, 2017 alfred bester was a grand master of the science fiction writers of america now sffwa. The stars my destination audiobook alfred bester hd. Click download or read online button to get the stars my destination book now. Sorry to disappoint, i didnt actually draw all over my face.
A band of immortalas charming a bunch of eccentrics as youll ever come acrossrecruit a new member, the brilliant cherokee physicist sequoya guess. An age when humanity can jaunte across the world, where telepaths are, if not common, then not unheard of. Gullys escape and revenge triggers one of the crazier rides in modern literature, with each chapter giving a new snapshot into this strange protocyberpunk universe of besters creation. Alfred bester was a grand master of the science fiction writers of america now sffwa. The book opens with gully foyle surviving by wits, stamina and sheer stubborn willtolive. Gully foyle is the last remaining survivor of the nomad, a merchant spaceship attacked in the war with.
This book is fantastic, packed full of ideas and such a gripping story. The stars my destination download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi. The stars my destination is a science fiction novel by alfred bester. Nov 09, 2018 the stars my destination by alfred bester 1956, galaxy magazine and a new gully foyle is born. He was a scriptwriter and journalist by profession but he set the science fiction world alight with the demolished man and the stars my destination and his extraordinary short stories in the 1950s, and blazed a trail for the sf new wave of the 1960s and the cyberpunk writers of the 1980s. The demolished man, his first book, published in 1953. The novel was supposed to feature an unforgettable character, the likes of which had never been seen in science fiction before. I can certainly understand why its considered a masterwork of science fiction. Along the way, jaunting was discovered which involves personal teleportation over distances up to miles. He also wrote a great many short stories in the field.
The stars my destination film may finally land at paramount. Special hardcover limited edition of the graphic novel adaptation of alfred besters the stars my destination. Set in the 24th or 25th century, which varies between editions of the book, when humans have colonized the solar system, it tells the story of gully gulliver foyle, a teleporter driven by a burning desire for revenge its first publication was in book form in june 1956 in the united kingdom, where it was. I says with my gutter tongue whatever comes down from my gutter mind first, and that was it, see. I hope this extraordinary book, which is a favourite among science fiction readers, will not only be in the shelves of science fiction lovers. He was decelerated, but the exhaustion of his body told him he had been under acceleration while he was unconscious. This is the book s greatest theme, and besters flawless handling of it means that the stars my destination deserves all the praise it has garnered. Its so good that the first time i read it, i was overwhelmed by the number of amazing ideas and actionpacked scenes filled in the book. Gulliveror gullyfoyle perhaps named after swifts gulliver. Driven by obsession, foyle rescues himself after a fashion and returns, strangely disfigured, to the rich decadence of 25thcentury earth. The stars my destination is a wildly inventive revenge melodrama, inspired by alexandre dumass classic the count of monte cristo.
Gully foyle is one of the most wonderfully ruthless and tortured protagonists ever to be written. Gully foyle begins the novel as barely human, a grunting illiterate mechanics mate 3rd class. So anyways turns out bester could write like a motherfucker, is all. This production is one of the first sophisticated full color american graphic novels first published in 1979. Gully foyle of the presteignowned merchant spaceship nomadan uneducated, unskilled, unambitious man whose life is at a dead end is. In this pulsequickening novel, alfred bester imagines. Sep 07, 2017 a film adaptation of the stars my destination has been in development for decades, but no filmmaker has managed to crack alfred besters influential 1957 scifi novel. Besters experimental writing, unlike a few of the even more self conscious literary writing of this kind william burroughs for example is easy to understand and also accessable to the reader while succeeding in conveying the otherness of gullys scrambled senses. Besters protagonist, gully foyle, is unlike any other. We find him at the outset somehow aboard the crippled spaceship nomad. The stars my destination is a science fiction novel by alfred bester, which was published in 1957.
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