What would the world be like if we could jaunt?

Author's Rating:

Pros: Premise, Story, Characters, Jaunting, Plot, Ending

Cons: Somewhat dated at times, and a lone paradox.

Author's Review
I thought that The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester was a fantastic novel. Published in 1956, Stars starts the reader off on September 16, 2436. Gulliver Foyle is aboard the spaceship Nomad, alone, and he does not remember how everybody died. We are introduced to a world drastically different from our own, yet it is the same. Bester, who won the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America's Grandmaster Award before he died in 1981, does an outstanding job of writing a novel that takes place in the future while only possessing the knowledge of a man in the 1950's.

NOTES and PRECONCLUSIONS: I was truly amazed by the scope of this novel. It could even be considered a science fiction epic. The storyline is gripping, the characters are real, and the plot flows. Gully Foyle is as different a hero as I have ever read about, and as memorable as any other.

ON TO THE REVIEW....

What I liked about the novel:

The Premise...Gully is alone aboard the spaceship Nomad. Everybody else is dead or gone, but why isn't he, and why can't he remember? Thus begins a tale set in a world where people travel by Jaunting (willing oneself to travel instantaneously to another place). Earth is called Terra, and there is a war in the solar system between the outer planets and the inner planets. There is no real government as we know it, just powerful men and powerful corporations. Because of jaunting for hundreds of years, there are no distinctive racial features on people. Religion is forbidden. The drug of choice is Analogue, where the user will take on the characteristics of his favorite animal. The war is at a turning point, where the smallest turn of events in any direction will win for either side.

The Story...Gully Foyle, who is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, becomes the most wanted man in the solar system. Why? Gully has no idea. His life has evolved into one emotion and act, hate and revenge. But he is the only man who knows where the Nomad is located. And aboard the Nomad is PyrE, a substance that could win or lose the war. We follow Gully Foyle on a remarkable journey through hate, purpose, and redemption. And what a turn of events it is!

The Characters...

GULLIVER FOYLE: Described on his Merchant Marine records as follows: Education- None, Skills- None, Merits- None, Recommendations- None. "A man of physical strength and intellectual potential stunted by lack of ambition...The stereotype Common Man...He has reached a dead end." But had he? Something in Gully is awakened under extreme stress. Something vital to the future of the world. But Gully is after only one thing: The death of all men aboard the spaceship Vorga.

JISABELLA McQUEEN: Gully's compadre and lover. She is a thief and a criminal and a remarkable character. Her metamorphosis is almost as stunning as Gully's.

CAPTAIN PETER Y'ANG-YEOVIL: Central Intelligence. And descendant of what we know as the Chinese. Central Intelligence have control of all law enforcement and information gathering on the Inner Planets.

SAUL DAGENHAM: Courier. But not as we imagine couriers to be. He is one of the most powerful men on the IP (Inner Planets), and has an extensive network of jaunters ready to distribute anything.

PRESTEIGN OF PRESTEIGN: Head of Presteign, as if you couldn't guess. He is the owner of the Nomad and the Vorga and as close to a President as we will see in this book.

There are also countless other memorable characters in this book. Read it to meet them.

The Idea of Jaunting...It sounds simple, doesn't it? But Bester explores this action in great depth, from its impact on society to what could go wrong. For example: Why couldn't someone simply jaunt right into your house? Well, he could. Because he could visualize it. But the people in this novel build elaborate labyrinths around their residences and businesses so as no one could jaunt through. There are Jaunt pads (like bus stations) that get overcrowded and even dangerous. The beginning of the novel also details how jaunting was first accomplished and how it was perfected. It is a very interesting concept.

The Ending... WOW! I was absolutely surprised by the ending of this novel. The journey through the pages was a great one, but the ending of this novel makes it a classic in science fiction.

What I did not like about the novel:

Really, this is hard for me to find a con about this book. But this would not be a thorough review if I did not find one. So here it is:

I found a paradox. In certain acts frequently performed in science fiction, one can sometimes find paradoxes. I will not go into any more detail so as not to give away any of the story. But there is one in this book. It was a minor flaw in the story line and could probably be argued either way, but it is there.

Also, some of the material is dated. But remember when reading this book...It was written before we even landed on the moon! When reading you must remember when it was written and enjoy!

Conclusions...

I was highly impressed with this novel. Gulliver Foyle can be hated at times in this book, but he is truly a remarkable character. The story is amazing and the amount of detail that Besten goes into brings Stars up to the next level of accomplishment. I thoroughly enjoyed enerything about this book. Read it and enjoy!