Rating: 
Summary: There's not many books on teleportation.
Review: The science-fiction in this excellent book is actually of the soft kind. 'How can it be soft?' you may ask , with Gully Foyle's agression and even cruelty so obviuos (?)- Well , looking at the story sci-fictionally , it's a story of a 24th century human civilization that discovered mental-teleportation , told through it's protagonist's quest of unrelenting revange. It deal's mainely in the humans and the society , especially through Gully's mental-state. the way he achived huge feats with his twisted motivation. The book is an excellent action-adventure , Gully is violent , dark-mooded , unstopble and cruel. He fights against a whole society from the inside and in a way , wins. What is so great about it is the way Bester created this world where it's obvious you can teleport (given you know where you are and where you're going) , you must file official reports about your distance-jumping grade (according to mental level) in order to get even a simple job! Gully Foyle himself is one of , I guess , the most memmorable protagonists in all the field of science fiction ever. So dark , focused , unrelenting , cruel , fast and not-forgivin (hu-hu). Any way , I could just keep on and on - buy it. Recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: If I could rate it lower I would have
Review: WARNING! This book contains some of the most graphic description of senseless brutal rape I have ever read in science fiction. I can not believe that this has received so many rave reviews. It must have gotten MUCH better at the end because I could not finish it. It was worse than Stephen R Donaldson's horrible Gap into Conflict book. I loved Demolished Man. I was extremely disappointed in this book. I can't imagine why The Stars My Destination was chosen to be on the list of all time classics. I have read all but 2 of the rest of the books on the list and they are great. This is pure trash. Demolished Man should have been on the list instead.
Rating:
Summary: NOT AS GREAT AS YOU'VE BEEN TOLD
Review: I was hoping for a great book here. Especially after the greatwords from everyone around the world. But in the end, it was ( ). Ithought his reputation would be alive and well, and the glowingdescriptions of Gaiman et al couldn't be wrong. Could they? It was a piece of ( ). if you're looking for some great SF reading check out DUNE or RENDEZVOUS WITH RAMA. Skip this. You'll be thankful. END
Rating:
Summary: Burning bright
Review: Alfred Bester blew through the field of science fiction like the storm of the century, leaving little behind but making sure that everything else had to be rebuilt from scratch. The influence of "The Stars..." (still known in the UK as "Tiger! Tiger!") and "The Demolished Man" is unquestionable and, for once, their reputation is wholly deserved. When he returned to sci-fi years later the anger and energy had faded, but these early works pack a punch you will not easily forget. Nothing is easy here, no loveable rogues, no stock concepts, no cardboard sets: Bester raised the mark for an entire generation of writers and proved that sci-fi doesn't have to be silly. The only real problem is deciding what to read once you have finished these two books, they really are that far ahead of the pack (but if you're looking for a living author who comes close then I suggest K.W. Jeter). To understand science-fiction at all you need to read a little H.G. Wells, a bit of Asimov, a pinch of Cyril Kornbluth and the two works by Bester that turned it all on its head.
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Summary: AWESOME! A MUST READ! THE ORIGINATOR!
Review: This is a classic that is so underrated, it's tragic. Alfred Bester created his own genre with this book. He created the rules which dominate sci-fi, cyberpunk, etc. that so many people think are new. Everyone should read this. You think the Matrix was trippy-that's nothing compared to this. This is an action packed sci-fi tale that is still unparalleled!
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Summary: Return of a Classic
Review: For some reason Bester fell into near-obscurity during the last few decades, despite his great popularity among SF fans in the 50s and 60s. Luckily, his books are now being reissued in new editions and he's having a real renaissance among readers. The new editions do suffer from awful, pretentious introductions; normally the words "transgresses" and "encomia" are only seen in the writings of obscure critical studies writers and pretentious undergraduates. But these can be ignored. Bester is not the best stylist or writer of his era; truth be told, he's pretty ordinary. But he wrote engaging stories, and he had great ideas, and I think that's what makes a great SF novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Almost Perfect....
Review: Having read a great deal of Heinlein, Asimov, and Clarke, I was quite taken aback by the very different style and tone of Alfred Bester. It was harsh, dirty, and his characters were more than a little mean. He provides a sharp contrast to Bradbury and Asimov, that much is certain. While he's close in action style to Heinlein, Bester's protagonist, Gulliver Foyle, seems absolutely unpredictable and terrifying--something I cannot really say about a Heinlein hero, anti-hero, or villain. We start by finding our man Foyle near-death in a starship that has been cast adrift in space. As this not-too-bright crewman struggles to survive, a ship approaches that could help him. However, it doesn't. Instead, it flies away. The rest of the book consists of Foyle's angry, obsessed quest to get revenge upon that ship and the people who own it. We encounter telepathy and "jaunting" (instantaneous travel through the power of the mind--a mixture of telepathy with a Star Trek transporter). We find robber barons, three-ring circuses, violence. Bester does not apologize for the violence in his story (unlike some fiction today), he is writing a straight adventure story, with all the pitfalls and danger and violence that come with it. This is "guys' sci-fi" writ large. If the ending had been resolved a little more realistically, it would have been perfect. That said, buy it anyway.
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Summary: Great SF that deserves a wider audience
Review: "The Stars My Destination" presents a convincing future in the prologue, introduces the hateful wretch Gulliver Foyle and then roars along on a high-energy narrative. Vivid set pieces, sharp social commentary, and a future world that hasn't dated. Many old SF novels are tedious because their vision of the future is so wonky and period-bound. Nothing dates faster than yesterday's vision of the future. Bester's is almost contemporary, with big business controlling the universe, insightfully-drawn characters and ideas that have influenced modern SF. Highly recommended, especially for those interested in tracing SF's development.
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Summary: Bester's Masterpiece
Review: This book has to be the most exhilarating science fiction ever. Not only is it filled with unforgetable (sometimes horrific) images, it is filled with social commentary mostly stemming from the Cold War. This book was written during the Cold War, when it seemed that at any time, the world could erupt once again in war and annihilate the earth with nuclear-based weapons. What Bester tried to convey when he wrote this book was that humanity was still in its infancy stage. Everyone in the book was trying to retrieve Gully Foyle's secret, the secret that could give the Inner Planets the final resource to destruct the Outer Satellites. What Gully Foyle achieves in the end....is complete paradise (even supplied with hand-drawn pictures! ). Bester has achieved a masterwork here. I wouldn't miss this!
Rating:
Summary: A classic. Don't miss it.
Review: Alfred Bester tells the tale of a seemingly ordinary man who finds himself caught in the grip of hatred and thrust toward greatness. Driven by an insane lust for a seemingly impossible revenge, Gully Foyle pushes himself to become more than he is, and more than anyone could have dreamed he could become. He is an evil man whose greatness is destined to transcend his evil, eventually raising all of mankind to a greatness it was unable to foresee. This book is definitely worth reading, though it might be disturbing if you're not prepared for a story in which the protagonist is driven by hatred.
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