Some time ago I finished reading “The Stars My Destination” by Alfred
Bester. It was really awesome. No wonder it’s considered one of the great sci-fi
classics, right up there with “The Dispossessed” by Ursula K. Le Guin and “The
Sirens of Titan” by Kurt Vonnegut.
It strongly reminds me of “The Count of Monte Cristo,” and I love how
savagely portrayed Gully Foyle was. The events of the tale come at you like a barrage of explosions – one after
another in rapid succession. I do wish
they never changed the title – the original was Tiger! Tiger! after William Blake’s poem – is so much more
appropriate and the analogy was indeed carried throughout the story. Foyle
is a relentless predator in his struggle for vindication and he will just drag
you through the muck and debris of his wake all through the tale. It was amazing to feel like a first-hand
witness to his savage pursuit – I couldn’t help but want to goad him further,
make him fall faster, and see his fire burn everything around him. And yet I almost felt for him a profound pity. Somehow at the back of my mind I was hoping
for his redemption. Revenge is a dish
best served cold, so they say. I’m not
so sure Gully was able to enjoy that cool dessert.
I like the fact that all the other characters are equally emphatic. Their interactions with Gully and with each
other make the plot and the pacing more dynamic. Plus, for a science fiction piece, this didn’t
sound like one. A minimum of
unpronounceable words and theoretical physics was presented. It was really more of a story; a well-told
tale. And I especially enjoyed the
concrete poetry presented toward the end – awesome.
Having said that, I don’t think every reader would actually enjoy
this. I’d recommend it to someone who
doesn’t want anything soft and mushy in between the pages. This is a hard-line, fast-paced missile of a
novel barrelling through space straight into your brain, dragging you along
without pause. Not for the
faint-hearted. I give it 8/10.
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