A Short Commentary on The Stars My Destination

The Stars My Destination (Tiger! Tiger!) by Alfred Bester is a science fiction novel published in 1956. It tells the story of Gully Foyle, who has a mission of revenge in a far future when teleportation, called jaunting, is possible. At the beginning of the novel, we see Foyle as the sole survivor of a shipwreck. While we witness his struggle, another ship comes by, but instead of saving Foyle, it ignores him and leaves him to die. This incident causes Foyle to obsess over the ship called Vorga. Throughout the book, we see him do anything to accomplish his mission.

Although the book has a nice story and makes you curious about what is to come next, it is hard to read and follow a story when the protagonist is not lovable. To be honest, I have not finished the book yet, but I wanted to share my opinion on the parts I read. I like the advanced science and supernatural abilities in the story. Also, the story captures attention. But with all due respect, I hate Gully Foyle.

One of the subtexts of the novel is "The rich will sacrifice anything and anyone for their gain. Don't waste your time hating on the tools they use; know your real enemy." I agree with this message. But the fact that Foyle is also ready to sacrifice anything for his gain shows that money and power do not make you a terrible person; they just give you enough room to be one comfortably. Although his anger is understandable, the methods he uses are not really acceptable. That is why I frequently become disengaged from the story.

Still, the book is a classic that's worth reading.