The Stars My Destination

The Stars My Destination
by Alfred Bester
book impressions

I really liked this book. It completely captured me, and I read it cover-to-cover in one sitting.

The story is about a man with no special traits or ambitions… until he finds himself the sole survivor of a spaceship accident, surviving alone in space for months. When finally a ship approaches, he looks to it for rescue, but it chooses instead to pass him by and leave him to die. Incensed, he rescues himself, and embarks on a mad single-minded quest for revenge. In doing so, he becomes embroiled in a plot involving all the most-powerful people in civilization. All the while, his consuming hunger for vengeance eats away at his humanity.

Also, the edition I read features an excellent introduction by Neil Gaiman. It is a respectful interesting introduction that really made me interested in reading the book, and afterwards, made me appreciate the book even more. It discussed how difficult it is for science fiction to age well, and how remarkably successful The Stars My Destination, written in 1956, really was at remaining relevant and engaging even decades later. The book also contains many concepts and character models that have now become classic prototypes in the sci-fi genre.

But even discounting its place in sci-fi history, The Stars My Destination is a compelling read. The plot is exciting and draws you in. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down! Worth reading.