Rating: 
Summary: 40 years of good science fiction from an originator
Review: Alfred Bester's science fiction spans 40 years, and is always a treat. In this collection, we are treated to some of his early work "Adam and No Eve" (1941), to some of his last "Galatea Galante" (1979), as well as a previously unpublished complete story and an incomplete fragment (with the note :Its much easier to begin a thing than to finish it) found in his papers after his death.The common thread in these stories is Bester's flabbergasting imagination. His stories are often ironic, taking a wry observation about current society, and projecting it to its logical conclusion into an absurd future, from the quest for poets in an efficient future of "Disappearing act", to the drop of acid that makes a test tube woman intriguing in "Galatea Galante". As one of the inventors of science fiction, Bester not only lays the ground work for the popular themes of science fiction such as the last couple on earth, time travel, androids and their programming, but adds his own twists: a man needing an agent to sell his soul to the Devil (of the company Beelzebub, Belial, Devil, and Orgy), collectors in the future recreating a 1950's style room, and a chaos compensator.
Rating:
Summary: 40 years of good science fiction from an originator
Review: Alfred Bester's science fiction spans 40 years, and is always a treat. In this collection, we are treated to some of his early work "Adam and No Eve" (1941), to some of his last "Galatea Galante" (1979), as well as a previously unpublished complete story and an incomplete fragment (with the note :Its much easier to begin a thing than to finish it) found in his papers after his death. The common thread in these stories is Bester's flabbergasting imagination. His stories are often ironic, taking a wry observation about current society, and projecting it to its logical conclusion into an absurd future, from the quest for poets in an efficient future of "Disappearing act", to the drop of acid that makes a test tube woman intriguing in "Galatea Galante". As one of the inventors of science fiction, Bester not only lays the ground work for the popular themes of science fiction such as the last couple on earth, time travel, androids and their programming, but adds his own twists: a man needing an agent to sell his soul to the Devil (of the company Beelzebub, Belial, Devil, and Orgy), collectors in the future recreating a 1950's style room, and a chaos compensator.
Rating:
Summary: 40 years of good science fiction from an originator
Review: Alfred Bester's science fiction spans 40 years, and is always a treat. In this collection, we are treated to some of his early work "Adam and No Eve" (1941), to some of his last "Galatea Galante" (1979), as well as a previously unpublished complete story and an incomplete fragment (with the note :Its much easier to begin a thing than to finish it) found in his papers after his death. The common thread in these stories is Bester's flabbergasting imagination. His stories are often ironic, taking a wry observation about current society, and projecting it to its logical conclusion into an absurd future, from the quest for poets in an efficient future of "Disappearing act", to the drop of acid that makes a test tube woman intriguing in "Galatea Galante". As one of the inventors of science fiction, Bester not only lays the ground work for the popular themes of science fiction such as the last couple on earth, time travel, androids and their programming, but adds his own twists: a man needing an agent to sell his soul to the Devil (of the company Beelzebub, Belial, Devil, and Orgy), collectors in the future recreating a 1950's style room, and a chaos compensator.
Rating: 
Summary: As Good Today As They Were Tomorrow
Review: Alfred Bester's work is truly timeless. If not for some of the references to atomic power and space travel the reader would never know that these stories were written more than 30 years ago. Of course everyone will compare this to his masterpieces, The Stars My Destination and The Demolished Man, and it will fall short. But on its own this is a very good short story collection. Today's Science Fiction writers could learn a lot from Alfred Bester, a true classic science fiction author.
Rating:
Summary: Superior Short Stories
Review: All I can say is this is one of those pieces of literature thatI have to have in my collection because I am reading it over and overand over. STUPENDOUS!
Rating:
Summary: Bester Bester Bester
Review: Basically, this is what one needs to know: Damn good stories. Bester has this... knack. There is no bull in these stories. It's emotion and a sense of urgency all around. You can *feel* the heat of the furnaces. You can *see* the ashen beaches. This collection needs no serious review. It's simply good. The end. Find it and read it for yourself.
Rating: 
Summary: A nice nostalgia trip for us old guys . . .
Review: Bester is one of those science fiction mainstays whom everyone of a certain age read back in the '50s and '60s, and who is almost totally unknown to younger readers who were raised on the Cyberpunks. But I have to admit that the settings and language and cultural furniture of most of these stories haven't worn very well, unlike the work of Heinlein or Clarke -- or even Bester's own classic novels, _The Demolished Man_ and _The Stars My Destination._ The "messages" in most of these pieces are also pretty trite, but that was never the point of reading Bester anyway. The man was a master of oddball style, eerie description, and droll dialogue, and you can have a really good time chuckling your way through "Will You Wait?" or appreciating the chill of "Fondly Fahrenheit," or picking out all the references in "The Flowered Thundermug."
Rating:
Summary: Short fiction from the Grandmaster
Review: First, a word of advice. If you've never ever read anything by Bester (maybe you actually did but don't know about it yet), go to the search box and type 'The Stars My Destination'. End of story. It'll save you some online time. BUT in this wonderful compilation you'll find one of the most surprising and enjoyable short fiction, ever. Ironically, the unfinished story ('And 3 1/2 to go') included in this volume is the best of them all. Alfred Bester used to write comic book scripts (he created the Green Lantern Oath), and boy does it show! You can always know a Bester story when you 'see' one... because he's likely the most *visual* author of science fiction. Plus, he was fascinated with words, and so he bent, twisted and broke all the rules of typecasting, word rendering, and text laying. A final word, albeit a very personal one. Forget Asimov, forget Heinlein, forget Gibson --Bester is THE science fiction writer of the 50s. Come to think of it, the 60s, 70s and 80s too. As the very Neil Gaiman says, the books by Alfred Bester do not date, and that's pretty amazing for a genre so often mistaken as prophecy.
Rating:
Summary: Not his best but better than other's best.
Review: I am currently finishing up Virtual Unrealities and this is the first time I've read Bester's work. I am astonished about his current readability, it's like it was written tomorrow. His preoccupation with nuclear holocaust aside, the works are fresh, not to politically correct so as to be consciously annoying. I love short fiction but sadly most of the new stuff out there leaves me bored, disappointed or I just don't finish it. Honestly NOT his best but still way ahead of a lot of other people out there. SF readers forget that there is a strong heritage for this genre.It's a shame it's goes to waste. Like an author? Find out who influenced them and you will be in for a treat. That's how I found out about Bester, through J Micahel Strazynski (sp?)honoring him on B5 with a character name. I'm eternally glad he did. Maybe in 30-50 years someone will refer to the current author your reading like that and they will be enlightened.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing!
Review: I've read a lot of short stories...from Vonnegut to Kafka, H.G. Wells to Neil Gaiman. But none of those remotely compare to what you'll find in Bester's short stories. His stories are all fast-paced, and he gets his meaning across. He doesn't have to put in a lot of nonsense just to take up space. If his story is three pages long, so be it! He doesn't add another 15 pages just for the sake of having a long story. If he gets his message across, he ends his story. I think a lot of authors nowadays should take note! But just in terms of science-fiction, it's easy to see why Bester has had so much influence on the sci-fi community. His ideas are so awesome. He was like so many other science-fiction authors: ahead of his time! What I like most about his short stories is how we get a glimpse of characters that appear in Bester's larger works. For instance, some of the characters from "The Stars My Destination" appear in some of these short stories. I just think it adds to the fun. I can't even say a coherent statement about this book, and I apologize. I'm just still in shock. I think that if you like science-fiction, Alfred Bester in particular, or just like to read, you NEED to read at least one of Bester's short stories. After that, you'll be hooked.
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