Starburst

Rating:
Summary: Half Good Stuff, Half Filler
Review: I got this book second-hand based on the review below. I had not read any of Alfread Bester's work previously. The first five short stories in Starburst are pretty good, but the rest, which take up the second half of the book, are filler. I would suggest going with a different collection of short stories as Starburst is a pretty mediocre collection and didn't give me the impression that Bester was a particularly good short story writer.

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.