Imatge de l'autor

Alfred Bester (1913–1987)

Autor/a de Las estrellas mi destino

81+ obres 15,664 Membres 348 Ressenyes 85 preferits

Sobre l'autor

Sèrie

Obres de Alfred Bester

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

Obres associades

The World Treasury of Science Fiction (1989) — Col·laborador — 889 exemplars
Adventures in Time and Space (1946) — Col·laborador, algunes edicions546 exemplars
100 Great Science Fiction Short Short Stories (1978) — Col·laborador — 407 exemplars
The Ascent of Wonder: The Evolution of Hard SF (1994) — Col·laborador — 392 exemplars
Science Fiction Omnibus (1952) — Col·laborador — 340 exemplars
A Treasury of Great Science Fiction, Volume 2 (1959) — Col·laborador — 316 exemplars
A Treasury of Great Science Fiction [2-volume set] (1959) — Col·laborador — 292 exemplars
Space Opera (1974) — Col·laborador — 265 exemplars
Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Treasury (1988) — Col·laborador — 247 exemplars
Robert Silverberg's Worlds of Wonder (1987) — Autor — 246 exemplars
The Road to Science Fiction #3: From Heinlein to Here (1979) — Col·laborador — 242 exemplars
Astounding: John W. Campbell Memorial Anthology (1973) — Col·laborador — 237 exemplars
The 1975 Annual World's Best SF (1975) — Col·laborador — 208 exemplars
The Arbor House Treasury of Modern Science Fiction (1980) — Col·laborador — 196 exemplars
American Science Fiction : Five Classic Novels 1956-58 (2012) — Col·laborador — 196 exemplars
A Century of Science Fiction (1962) — Col·laborador — 191 exemplars
A Science Fiction Argosy (1972) — Col·laborador, algunes edicions163 exemplars
9th Annual Edition: The Year's Best S-F (1964) — Col·laborador — 160 exemplars
Great Tales of Science Fiction (1985) — Col·laborador — 159 exemplars
Isaac Asimov Presents The Great SF Stories 3 (1941) (1980) — Col·laborador — 152 exemplars
The Ultimate Cyberpunk (2002) — Col·laborador — 151 exemplars
The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction: 9th Series (1961) — Col·laborador — 151 exemplars
A Decade of Fantasy and Science Fiction (1960) — Col·laborador — 147 exemplars
Connoisseur's Science Fiction (1964) — Col·laborador — 143 exemplars
The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction: 8th Series (1959) — Col·laborador — 134 exemplars
The Wesleyan Anthology of Science Fiction (2010) — Col·laborador — 133 exemplars
Analog: The Best of Science Fiction (1982) — Col·laborador — 127 exemplars
The Best Science Fiction of the Year #3 (1974) — Col·laborador — 121 exemplars
Voyagers in Time (1967) — Col·laborador — 117 exemplars
Spectrum 3 (1963) — Col·laborador — 115 exemplars
The SFWA Grand Masters, Volume 2 (2000) — Col·laborador — 114 exemplars
Galaxy, Thirty Years of Innovative Science Fiction (1980) — Col·laborador — 112 exemplars
The Worlds of Science Fiction (1963) — Epilogue — 112 exemplars
Science Fiction of the 50's (1971) — Col·laborador — 109 exemplars
Cyber-killers (1997) — Col·laborador, algunes edicions106 exemplars
The Best Science Fiction of the Year #9 (1980) — Col·laborador — 104 exemplars
American Science Fiction: Nine Classic Novels of the 1950s (2012) — Col·laborador — 103 exemplars
Star of Stars (1960) — Col·laborador — 102 exemplars
Star Science Fiction Stories No. 2 (1953) — Col·laborador — 102 exemplars
Space Odysseys (1974) 98 exemplars
The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction: 13th Series (1964) — Col·laborador — 98 exemplars
The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction: 3rd Series (1954) — Col·laborador — 93 exemplars
Best SF Two (1956) — Col·laborador — 92 exemplars
Strange gifts: Eight stories of science fiction (1975) — Autor — 91 exemplars
The Prentice Hall Anthology of Science Fiction and Fantasy (2000) — Col·laborador — 91 exemplars
Isaac Asimov Presents The Great SF Stories 16 (1954) (1987) — Col·laborador — 90 exemplars
Unknown Worlds : Tales from Beyond (1988) — Col·laborador — 90 exemplars
The Great SF Stories 12 (1950) (1973) — Col·laborador — 89 exemplars
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction: A 30-Year Retrospective (1980) — Col·laborador — 86 exemplars
The Best of Analog (1978) — Autor — 85 exemplars
Beyond Control (1972) — Col·laborador — 83 exemplars
The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction: 4th Series (1955) — Col·laborador — 82 exemplars
Magic For Sale (1983) — Col·laborador — 78 exemplars
Other Dimensions: Ten Stories of Science Fiction (1973) — Col·laborador — 75 exemplars
Nova 4 (1974) — Col·laborador — 72 exemplars
More Adventures in Time and Space (1951) — Col·laborador — 70 exemplars
Alpha 1 (1970) — Col·laborador — 66 exemplars
The Vintage Anthology of Science Fantasy. (1966) — Col·laborador — 65 exemplars
The Best Science Fiction Stories (1977) — Autor, algunes edicions65 exemplars
Time Travelers (Fiction in the Fourth Dimension) (1997) — Col·laborador — 64 exemplars
Alpha 4 (1973) — Col·laborador — 60 exemplars
Timescapes (1997) — Col·laborador — 57 exemplars
The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction: 20th Series (1973) — Col·laborador — 56 exemplars
Best Science Fiction Stories of the Year Third Annual Collection (1974) — Col·laborador — 56 exemplars
Laughing Space: An Anthology of Science Fiction Humour (1982) — Col·laborador — 55 exemplars
Assignment in Tomorrow: An Anthology (1954) — Col·laborador — 54 exemplars
The Second Science Fiction Megapack (2011) — Autor — 53 exemplars
Turning Points: Essays on the Art of Science Fiction (1977) — Col·laborador — 47 exemplars
The Third Omni Book of Science Fiction (1985) — Col·laborador — 47 exemplars
The End of Summer: Science Fiction of the Fifties (1979) — Col·laborador — 47 exemplars
Science Fiction: The Great Years Vol II (1975) — Col·laborador — 45 exemplars
The Arbor House Treasury of Science Fiction Masterpieces (1983) — Col·laborador — 43 exemplars
SF: Authors' Choice 2 (1970) — Col·laborador — 41 exemplars
Great Science Fiction Stories (1968) — Col·laborador — 40 exemplars
Science Fiction Novel: Imagination and Social Criticism (1959) — Col·laborador — 39 exemplars
The Seventh Omni Book of Science Fiction (1989) — Col·laborador — 36 exemplars
Cosmic Laughter; Science Fiction for the Fun of It (1974) — Autor — 36 exemplars
Sense of Wonder: A Century of Science Fiction (2011) — Col·laborador — 30 exemplars
Infinite jests;: The lighter side of science fiction (1974) — Col·laborador — 29 exemplars
Top Science Fiction: The Authors' Choice (1984) — Col·laborador — 28 exemplars
The Androids Are Coming (1979) — Col·laborador — 27 exemplars
Tomorrow and Tomorrow : Ten Tales of the Future (1973) — Col·laborador — 23 exemplars
Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact: Vol. XCIII, No. 4 (June 1974) (1974) — Col·laborador — 22 exemplars
The Best from Fantastic (1973) — Col·laborador — 22 exemplars
Analog Science Fiction/Science Fact: Vol. XCIX, No. 6 (June 1979) (1979) — Col·laborador — 21 exemplars
The Best Science Fiction Stories: 1951 (1951) — Col·laborador — 21 exemplars
Political science fiction;: An introductory reader (1974) — Col·laborador — 13 exemplars
The Best Science Fiction Stories: 1954 (1954) — Col·laborador — 11 exemplars
The Best Science Fiction Stories: 1953 (1953) — Introducció — 11 exemplars
Galaxy Science Fiction 1956 December, Vol. 13, No. 2 (1956) — Col·laborador — 9 exemplars
Bruna Science Fiction Omnibus 2 (1969) — Col·laborador — 8 exemplars
Alfa Twee: SF-Verhalen (1974) — Col·laborador — 7 exemplars
Ikarus 2001. Best of Science Fiction. (2001) — Col·laborador — 7 exemplars
The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction: 2nd Series (1983) — Col·laborador — 5 exemplars
Stella a cinque mondi — Col·laborador — 4 exemplars
Faseskift. Science Fiction noveller (1984) — Autor, algunes edicions3 exemplars
Spec-Lit, No. 2: Speculative Fiction (1998) — Col·laborador — 3 exemplars
The Shadow: Four Cassette Crate Series (1992) — Radio Play, algunes edicions3 exemplars
SFの評論大全集 (別冊奇想天外 4) — Col·laborador — 1 exemplars

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Ressenyes

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.
… (més)
 
Marcat
Zare | Hi ha 174 ressenyes més | 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.
 
Marcat
MXMLLN | Hi ha 2 ressenyes més | 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.
 
Marcat
MXMLLN | Hi ha 174 ressenyes més | 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.
 
Marcat
WorkLastDay | Hi ha 174 ressenyes més | Dec 17, 2023 |

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Estadístiques

Obres
81
També de
114
Membres
15,664
Popularitat
#1,451
Valoració
3.9
Ressenyes
348
ISBN
224
Llengües
17
Preferit
85

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