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Alfred Bester (1913–1987)

Autor(a) de The Stars My Destination

81+ Works 15,665 Membros 348 Críticas 85 Favorited

About the Author

Séries

Obras por Alfred Bester

The Stars My Destination (1956) 6,270 exemplares
The Demolished Man (1952) 4,654 exemplares
The Computer Connection (1975) 793 exemplares
The Deceivers (1981) 504 exemplares
Psychoshop (1998) 480 exemplares
Starburst (1958) — Autor — 396 exemplares
Golem 100 (1980) 396 exemplares
The Dark Side of the Earth (1964) 335 exemplares
Redemolished (2000) 209 exemplares
Rat Race (1953) 43 exemplares
Fondly Fahrenheit [novelette] (1954) 33 exemplares
The Flowered Thundermug (1964) 28 exemplares
Alfred Bester 21 exemplares
Adam and No Eve [short fiction] (1941) 20 exemplares
The Pi Man (1959) 20 exemplares
Tender Loving Rage (1600) 20 exemplares
The Four-Hour Fugue [short story] (1974) 16 exemplares
The life and death of a satellite (1966) 15 exemplares
Hell Is Forever (1942) 14 exemplares
Hobson's Choice [short story] (1952) 14 exemplares
5,271,009 (1954) 13 exemplares
Will You Wait? (1959) 11 exemplares
The Biped, Reegan 11 exemplares
Galatea Galante [novelette] (1979) 10 exemplares
Oddy And Id (1950) 10 exemplares
Disappearing Act (1954) 9 exemplares
Time Is The Traitor (1953) 7 exemplares
The Animal Fair (1972) 7 exemplares
The Die-Hard 5 exemplares
The Push of a Finger (1942) 5 exemplares
Out of This World (1964) 4 exemplares
The Probable Man (1941) 4 exemplares
The Lost Child [short story] (2000) 2 exemplares
Metà A metà B — Autor — 1 exemplar
Anarsist 1 exemplar
And 3½ to Go [short story] (1997) 1 exemplar
Somewhere a Voice 1 exemplar

Associated Works

The World Treasury of Science Fiction (1989) — Contribuidor — 889 exemplares
Adventures in Time and Space (1946) — Contribuidor, algumas edições546 exemplares
100 Great Science Fiction Short Short Stories (1978) — Contribuidor — 407 exemplares
The Ascent of Wonder: The Evolution of Hard SF (1994) — Contribuidor — 392 exemplares
Science Fiction Omnibus (1952) — Contribuidor — 340 exemplares
A Treasury of Great Science Fiction, Volume 2 (1959) — Contribuidor — 316 exemplares
A Treasury of Great Science Fiction [2-volume set] (1959) — Contribuidor — 292 exemplares
Space Opera (1974) — Contribuidor — 265 exemplares
Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Treasury (1988) — Contribuidor — 247 exemplares
Robert Silverberg's Worlds of Wonder (1987) — Autor — 246 exemplares
The Road to Science Fiction #3: From Heinlein to Here (1979) — Contribuidor — 242 exemplares
Astounding: John W. Campbell Memorial Anthology (1973) — Contribuidor — 237 exemplares
The 1975 Annual World's Best SF (1975) — Contribuidor — 208 exemplares
The Arbor House Treasury of Modern Science Fiction (1980) — Contribuidor — 196 exemplares
American Science Fiction : Five Classic Novels 1956-58 (2012) — Contribuidor — 196 exemplares
A Century of Science Fiction (1962) — Contribuidor — 191 exemplares
A Science Fiction Argosy (1972) — Contribuidor, algumas edições163 exemplares
9th Annual Edition: The Year's Best S-F (1964) — Contribuidor — 160 exemplares
Great Tales of Science Fiction (1985) — Contribuidor — 159 exemplares
Isaac Asimov Presents The Great SF Stories 3 (1941) (1980) — Contribuidor — 152 exemplares
The Ultimate Cyberpunk (2002) — Contribuidor — 151 exemplares
The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction: 9th Series (1961) — Contribuidor — 151 exemplares
A Decade of Fantasy and Science Fiction (1960) — Contribuidor — 147 exemplares
Connoisseur's Science Fiction (1964) — Contribuidor — 143 exemplares
The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction: 8th Series (1959) — Contribuidor — 134 exemplares
The Wesleyan Anthology of Science Fiction (2010) — Contribuidor — 133 exemplares
Analog: The Best of Science Fiction (1982) — Contribuidor — 127 exemplares
The Best Science Fiction of the Year #3 (1974) — Contribuidor — 121 exemplares
Voyagers in Time (1967) — Contribuidor — 117 exemplares
Spectrum 3 (1963) — Contribuidor — 115 exemplares
The SFWA Grand Masters, Volume 2 (2000) — Contribuidor — 114 exemplares
Galaxy, Thirty Years of Innovative Science Fiction (1980) — Contribuidor — 112 exemplares
The Worlds of Science Fiction (1963) — Epilogue — 112 exemplares
Science Fiction of the 50's (1971) — Contribuidor — 109 exemplares
Cyber-killers (1997) — Contribuidor, algumas edições106 exemplares
The Best Science Fiction of the Year #9 (1980) — Contribuidor — 104 exemplares
American Science Fiction: Nine Classic Novels of the 1950s (2012) — Contribuidor — 103 exemplares
Star of Stars (1960) — Contribuidor — 102 exemplares
Star Science Fiction Stories No. 2 (1953) — Contribuidor — 102 exemplares
Space Odysseys (1974) 98 exemplares
The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction: 13th Series (1964) — Contribuidor — 98 exemplares
The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction: 3rd Series (1954) — Contribuidor — 93 exemplares
Best SF Two (1956) — Contribuidor — 92 exemplares
Strange gifts: Eight stories of science fiction (1975) — Autor — 91 exemplares
The Prentice Hall Anthology of Science Fiction and Fantasy (2000) — Contribuidor — 91 exemplares
Isaac Asimov Presents The Great SF Stories 16 (1954) (1987) — Contribuidor — 90 exemplares
Unknown Worlds : Tales from Beyond (1988) — Contribuidor — 90 exemplares
The Great SF Stories 12 (1950) (1973) — Contribuidor — 89 exemplares
The Best of Analog (1978) — Autor — 85 exemplares
Beyond Control (1972) — Contribuidor — 83 exemplares
The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction: 4th Series (1955) — Contribuidor — 82 exemplares
Magic For Sale (1983) — Contribuidor — 78 exemplares
Other Dimensions: Ten Stories of Science Fiction (1973) — Contribuidor — 75 exemplares
Nova 4 (1974) — Contribuidor — 72 exemplares
More Adventures in Time and Space (1951) — Contribuidor — 70 exemplares
Alpha 1 (1970) — Contribuidor — 66 exemplares
The Vintage Anthology of Science Fantasy. (1966) — Contribuidor — 65 exemplares
The Best Science Fiction Stories (1977) — Autor, algumas edições65 exemplares
Time Travelers (Fiction in the Fourth Dimension) (1997) — Contribuidor — 64 exemplares
Alpha 4 (1973) — Contribuidor — 60 exemplares
Timescapes (1997) — Contribuidor — 57 exemplares
The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction: 20th Series (1973) — Contribuidor — 56 exemplares
Best Science Fiction Stories of the Year Third Annual Collection (1974) — Contribuidor — 56 exemplares
Laughing Space: An Anthology of Science Fiction Humour (1982) — Contribuidor — 55 exemplares
Assignment in Tomorrow: An Anthology (1954) — Contribuidor — 54 exemplares
The Second Science Fiction Megapack (2011) — Autor — 53 exemplares
Turning Points: Essays on the Art of Science Fiction (1977) — Contribuidor — 47 exemplares
The Third Omni Book of Science Fiction (1985) — Contribuidor — 47 exemplares
The End of Summer: Science Fiction of the Fifties (1979) — Contribuidor — 47 exemplares
Science Fiction: The Great Years Vol II (1975) — Contribuidor — 45 exemplares
The Arbor House Treasury of Science Fiction Masterpieces (1983) — Contribuidor — 43 exemplares
SF: Authors' Choice 2 (1970) — Contribuidor — 41 exemplares
Great Science Fiction Stories (1968) — Contribuidor — 40 exemplares
Science Fiction Novel: Imagination and Social Criticism (1959) — Contribuidor — 39 exemplares
The Seventh Omni Book of Science Fiction (1989) — Contribuidor — 36 exemplares
Cosmic Laughter; Science Fiction for the Fun of It (1974) — Autor — 36 exemplares
Sense of Wonder: A Century of Science Fiction (2011) — Contribuidor — 30 exemplares
Infinite jests;: The lighter side of science fiction (1974) — Contribuidor — 29 exemplares
Top Science Fiction: The Authors' Choice (1984) — Contribuidor — 28 exemplares
The Androids Are Coming (1979) — Contribuidor — 27 exemplares
Tomorrow and Tomorrow : Ten Tales of the Future (1973) — Contribuidor — 23 exemplares
The Best from Fantastic (1973) — Contribuidor — 22 exemplares
The Best Science Fiction Stories: 1951 (1951) — Contribuidor — 21 exemplares
Political science fiction;: An introductory reader (1974) — Contribuidor — 13 exemplares
The Best Science Fiction Stories: 1954 (1954) — Contribuidor — 11 exemplares
The Best Science Fiction Stories: 1953 (1953) — Introdução — 11 exemplares
Galaxy Science Fiction 1956 December, Vol. 13, No. 2 (1956) — Contribuidor — 9 exemplares
Bruna Science Fiction Omnibus 2 (1969) — Contribuidor — 8 exemplares
Alfa Twee: SF-Verhalen (1974) — Contribuidor — 7 exemplares
Ikarus 2001. Best of Science Fiction. (2001) — Contribuidor — 7 exemplares
The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction: 2nd Series (1983) — Contribuidor — 5 exemplares
Stella a cinque mondi — Contribuidor — 4 exemplares
Faseskift. Science Fiction noveller (1984) — Autor, algumas edições3 exemplares
Spec-Lit, No. 2: Speculative Fiction (1998) — Contribuidor — 3 exemplares
The Shadow: Four Cassette Crate Series (1992) — Radio Play, algumas edições3 exemplares
SFの評論大全集 (別冊奇想天外 4) — Contribuidor — 1 exemplar

Etiquetado

Conhecimento Comum

Nome legal
Bester, Alfred
Data de nascimento
1913-12-18
Manhattan, New York, Verenigde Staten
Data de falecimento
1987-09-30
Sexo
male
Nacionalidade
USA
Local de nascimento
Manhattan, New York, USA
Local de falecimento
Doylestown, Pennsylvania, USA
Locais de residência
New York, New York, USA
Educação
University of Pennsylvania
Ocupações
screenwriter
editor
Organizações
Holiday
Prémios e menções honrosas
SFWA Grand Master (1987)
SF Hall Of Fame (Posthumous Inductee, 2001)

Membros

Discussions

FEBRUARY READ - SPOILERS - The Stars My Destination em The Green Dragon (Março 2014)
FEBRUARY READ - NO SPOILERS - The Stars My Destination em The Green Dragon (Fevereiro 2014)

Críticas

This was a mixed bag for me.

First the good things. This is an action psychedelic story that I would (to be honest) expect from Philip K Dick. Story is set in far future where humans have evolved in a way they are capable of physically jaunting - jumping to remote location using mere thought. This transformed the entire world in a way that for example actual locations of buildings are no longer relevant so buildings just pop up wherever builders want it. With this you would think that society is also advanced, right? Well, it is not. World is pretty much the same. Corporations are de facto rulers of the world and those that do not fit are left wandering space in hippy-like communes, left alone until they find themselves on the path of corpo's. Rich and influential enjoy in the old technology (hipsters anyone?) because jaunting and entire moderna is soooo boring. Of course they use every means of protection available (personal armies and armed ships) but they like to enjoy in the sophisticated things of the past. This is also time where soldiers and mercenaries get sub-dermal enhancements, cybernetic implants and get hypno-therapy conditioning to act as sleeping agents. People are very deadly in this future and depending on the situation sleeping agents are all around just waiting for key words to get triggered (Treadstone anyone?). So as you can see this is very rich world, miles away from our own and yet so close and familiar. People still hunger for power and they are ready to do anything to rule over others.

Now the weird. Main character, Gully Foyle is a complete anachronism in his time. In all honesty he would be anachronism in any time outside the early Medieval times. He is so low in society that he is basically just barely alive. No initiative, no ambition, nothing but sheer physical strength but even this is powered down that for everyone else Gully is a person so bland and unremarkable that you would not give him any notice, shadow, grey man. Stuck doing a very arduous job he gets fired up by that ancient, ever present and potent force - thirst for revenge. This most base force will force him to change, to improve himself and bring his vengeance to people responsible. Foyle's very evolution from a drag of society to becoming "illuminated" human, maybe first of many to follow, trailblazer, is what the book is actually about. Foyle does some horrible things, leaves his friends behind, does not care what happens to others as long they are useful for him. But he evolves and becomes better, he transcends his limitations and finally manages to see the future, what in Dune would be called the Golden Path. Now some would find this offending (in this age of never forget and Foyle truly has a record) but last few pages of the novel are very interesting. Should majority be treated like kids and mindless mob by the selected few (kinds sounds contemporary, right?) or left to chose its own path, provided with enough knowledge and facts (now this sounds like utopia, right? imagine world without all the media houses serving the news :) toouuuggghh). Is the future of mankind actual merge of savage and knowledge, man that goes (in a similar way as his biological changes before and after birth) through entire cycle of his social development - from aggressive, barely speaking savage to illuminated human.

And now the not so good. I wont say bad because of the fact that this is 1950's book and majority of SF from that time is inspired by hallucinogenics and drugs and all works from that time in history have that trippy feeling. To say that story line is basically a collection of several story lines running in very weird relative directions is to say the least. Story holes become so obvious at time that characters are unrecognizable just going from one page to next. There is no transition, no interlude, nothing just wham, X is now completely different person. If you are persistent person this can be easily overcome but for others this will be a rather difficult book to read. Weirdly though story is rather fluid even with this structure. Author truly knows how to write.

All in all very interesting book, that raises some of the old (and eternal) questions on how should humanity move forward. Whether we like it or not we come across these even today (this year especially).

Recommended to all fans of SF and revenge stories.
… (mais)
 
Assinalado
Zare | 174 outras críticas | Jan 23, 2024 |
This was not the scifi book I was looking for.
Just a poor, suspense drama. Found the style quite difficult as well. Luckily, Bester is mostly scifi and will try reading The Demolished Man next.
 
Assinalado
MXMLLN | 2 outras críticas | Jan 12, 2024 |
Not a very high brow book, but a good read nevertheless. The book is so strange and unnatural. All elements of the plot are ridiculous and a lot of the dialogue, especially the romance, is weak. Everything just sort of worked.
Will definitely consider reading Bester again.
 
Assinalado
MXMLLN | 174 outras críticas | Jan 12, 2024 |
I read it in my school years. And it was crazy. And remains like this just trying to remember it. I can safely say that this book set a certain standard in world craziness from which I measure every other such book. It just came to me crushing and smashing every perspective on world and what can be done to change it. Good or bad... I don't know and don't remember.

Maybe I re-read it one day, maybe not. But I sure never forget it.
 
Assinalado
WorkLastDay | 174 outras críticas | Dec 17, 2023 |

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Tim White Cover artist
Richard M. Powers Cover artist
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Tor Edvin Dahl Translator
Jon Bing Afterword
Gisela Stege Translator
Chris Moore Cover artist
Graham Sleight Introduction
Jack Gaughan Illustrator
Marc Adams Cover artist
Donato Giancola Cover artist
MICHAEL HOREN Cover artist
Alan Aldridge Cover artist
Manuel Figueroa Translator
Gary Viskupic Cover artist
Reha Pınar Translator
Göran Byttner Translator
Luboš Makarský Translator
Kurt Vonnegut Introduction
Jacques Papy Translator
Laura Serra Translator
Patrick Marcel Translator
Horst Pukallus Translator
Serge Lehman Foreword
Vincent DiFate Illustrator
Stanley Meltzoff Cover artist
Giuseppe Lippi Translator
Arvi Tamminen Translator
Jim Burns Cover artist
Evan Gaffney Cover artist
Gino D'Achille Cover artist
Michael Whelan Cover artist
George Snow Cover artist
Greg Bear Introduction
Pierre Bayart Traduction
Russell Mills Cover Artist
Colin Hay Cover artist
George Jones Cover artist
Vicente Segrelles Cover artist
Riccardo Valla Translator
Rowena Morrill Cover artist
W. F. Phillipps Cover artist
Simon Danaher Cover artist

Estatísticas

Obras
81
Also by
114
Membros
15,665
Popularidade
#1,451
Avaliação
3.9
Críticas
348
ISBN
224
Línguas
17
Marcado como favorito
85

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