Our book choice for July 2008 is The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester. Hugely influential on both the SF New Wave of the 60s and the cyberpunks of the 80s, Bester’s second novel is a fast-moving pyrotechnic extravaganza with enough bloodshed for Tarantino and enough social analysis for Marx.
The year is 2345. Humanity has colonized the Solar System, and the invention of teleportation, or “jaunting,” has revolutionized society. In this new world, the rich and powerful can jaunt to anywhere in the galaxy at the blink of an eye, while the poor and marginalized are left to fend for themselves.
Gulliver Foyle is one of the latter. A simple freighter captain, he is marooned in space after his ship is attacked. He survives for days by sheer will, but when he is finally rescued, he is accused of murdering the crew of the rescue ship. Foyle is determined to clear his name, but he soon realizes that he is in over his head.
The people who framed him are powerful and ruthless, and they will stop at nothing to protect their secrets. Foyle must use all of his cunning and strength to stay one step ahead of them. He must also come to terms with his own past, and learn to harness the power of jaunting for himself.
Along the way, Foyle encounters a cast of colorful characters, including the beautiful and dangerous Chryseis, the enigmatic Dr. Corcoran, and the mysterious John C. Blair. He also learns about the dark side of jaunting, and the dangers it poses to society.
In the end, Foyle must make a choice: will he use his newfound power for good or evil? The answer to that question will determine the fate of the galaxy.
Discussion Questions for The Stars My Destination
- Does evolution only occur in the presence of deadly threat or overwhelming emotion?
- Is mankind as a whole or a collection of individuals able to control its tendency to destruction?
- Does wealth and power always corrupt?
- Can the most brutish of men become, by chance, or will, a saviour?
- Consider the relationship between imagination and education. De menial jobs and tasks go only to those who are uneducated or lack imagination?
- Explore the nature of leadership. Is it truly limited to those with a vision for the future or the will to create one?
- Discuss the evolution of Gully Foyle. Is he born aboard the Nomad or in the fires of the Pyre detonation?
- Explain Foyle’s belief that the common man must be free to destroy himself or evolve, rather than blindly following more powerful men who assert themselves.
- Discuss the fact that in Foyle’s time, women have been consigned back to the seraglio because of jaunting. Why would the advent of jaunting strip the rights of women?
- Explain how self-perception and self-awareness affect an individual’s actions. When does Gully Foyle become truly self-aware?
- Discuss the ramifications the discovery of space jaunting could have on the political and social infrastructure of the Inner and Outer Planets.
- Foyle becomes half man, half machine midway through the book although this is treated as commonplace. Does this kind of augmentation represent an evolution step in itself?
- Foyle kills Forrest, Orel and, ultimately, Kempsey with his inquisition. Does this make him less sympathetic in your eyes?
- Is Foyle evil?
- What is Bester saying about how man’s evolution is connected to motivation?
- Does Foyle love Olivia? Is he capable? Does this relationship represent something else?
- Does Foyle find redemption?
- Did the concept of synaesthesia add to the novel or was it a gimmick?
- Security and social freedoms are dramatically affected. Women are kept locked away to protect blood lines. Does this represent a step backward for women?
- Which character is your favourite?
- Would you recommend this book? To whom?
Individual Ratings
DKB Rating 
