The Stars My Destination
by Alfred Bester · first published 1956
71% recommend29% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Fast, entertaining 1950s SF revenge story with a surprising twist and a Count of Monte Cristo-style arc. Seen as proto-cyberpunk, with megacorps and an anti-hero; suits readers wanting older, inventive SF.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
In this pulse-quickening novel, Alfred Bester imagines a future in which people "jaunte" a thousand miles with a single thought, where the rich barricade themselves in labyrinths and protect themselves with radioactive hitmen—and where an inarticulate outcast is the most valuable and dangerous man alive. The Stars My Destination is a classic of technological prophecy and timeless narrative enchantment by an acknowledged master of science fiction.
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…Yevgeny Zamyatin <---highly overlooked, predates 1984 and Brave New World But the Absolute Best would be anything by: Stanislaw Lem (Cyberiad, Futurological Congress, Solaris) Alfred Bester (The STars my Destination, The Demolished Man) or Samuel R. Delany (Babel-17, Dhalgren, Trtion, Nova) oh and Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light and This Immortal are both great. Some of Philip K. Dick's stuff is great, but everyone…
on “Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?” ↗There are some great books on the list, however it should be a criminal offense to not include Alfred Bester's The Stars My Destination (first published as Tiger! Tiger!). It's best summed up as The Count of Monte Cristo, in space. Bester's novel is in many ways the forerunner of the cyberpunk genre.
on “Sci-Fi Novels You Should Read” ↗Here is a real list, shorter and MUCH higher quality: 1. The Cyberiad 2. Babel-17 3. The Stars My Destination 4. The Sheep Look Up 5. More Than Human 6. Lord of Light 7. To Your Scattered Bodies Go 8. Earth Abides 9. Dying Inside 10. City 11. Last and First Men 12. Slan 13. The World of Null-A
on “32 Sci-Fi novels that you should add to your reading list” ↗You need to read The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester.
on “To Fight Gridlock, Los Angeles Synchronizes Every Red Light” ↗…will pick more than 1: Ubik by Philip K. Dick (it's hard to cherry pick his best work though, ask me a different day and I will choose The Three Stigmata or Do Androids Dream or something else) The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester (simply a good story and a great background) 1984 by George Orwell. What all these books share is the idea that sci-fi is about social, cultural and economic dynamics, not ships or…
on “Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?” ↗…time. Oh, I also really enjoyed Elizabeth Bear's Jacobs Ladder trilogy, set on a generation ship where the inhabitants have forgotten who they are and where they're going. For some older stuff: The Stars my Destination by Alfred Bester – I was surprised at how good it is and how well it stands up. I couldn't believe it was written nearly 50 years ago. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein - possibly my favourite…
on “What are your favourite sci-fi books?” ↗Tiger Tiger, or its American name The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester. I'm not sure at all how the ending would get translated to film but god would it make for a great movie.
on “Ask HN: Which SciFi novel(s) would you want made into a TV series?” ↗…first chapter turns it in to a bit of a mystery book (who is this main character anyway?)). Finally, a must-read (preferably the sci-fi masterworks edition with a foreword by Gibson): Alfred Bester, "The Stars My Destination / Tiger, Tiger".
on “Electric Sheep on Ubuntu Linux 17.10” ↗Don't forget Alfred Bester. The Stars My Destination and The Demolished Man are interesting precursors to Gibson. He also wrote a fantastic, underrated novel that is definitely his most cyberpunk: The Computer Connection (1975), also published as Extro.…
on “Revisting Neuromancer After Three Decades” ↗i like heinlein's "moon is a harsh mistress" and alfred-bester's "tiger-tiger / stars-my-destination". kinda old school though.
on “Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?” ↗…everyone. Isaac Asimov - Foundation (and the rest of the trilogy) Robert A. Heinlein - Stranger in a Strange Land / Starship Troopers / The Moon is a Harsh Mistress Alfred Bester - The Demolished Man / The Stars My Destination Jack Vance - The Dying Earth Philip K. Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep / The Man in the High Castle Larry Niven - Ringworld etc. etc. A list of Hugo Award winners[1] might come in helpful.…
on “Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?” ↗The common ancestor is Alfred Bester's The Stars My Destination (1956, on the list). World-spanning megacorps, globetrotting anti-hero, bizarre subcultures, explorations in transhumanism – it's all there, rocket-powered. Highly recommended.
on “The Best Science Fiction Books (According to Reddit)” ↗…http://ask.slashdot.org/story/12/08/08/2135246/ask-slashdot-... I can heartily recommend most of the stuff in the 4+ comments: Ursula Le Guin, Lem, Strugatsky, Kurt Vonnegut... and of course Alfred Bester, especially "The Stars my Destination", proto cyberpunk.
on “Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon. What should I read next?” ↗It's a tie between two strange books. Alfred Bester's _The Stars My Destination_: It's deeply flawed, wackily 1950s, has ridiculous tech, and is one of the most entertaining books I have read. Stanislaw Lem's _Solaris_: Strange, dry, bordering on boring, breaks every single law…
on “Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?” ↗#1. A 10 part mini-series of Frank Herbert's "Dune" (finally done right by HBO). And after that, the rest of Herbert's Dune saga. #2. Frank Herbert's "The Eyes of Heisenberg". #3. Alfred Bester's "The Stars My Destination". #4. "A Canticle for Leibowitz" by Walter Miller. #5. Arthur C. Clarke's "The City and the Stars".
on “Ask HN: Which SciFi novel(s) would you want made into a TV series?” ↗