Recently finished The Stars my Destination -known as Tiger Tiger in the UK- I absolutely love it, but it seems to be a major YMMV book. On one hand the characters are interesting, it introduces several interesting technological/social advances (most notably widespread psychic teleportation, or “jaunting”), and has some really fun language. On the other hand it is not the place to look for likable characters. In particular the protagonist is a murderer, a rapist, and has horrible english, albeit often in an amusing way. The actual plot is about a previously apathetic space “sailor” seeking revenge on a ship that left him stranded in a wreck after seeing his distress calls. There is also a major subplot about the several groups trying to retrieve a secret weapon his ship was carrying. Its widely known for the following passage.
You pass me by. You leave me rot like a dog. You leave me die, Vorga … Vorga-T:1339. No. I get out of here, me. I follow you, Vorga. I find you, Vorga. I pay you back, me. I rot you. I kill you, Vorga. I kill you filthy
Haven’t read it yet. The Stars My Destination was my introduction to Bester. Also, they didn’t bother me, they were just things I observed, and know bother many readers.
Both novels are amazing. On the rape front, I give The Stars My Destination some points because the woman appears again later in the book and she’s angry about it. The book starts by saying that it’s an era of monsters, and I respect that Gully Foyle is an actual monster rather that cute just barely villainous fellow (with most of the crimes offstage) like Han Solo or Northwest Smith.
On the other hand, I consider “the mind of a little girl in the body of a beautiful woman” in The Demolished Man to be somewhat queasy-making.
Fiction Books Thread
Recently finished The Stars my Destination -known as Tiger Tiger in the UK- I absolutely love it, but it seems to be a major YMMV book. On one hand the characters are interesting, it introduces several interesting technological/social advances (most notably widespread psychic teleportation, or “jaunting”), and has some really fun language. On the other hand it is not the place to look for likable characters. In particular the protagonist is a murderer, a rapist, and has horrible english, albeit often in an amusing way. The actual plot is about a previously apathetic space “sailor” seeking revenge on a ship that left him stranded in a wreck after seeing his distress calls. There is also a major subplot about the several groups trying to retrieve a secret weapon his ship was carrying. Its widely known for the following passage.
If those bothered you, what did you think of The Demolished Man? There the protagonist is merely a murderer.
Haven’t read it yet. The Stars My Destination was my introduction to Bester. Also, they didn’t bother me, they were just things I observed, and know bother many readers.
Both novels are amazing. On the rape front, I give The Stars My Destination some points because the woman appears again later in the book and she’s angry about it. The book starts by saying that it’s an era of monsters, and I respect that Gully Foyle is an actual monster rather that cute just barely villainous fellow (with most of the crimes offstage) like Han Solo or Northwest Smith.
On the other hand, I consider “the mind of a little girl in the body of a beautiful woman” in The Demolished Man to be somewhat queasy-making.