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The Stars My Destination. Illustrated
The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester is a landmark of science fiction, often hailed as one of the most influential novels of the 20th century. Originally published in 1956, this visionary work combines the raw energy of revenge tragedy with a mind-bending exploration of teleportation, identity, and transformation.
The novel follows Gully Foyle, a crude, unremarkable man left to die in space after a devastating attack. His survival and relentless pursuit of vengeance propel him on a journey through a future where "jaunting"—teleportation by sheer will—has revolutionized society. As Gully evolves from a desperate survivor into a force of nature, the story morphs into a philosophical and psychological odyssey, challenging the limits of human potential.
Bester’s writing is both daring and innovative. Typographic experimentation, fractured narrative structures, and vivid characters give the book a visceral, almost cinematic quality. Foyle’s transformation is not just physical or social—it's existential. His metamorphosis echoes themes of power, justice, and the search for meaning in a fractured world.
Often compared to works like Ulysses or A Clockwork Orange for its stylistic boldness, The Stars My Destination is both a thrilling revenge tale and a profound meditation on the future of humanity.
This is science fiction at its finest—wild, literary, and unforgettable. Whether you're a lifelong sci-fi reader or new to the genre, Bester's masterpiece promises a ride like no other.
The novel follows Gully Foyle, a crude, unremarkable man left to die in space after a devastating attack. His survival and relentless pursuit of vengeance propel him on a journey through a future where "jaunting"—teleportation by sheer will—has revolutionized society. As Gully evolves from a desperate survivor into a force of nature, the story morphs into a philosophical and psychological odyssey, challenging the limits of human potential.
Bester’s writing is both daring and innovative. Typographic experimentation, fractured narrative structures, and vivid characters give the book a visceral, almost cinematic quality. Foyle’s transformation is not just physical or social—it's existential. His metamorphosis echoes themes of power, justice, and the search for meaning in a fractured world.
Often compared to works like Ulysses or A Clockwork Orange for its stylistic boldness, The Stars My Destination is both a thrilling revenge tale and a profound meditation on the future of humanity.
This is science fiction at its finest—wild, literary, and unforgettable. Whether you're a lifelong sci-fi reader or new to the genre, Bester's masterpiece promises a ride like no other.
274 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 23, 2025
24 people are currently reading
2 people want to read
About the author
Alfred Bester
362 books945 followersAlfred Bester was an American science fiction author, TV and radio scriptwriter, magazine editor and scripter for comic strips and comic books.
Though successful in all these fields, he is best remembered for his science fiction, including The Demolished Man, winner of the inaugural Hugo Award in 1953, a story about murder in a future society where the police are telepathic, and The Stars My Destination, a 1956 SF classic about a man bent on revenge in a world where people can teleport, that inspired numerous authors in the genre and is considered an early precursor to the cyberpunk movement in the 1980s.
AKA:
Άλφρεντ Μπέστερ (Greek)
Though successful in all these fields, he is best remembered for his science fiction, including The Demolished Man, winner of the inaugural Hugo Award in 1953, a story about murder in a future society where the police are telepathic, and The Stars My Destination, a 1956 SF classic about a man bent on revenge in a world where people can teleport, that inspired numerous authors in the genre and is considered an early precursor to the cyberpunk movement in the 1980s.
AKA:
Άλφρεντ Μπέστερ (Greek)
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 30, 2025
This review is mainly for this particular edition of the book (listed as the Kindle edition of the The Stars My Destination. Illustrated).
As for the book itself, and not this edition, most people reading it will either have already read it before, likely when they were young, or are here because they've heard about what an influential book it is, referenced by many later writers. Because of that, your mileage is likely to vary greatly, depending on your personal path to the book.
For my part, I had seen the title referenced by James Robinson in Starman, and I had heard that it was the original book that suggested war between the inner planets and the outer ones/asteroid mining colonies, inspiring everything from The Expanse to Exo Squad. I can't say whether that is the case, but this element of the book is really minor. There are a few references to it, and we see the bombing of two planets VERY briefly, but that's it. Nothing deeper than that.
That might be one of my issues with the book: lack of depth. Characters meet, have a 48 second conversation, and are in love. End. Characters have something happen to them, and then say how there are drastically changed by it, but we don't really get a depth of insight into the thought processes or anything of that nature. I wish we had.
Mostly, things happen. It is somehow very brief, and yet feels drawn out, too.
(As a side note, it is admittedly meant to be a sort of scifi updated The Count of Monte Cristo, but falls so very short of that; honestly, at around a fifth of the length of Monte Cristo, it could have stood to take its time more and develop the romance, tell us how the main character build his empire in more detail, host the climax built to more slowly, and given us more actual character depth).
Now, the main reason I'm writing a review is for this edition (there are plenty of reviews of the book itself out there):
This edition is really disappointing, and, even priced cheap, it as made on the even-more-cheap.
The illustrations have nothing to do with the story. They're random 50s scifi artwork that has nothing to do with the parts of the story where it is placed, or with any part of the story. In fact, one illustration, while at least from an Alfred Bester work, is the cover from an entirely different book.
Really no value-add from these illustrations.
Beyond that, this was clearly made from a scan. Every single page has errors on it, with some having a dozen or so. It looks like JPGs of the original book were made into PDFs, then exported into Word, with a lot of errors converting images of letters to actual words, and then exported to a PDF and then, ultimately, Kindle. So very, very many errors. Additionally, where there was meant to be a break within a chapter, like double gap to show not only a new paragraph, but a new scene, they're gone. Everything runs together. Every "&" is "amp.". You probably get the idea.
It's definitely part of scifi history, but this edition really should only be read if you want it (and get it) on the very, very cheap.
As for the book itself, and not this edition, most people reading it will either have already read it before, likely when they were young, or are here because they've heard about what an influential book it is, referenced by many later writers. Because of that, your mileage is likely to vary greatly, depending on your personal path to the book.
For my part, I had seen the title referenced by James Robinson in Starman, and I had heard that it was the original book that suggested war between the inner planets and the outer ones/asteroid mining colonies, inspiring everything from The Expanse to Exo Squad. I can't say whether that is the case, but this element of the book is really minor. There are a few references to it, and we see the bombing of two planets VERY briefly, but that's it. Nothing deeper than that.
That might be one of my issues with the book: lack of depth. Characters meet, have a 48 second conversation, and are in love. End. Characters have something happen to them, and then say how there are drastically changed by it, but we don't really get a depth of insight into the thought processes or anything of that nature. I wish we had.
Mostly, things happen. It is somehow very brief, and yet feels drawn out, too.
(As a side note, it is admittedly meant to be a sort of scifi updated The Count of Monte Cristo, but falls so very short of that; honestly, at around a fifth of the length of Monte Cristo, it could have stood to take its time more and develop the romance, tell us how the main character build his empire in more detail, host the climax built to more slowly, and given us more actual character depth).
Now, the main reason I'm writing a review is for this edition (there are plenty of reviews of the book itself out there):
This edition is really disappointing, and, even priced cheap, it as made on the even-more-cheap.
The illustrations have nothing to do with the story. They're random 50s scifi artwork that has nothing to do with the parts of the story where it is placed, or with any part of the story. In fact, one illustration, while at least from an Alfred Bester work, is the cover from an entirely different book.
Really no value-add from these illustrations.
Beyond that, this was clearly made from a scan. Every single page has errors on it, with some having a dozen or so. It looks like JPGs of the original book were made into PDFs, then exported into Word, with a lot of errors converting images of letters to actual words, and then exported to a PDF and then, ultimately, Kindle. So very, very many errors. Additionally, where there was meant to be a break within a chapter, like double gap to show not only a new paragraph, but a new scene, they're gone. Everything runs together. Every "&" is "amp.". You probably get the idea.
It's definitely part of scifi history, but this edition really should only be read if you want it (and get it) on the very, very cheap.
Displaying 1 of 1 review