Audio

摘要

Gulliver Foyle, left for dead in the wreck of a spaceship, returns to Earth to embark on a mission of obsessive vengeance against those who abandoned him to die, in a new audio edition of this 1957 sf cult classic. Bester (1913-87) presents a truly original and bizarre future in which everyone has the ability to "jaunte" (teleport) across the world at will, and he explores the ramifications of this twist for commerce, communication, and politics. Modern readers may note that only one female character gets a role of any significance (and that she has a now-regrettable nickname), and Foyle commits some truly abominable acts in his quest for revenge that make him difficult to root for. Despite these complications, Stars deserves its classic status and is an enjoyable listen: the worldbuilding is rich and strange and presented without tedious exposition; the interplanetary action rarely pauses to catch its breath. As Neil Gaiman's introduction notes, in many ways this is truly the first cyberpunk novel, with its cynical tone, biotech-enhanced mercenaries, and rule by oligarchy over law. Irish reader Gerard Doyle narrates with gravitas and grit, portrays Foyle's character journey from uneducated thug to savvy mastermind, and gracefully handles a surrealist synesthetic section near the end. VERDICT Recommended for fans of Michael Moorcock, William Gibson (both of whom cite the novel as an influential favorite), or Philip K. Dick.